Economic Chaos, More Pitch Madness & the Shopify AI Manifesto | E2108
This Week in Startups
Intro
This chapter explores the turbulent state of the markets and the strategic responses founders should adopt in uncertain times. It introduces the 'cockroach strategy' and underscores the importance of contingency planning amid market fluctuations.
Today’s show: Jason and Alex unpack a wild week in tech and the markets — including a fake tweet that moved $4 trillion and Trump’s latest tariff talk. Lon jumps in for another round of Founder Fridays Pitch Madness, where four early-stage startups compete for a spot in the Elite Eight. Plus, Alex chats with Sunny Khamkar, CEO of MenuData, about how AI is revolutionizing the food industry. They also dive into how founders should rethink their runway, what Shopify’s bold AI memo means for the future, and whether VCs are placing earlier bets to chase that $1M ARR milestone. Don’t miss the founder pitches and a fresh take on AI-powered food trend tracking!
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Timestamps:
(0:00) Jason kicks off the show!
(2:11) Market chaos, tariffs, and their effects
(5:59) Economic uncertainty: Advice for founders
(8:00) Tariffs' potential impact on tech sectors
(9:58) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com ! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.
(13:27) SignalFire's billion-dollar fund
(17:32) Achieving significant startup revenue and its importance
(20:20) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team Plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist
(21:54) Krea's $87 million raise and subscription model analysis
(27:33) Big tech's influence on niche subscription services
(30:02) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist
(31:09) AI advancements: Midjourney v7 and voice activation
(36:43) Shopify's AI Manifesto
(41:00) Founder Friday bracket updates
(57:16) Founder Q&A: Lessons for first-time founders
(1:05:00) MenuData's CEO Sunny Khamkar interview
(1:16:10) MenuData's pricing, customer base, and growth plans
(1:23:38) AI's vertical impact and Menu Data's strategy
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Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
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Links from the show:
Check out MenuData: https://www.menudata.ai/
Check out Krea: https://www.krea.ai/
Check out Tobi Lutke’s ”AI Manifesto” https://x.com/tobi/status/1909251946235437514
Check out Pitchfire: https://www.pitchfire.com/
Check out CREATANT: https://www.creatant.com/
Check out Vidala Labs: https://vidalalabs.com/
Check out Kippy: https://kippy.ai/
Follow Sunny Khamkar:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunny-khamkar-84b905a
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Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
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Follow Lon:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonharris
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Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Thank you to our partners:
(9:58) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com ! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.
(20:20) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team Plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist
(30:02) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist
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Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
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Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com
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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
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