This Week in Startups

Slow Ventures' Creators Fund and Helion Energy's Fusion Reactors | 2084

Feb 12, 2025

In this discussion, Sam Lessin, Partner at Slow Ventures and expert in creator-driven investments, and David Kirtley, Co-founder of Helion Energy, share insights on pioneering trends in their respective fields. They delve into Slow Ventures' $60M Creator Fund, exploring the community-first approach to business and the challenges faced by creators. David unpacks Helion's innovative fusion energy technology, its potential to reshape the energy landscape, and the market dynamics backing this revolutionary shift. It's a fascinating intersection of creativity and cutting-edge energy solutions!

01:04:47

Creator website

Episode guests

David Kirtley

Sam Lessin

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The Slow Ventures Creator Fund's $60 million backing from significant institutions highlights growing investor confidence in the creator economy.

A shift from product-first to community-first strategies in startups demonstrates the importance of trust and loyalty in niche markets.

Helion Energy's innovative fusion technology aims for direct energy extraction, promising higher efficiency and faster scalability in clean energy production.

Deep dives

Collaboration and Financial Commitments

A discussion centers around the partnership with Microsoft, highlighting a power purchase agreement wherein Microsoft pays as energy is drawn from the grid. This agreement includes penalties for failing to meet established timelines, implying significant financial stakes and risks for the company involved. This dynamic adds pressure to deliver on the project's promises, suggesting that the high expectations could impact operational efficiency and employee wellbeing. Such financial commitments indicate the seriousness of the collaboration and reflect the growing trend of tech companies engaging in renewable energy projects.

Intro

2min

Investing in Creativity: The Slow Ventures Fund

7min

Building Trust in Niche Communities

6min

Navigating the Creator Economy

4min

Empowering Creators Towards Business Success

2min

Revolutionizing Startup Investing and Fusion Energy

8min

Project Timelines and Effective B2B Marketing Strategies

2min

Fusion Energy: Innovations and Implications

10min

Innovating Energy Solutions and Navigating Legal Challenges in AI

2min

10.

Navigating Fair Use and Intellectual Property

16min

11.

Celebrating Niche Content Creators

5min

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Episode Teaser(1:16) Welcome Alex Wilhelm & Sam Lessin; Slow Ventures Creator Fund(3:49) Significance of the $60M creator-focused fund(5:47) Community-building and product development strategy(7:02) Mr. Beast's success as a case study(9:41) Vanta. Get $1000 off your SOC 2 athttps://www.vanta.com/twist(11:17) Financial structures and strategies in creator investments(14:14) Addressing challenges in creator-focused investing(19:46) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visitnorthwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(22:24) Startups optimizing operations in challenging climates(24:50) Transition to fusion energy and Helion's technology(27:46) Helion's fusion technology and CEO David Kirtley(29:16) Commercial fusion power timeline(29:43) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit athttp://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups(32:12) Fusion energy's market potential and agreements(33:39) Comparing fusion to other energy sources(36:10) Safety and environmental considerations for fusion(43:00) Helion's upcoming milestones and team expansion(44:00) Lon Harris on AI, copyright, and fair use(47:00) Exploring fair use and IP infringement in AI(53:00) Market impact and licensing for AI technologies(56:00) Financial implications for AI and copyright(58:00) Distinguishing personal vs. commercial use of copyrighted material

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