This Week in Startups cover image

This Week in Startups

Latest episodes

undefined
Mar 16, 2023 • 1h 23min

Banking crisis impact, more Meta cuts, and GPT-4 with Sunny Madra and Vinny Lingham | E1700

Vinny and Sunny are BACK with Jason for another roundtable! First, they cover the aftermath of the bank shutdowns (2:54) before breaking down the impact on startups and the overall economy. (14:14) They also cover Zuckerberg announcing more cuts at Meta (1:05:49) and OpenAI launching GPT-4! (1:10:55) (0:00) Jason tees up today's topics! (2:54) Reflecting on the aftermath of the SVB collapse (12:50) Cast.ai - Get a free cloud cost audit with a personal consultation at https://cast.ai/twist  (14:14) Understanding the origins of the banking issues and the Fed's response (27:10) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist  (28:09) Signature and Silvergate troubles, overall lessons from the past week (39:33) Orgspace - Get $2000 in credits at http://orgspace.io/twist  (41:04) Understanding CBDC (56:11) Things to consider going forward, payroll crisis (1:05:49) Zuckerberg's "Year of Efficiency" and OpenAI launches GPT-4 Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1 FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190
undefined
Mar 15, 2023 • 1h 30min

Andy Rachleff on SVB, how to evaluate VCs, market pull indicators, Wealthfront, and more | E1699

Wealthfront Chairman and Co-Founder Andy Rachleff joins Jason for an incredible interview! They start the show by discussing the SVB situation before breaking down different tech mini-crashes throughout Silicon Valley history (2:28). Then, they break down Wealthfront’s business and how to know if a business has market pull (40:49). They finish up the show by covering a range of topics, from AI to stock-based comp (1:13:45). (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (2:28) SVB situation (9:26) The FDIC’s $250K limit (13:27) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups (14:49) The bank run (16:17) The SVB ecosystem (22:20) Merge - Integrate up to 5 customers for free today at https://merge.dev/twist (23:45) Cycle changes (36:15) How to judge a VC (39:27) Issuu - Get 50% off when you go to https://issuu.com/podcast and use promo code twist (40:49) Wealthfront’s operation (48:58) Reactions to the market (55:00) Modern analysis and stock buybacks (1:01:24 ) Caring about profitability (1:02:06) Attaining market pull (1:13:45) Andy’s thoughts on AI (1:16:31) The makeup of a great entrepreneur (1:18:50) Stock-based compensation (1:25:06) How we avoided inflation FOLLOW Andy: https://twitter.com/arachleff FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
undefined
Mar 14, 2023 • 40min

How ocean farming can solve world hunger with Alora CEO Luke Young | E1698

Alora CEO and Co-Founder Luke Young joins Molly to discuss ocean agriculture and the ability to grow crops offshore (1:17). They discuss the progression of engineering that has propelled Alora’s innovations (11:55) and the challenges of growing at sea (21:53). (0:00) Intro! (1:17) Alora’s mission and technological advancements (5:46) Mitigation and adaptation (7:58) The first taste test (10:25) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST (11:55) Alora’s progression and timeline (16:26) Designing infrastructure and engineering fertilizer (20:25) LMNT - Get a free sample pack with any purchase at http://drinklmnt.com/TWIST (21:53) Challenges of growing on the ocean (26:14) Alora’s Business Model (28:56) Fennel - Join the fennel waitlist now and get your first month free at http://fennel.com/twist (30:10) Salt tolerance (35:17) Alora’s Customer and cost of development FOLLOW Luke: https://twitter.com/lukeheatonyoung FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
undefined
Mar 13, 2023 • 1h 5min

Silicon Valley Bank collapse recap + Wist CEO on capturing XR memories | E1697

Jason kicks off Monday by recapping this weekend’s chaos caused by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (1:45). Then, he advises founders on preventing a scare like this from happening again before interviewing Andrew R McHugh of Wist Labs, who is building a platform to capture and relive memories in AR and VR (13:40). (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (1:45) The past weekend’s chaos and triaging startups (12:18) Pilot - Get 20% off the first 6 months at https://pilot.com/twist (13:40) The government’s response and advice for founders (24:12) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (25:39) Andrew R McHugh of Wist Labs (37:28) Brilliant.org - Get 20% off an annual subscription at http://brilliant.org/twist (38:56) Reliving past experiences and Generative AI applications (57:00) Raising capital in the weeks to come FOLLOW Andrew: https://twitter.com/armthethinker FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis Check out Founder University the podcast at https://www.founder.university/podcast
undefined
Mar 11, 2023 • 48min

EMERGENCY POD: $SVIB implodes, contagion risk, advice for founders, and what’s next? | E1696

Jason reacts to Silicon Valley Bank being shut down by the FDIC and breaks down what this means for founders and VCs. (0:00) Breaking down the SVB situation (4:28) FDIC press release (7:41) What Jason hopes will happen (10:16) Defcon 1 (12:39) Thoughts on emergency funding (15:46) How does the SVB situation affect early-stage fundraising (26:59) SVB sells their securities (29:10) USV email to founders (31:06) SVB CEO addresses the situation (33:07) Bill Ackman’s response (34:31)Mark Suster’s response (35:52) Audience questions FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
undefined
Mar 10, 2023 • 1h 5min

