The Financial Pitfalls of Startups and Solutions for Survival

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Today’s show: Jason, Alex, and Lon dig into the controversy around 11x, the Andreessen-backed startup accused of misrepresenting revenue and using fake logos, and what that says about early-stage accountability. Then we break down China’s dual-front blitz in AI and EVs: DeepSeek’s open-source model rivals GPT-4, and Xiaomi’s $30K SU7 is a straight-up Porsche clone shaking the EV market. Finally, we unpack the “4-persona framework” that helped Wiz rocket to $100M+ ARR faster than anyone — a must-know concept for any founder looking to build, sell, and scale like a beast.

Timestamps:

(0:00) Episode Teaser

(1:27) Introduction of co-hosts Lon Harris and Alex Wilhelm

(3:23) New set design and color analysis(5:43) Announcement of "Twist OT" and potential Patreon model(

8:09) Gamestop's Bitcoin strategy and Michael Saylor's influence

(10:15) OpenPhone - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at www.openphone.com/twist

(14:26) MSTR and their shift to Bitcoin

(17:01) Michael Saylor’s conflict of interest

(20:40) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(23:09) Investment strategies for company treasuries(25:10) Allegations against Eleven x startup

(30:35) Brex - the financial stack founders can bank on. Get the business account trusted by 1 in 3 US startups at brex.com/banking-solutions.

(32:56) The importance of transparency and accountability in startups

(42:31) Chinese advancements in AI technology and ChatGPT features

(55:09) Insight from Israeli VC Gili Raanan on successful startups

(1:04:26) Founder Friday March Pitch Madness bracket competition

(1:10:26) How to start a Founder Friday chapter and community

(1:11:21) Bracket competition and Launch Accelerator's 34th cohort

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