Capital Is Returning but Deal Count Is Falling

Register for Founder University Japan’s kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mk

Today’s show:

*On TWiST, Jason welcomes an all-star VC panel — Deedy Das of Menlo Partners and Jay Eum of GFT Ventures — for a deep dive into the shocking scale of early-stage AI raises, a transitional moment for investors, the growing importance of the “prosumer” market, ChatGPT’s insane smile curves, and much much more.

IN THIS EPISODE

• What the panelists make of Roelof Botha’s exit from Sequoia… and is he really going anywhere…
• Why Jason says VC is no longer the best way to get rich…
• Why so many private companies are growing SO HUGE before going public…

And much more!

Timestamps:

(00:03:37) Jason is fresh from surviving Riyadh traffic but he’s here and introducing our all star panel

(00:04:03) Why Jason compares Riyadh to Silicon Valley in the 1960s

(00:05:21) Friend of the Pod Roelof Botha is stepping down at Sequoia… our insiders try to guess what might have happened…

(10:00) Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(00:13:11) Deedy moved up at Menlo without being a venture native… he shares the secrets behind his rise.

(00:19:09) Was Roelof wrong about “return-free risk”? Does more capital always = more great companies?

(20:00) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(00:26:54) With so many private companies growing SO HUGE… when is the right time to go public? Considering the case of Glean and Stripe…

(30:00) AWS Marketplace - If you’re ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.

(00:30:07) Why Jason says venture capital is no longer the best way to get rich

(00:32:34) Why AI apps are so appealing to enterprises after years of paying for SaaS

(00:36:32) The growing importance of “prosumers”

(00:37:31) Why Deedy says a smile curve is the most beautiful depiction of “Product Market Fit”

(00:44:36) Why it’s still tough to raise pre-seed money, even during an AI “boom”!

(00:46:08) Why Jason says the hardest job in the tech ecosystem is being an investor

(00:55:52) “Time is one of the primary drivers of venture capital return.” - Jay Eun

(00:57:42) Deedy on the shocking amounts being raised by early-stage AI companies

(01:00:21) Just how much DO VCs work compared to founders? The panel compares notes.

(01:02:53) Are some investors not doing diligence? Deedy on the speed of some AI deals.

(01:16:51) The panel picks their fav portfolio company of the moment (or one of their faves)

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit

AWS Marketplace - If you’re ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916