Stripe to raise $6B, $SIVB drops 60%, generative AI funding | E1695

Eric Newcomer joins to break down all the trending tech topics, including Stripe raising $6B (16:31), major generative ai fundraises (35:55), Silicon Valley Bank dropping 60% (50:35), and more! (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (1:55) Eric’s move to independent journalism (10:07) First Republic Bank - Discover what a long-term financial relationship can do for you. Visit https://firstrepublic.com today to learn more. (10:57) Take rates and more on Substack (16:31) Eric’s Scoop on Stripe (20:43) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (21:46) The narrative around the tech layoffs + Generative AI (34:24) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (35:55) The deluge of Funding into AI (43:39) The state of VC investing (50:35) Silicon Valley Bank drops 60% FOLLOW Eric: https://twitter.com/EricNewcomer FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
undefined
Mar 10, 2023 • 1h 8min

Ask an Angel! Startup funding overview, investor red flags, negotiating early-stage terms | E1694

Zach Coelius is BACK with Jason to take questions from founders and investors! They cover investing on Zoom post-COVID (6:07), diligence red flags (13:13), investor red flags (27:32), building relationships prior to fundraising (48:59), and more! (0:00) Jason Kicks off the show (1:21) Managing time as an angel (6:07) Moving to zoom instead of the room (9:50) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (10:54) Servicing new deals vs. existing ones (13:13) Red flags to look for in a syndicate startup deal (20:18) Coda - The All-in-one doc for teams, sign up for free at https://coda.io/twist (21:47) Your options when there is no path to profitability (27:32) Red flags when courting angel investors (41:10) Contra - Get $500 off your first hire at https://contra.com/twist (42:35) Assumptions that have evolved (45:23) Recent learnings in the past few years (48:59) Building genuine relationships with investors (53:40) Difficulties in startups (57:37) Negotiating terms on deals FOLLOW Zach: https://twitter.com/zachcoelius FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
undefined
Mar 8, 2023 • 58min

ANGEL: Threshold VC’s Emily Melton on market distortion, healthcare investing & culture | E1693

Emily Melton joins Molly to discuss her early days in venture and what she learned while working at DFJ (1:30). Then, they talk about the barriers that healthcare imposes on entrepreneurship (17:22), building a diverse culture within venture capital (29:53), market distortions, and how to optimize for a down market (38:42). (0:00) Molly kicks off the show (1:30) Getting started in Venture Capital (8:12) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free (9:38) Learnings from working at DFJ (17:22) Healthcare being a barrier to entrepreneurship (20:11) Prenuvo - Get $300 off at http://prenuvo.com/twist (21:41) Threshold Ventures’ fund mechanics (26:15) Investing in Tia: Healthcare solutions for woman (29:53) Building culture (37:45) Pilot - Get 20% off the first 6 months at https://pilot.com/twist (38:42) Optimizing for a down market (52:13) What’s next? FOLLOW Emily: https://twitter.com/emelton FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
undefined
Mar 7, 2023 • 50min

Crypto climate bill resurfaces, BlocPower raises $155M + Arcadia CEO Kiran Bhatraju | E1692

Molly kicks off Climate Tuesday breaking down the news that the Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act has resurfaced (1:37). Then, she discusses BlocPower’s $155M raise and their collaboration with a town in New York to achieve net zero emissions (6:12). Finally, Kiran Bhatraju of Arcadia joins Molly for 2023’s first official Climate interview (11:38). (0:00) Molly kicks off the show (1:37) The Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act resurfaces (6:12) BlocPower Raises $155M (10:12) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist (11:38) Unlocking utility data with Kiran Bhatraju of Arcadia (21:48) Linode - Apply to Linode's Rise program for up to six figures in discounts at https://linode.com/twist (23:14) Breaking down Arcadia and Arc (26:13) Democratizing solar energy with community solar (33:57) Fennel - Join the fennel waitlist now and get your first month free at http://fennel.com/twist! (35:27) Arc users + carbon accounting (43:15) Kiran's journey into climate tech (45:59) Opportunity in the climate tech space FOLLOW Kiran: https://twitter.com/kiranraju FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood
undefined
Mar 7, 2023 • 1h 18min

Sequoia resigns from Citizen's board, IPO window opens, chaos at Dapper Labs | E1691

Jason is BACK with Molly to break down the news! They cover Sequoia leaving Citizen's board after passing on a "pay to play" round (5:46), two major companies reportedly going public in 2023: Instacart and ARM (27:11), and the recent turmoil at Dapper Labs (50:44). (0:00) J+M tee up today's news show! (2:25) Jason's back! (5:46) Sequoia leaves the board of Citizen (14:21) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST (15:51) How investors make the decision to pass on a "pay to play" round (25:41) Contra - Get $500 off your first hire at https://contra.com/twist (27:11) IPO window starts to open, Instacart prepares for IPO after big Q4 (35:42) Revelo - Get 20% off the first 3 months by mentioning TWIST at https://revelo.io/twist (37:09) ARM prepares for IPO, reasons for CHIPS Act speed (50:44) Chaos at Dapper Labs: reckless spending, securities lawsuit FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode