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This Week in Startups

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Nov 3, 2022 • 1h 17min

Uber Q3 earnings, macro picture + Brinc Drones CEO Blake Resnick | E1602

First up, Jason gives an update on his busy weekend. (2:32) Then, Molly joins to break down Uber's Q3 earnings report (8:50) and the macroeconomic picture. (14:31) Then, Brinc Drones CEO Blake Resnick joins for another edition of The Next Unicorns. (38:07) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:32) Jason gives a quick work update (8:50) Uber's Q3 earnings (12:50) LinkedIn Marketing -  Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at LinkedIn.com/nextunicorn (14:31) Fed's newest 75 basis point rate hike, comparing average Uber driver earnings to teachers (23:58) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist (25:24) Ideas on improving public education (31:47) Jason's warning to founders on the state of the downturn (36:40) Kalshi - Sign up to win $100K at https://kalshi.com/efc (38:07) Brinc Drones CEO and Founder Blake Resnick breaks down why he started a first responder safety-focused drone company (47:12) Blake walks through a demo of Brinc's technology (54:59) The business of running a hardware startup: sales cycles with government buyers, building prototypes, customer-focused product iteration (1:07:24) Blake demos Brinc's newest product, the Brinc Ball Check out Brinc: https://www.brincdrones.com FOLLOW Brinc: https://twitter.com/brincdrones 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
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Nov 1, 2022 • 51min

Steve Case on "The Rise of the Rest", America's economic resiliency & more | E1601

Author, CEO of Revolution, and former AOL CEO Steve Case joins Jason to talk about his new book, "The Rise of the Rest". (0:50) They also discuss reflections on remote work (13:14), American economic resiliency (25:48), capital formation in America (36:32), and more! (0:00) Show start (0:50) Jason welcomes Steve Case: Author, CEO of Revolution, and former CEO of AOL to talk about his book, "The Rise of the Rest" (11:44) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist  (13:14) Remote work reflections: can a great company be built fully remote?  (24:37) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist  (25:48) American economic resiliency, China's capitalist system going off the rails, not staying complacent (34:16) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist  (35:31) Opening investor access, fixing capital formation in America (43:16) Politics and policy involvement
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Oct 31, 2022 • 49min

Self-driving shakeup: TuSimple CEO fired & Argo AI shuts down + Divvy Homes CEO Adena Hefets | E1600

Molly Wood breaks down some shakeups in the self-driving space: TuSimple fired its CEO and is being probed by the FBI and SEC (1:40), and Argo AI has shut down after raising ~$2.6B. (8:50) Then, Divvy Homes CEO Adena Hefets joins the podcast to break down the state of the housing market and share thoughts on last week's hit piece. (14:09) (0:00) Molly tees up today's segments! (1:40) TuSimple CEO fired, company probed by FBI, SEC (8:50) Argo AI shuts down (12:45) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (14:09) Adena Hefets joins Molly Wood to discuss the Fast Company article covering her startup Divvy Homes last week (25:17) Grammarly - Sign up for a free and get 20% Grammarly Premium at https://grammarly.com/TWIST (26:49) Operating a business where the stakes are high (homeownership, healthcare, etc) (31:17) Adena breaks down the state of the US housing market (35:14) Athletic Greens - Get 1 year of Vitamin D free and 5 free travel packs with your first purchase at athleticgreens.com/twist (36:34) State of debt markets, operating in different interest rate environments, different capital structures, taking advantage of low-interest rates FOLLOW Adena: https://twitter.com/adenahefets 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
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Oct 30, 2022 • 1h 3min

Strategies for investing in an overheated market, understanding warrants + Nat Bullard | E1599

First up, J+M cover how to approach a market that's heating up during a downturn (1:42), before covering warrants. (25:07) Then, Voyager's Nat Bullard joins to discuss his journalist to VC path and Voyager's climate focus. (32:09) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (1:42) How to approach a market that's heating up during a downturn (11:26) Blueground - Get up to $1000 off your booking at https://promos.theblueground.com/twist  (12:58) Strategies around patience in VC, entering markets at the wrong time (25:07) Understanding warrants (30:49) Paperclip - Go to getpaperclip.com/twist to get the app free for life (32:09) Nat Bullard joins Molly and breaks down his path from journalist to climate VC (39:15) LinkedIn Marketing -  Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (40:38) Voyager's thesis, most exciting investment opportunities in climate FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood FOLLOW Nat: https://twitter.com/natbullard Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1
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Oct 28, 2022 • 1h 36min

Meta's precarious situation, $AMZN earnings breakdown, James Gunn to run DC + OK Boomer | E1598

First up, Jason goes solo to break down more Meta fallout and Amazon's Q3 earnings. (1:59) Then, Lon Harris joins J+M to break down House of the Dragon's huge finale, James Gunn hired to run DC Films, and more! (21:56) Finally, Producer Rachel wraps the show with another edition of OK Boomer! (1:59) (0:00) Jason tees up today's segments! (1:59) Jason breaks down Meta's predicament (11:21) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist  (12:55) What Jason would do to fix Meta's stock tumble (16:28) $AMZN Q3 earnings breakdown (20:32) Smash Digital - Visit https://SmashDigital.com/TWIST to get a free SEO video audit for your business (21:56) Lon Harris joins to discuss House of the Dragon's S1 finale (34:33) Kalshi - Sign up to win $100K at https://kalshi.com/efc  (36:01) More House of the Dragon discussion: show content, massive ratings; then they discuss Black Adam and James Gunn taking over at DC (42:37) Bob Chapek's comments on animated content spark backlash; streaming business predictions and streaming recommendations! (1:08:36) Molly and Producer Rachel tee up this week's OK Boomer segment! (1:11:31) Tommy Clark joins Producer Rachel to discuss his experience with social media marketing  FOLLOW Lon: https://twitter.com/lons FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood FOLLOW Rachel: https://twitter.com/_rachelbraun FOLLOW Tommy: https://twitter.com/tclarkmedia Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1
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Oct 27, 2022 • 59min

$META earnings instant reaction, Apple's NFT rules, SBF backlash & more | E1597

Sunny and Vinny are BACK for another crypto roundtable! First up, they give instant reactions to Meta's rough Q3 earnings and Zuck's big bet (1:59), before breaking down Meta's AR/VR battle with Apple (15:14). Then, the trio does a full NFT breakdown: Reddit's NFT usage (20:19), new App Store rules (27:41), and understanding royalties! (37:52) Then, they wrap by covering SBF facing backlash and a crypto Q&A. (47:54) (0:00) Jason tees up today's topics! (1:59) Jason welcomes Sunny and Vinny, and the trio breakdown Meta's Q3 earnings right as they drop! (14:12) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist (15:14) Who will win the AR/VR wars: Meta or Apple? (20:19) Reddit's NFT usage (26:12) Revelo - Get 20% off the first 3 months by mentioning TWIST at https://revelo.io/twist (27:41) Are Apple's new App Store NFT rules overreaching, or a great sign for crypto? (36:28) Smash Digital - Visit https://SmashDigital.com/TWIST to get a free SEO video audit for your business (37:52) Understanding NFT royalties (47:54) SBF facing backlash after comments on regulation (57:39) Crypto Q&A! FOLLOW Sunny: https://twitter.com/sundeep FOLLOW Vinny: https://twitter.com/VinnyLingham 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
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Oct 27, 2022 • 1h 11min

$MSFT, $GOOG, $SPOT earnings breakdowns + Coco CEO Zach Rash | E1596

First up Jason does a solo breakdown of recent earnings reports from $MSFT (1:38), $GOOG (13:59), and $SPOT. (26:46) Then, Molly is joined by Coco CEO Zach Rash for another edition of The Next Unicorns! (39:09) (0:00) Jason tees up today's segments (1:38) Microsoft earnings breakdown (12:42) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist  (13:59) Google earnings breakdown (25:20) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://LinkedIn.com/unicorn (26:46) Spotify earnings breakdown (33:54) Why now is the best possible time to start a company (37:58) TripActions - Go to https://tripactions.com/twist and get a $500 Amazon gift card after making your first travel booking OR paying off your first $1000 of liquid spend (39:09) Coco CEO and Founder Zach Rash joins Molly Wood to talk about his robo-delivery startup! (55:38) Last mile delivery market size, why Coco is focusing on remote-controlled vs autonomous, and more! FOLLOW Zach: https://twitter.com/zac_rash 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
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Oct 26, 2022 • 57min

Shutterstock partners with OpenAI, Apple's new smart lock partner, Mach 9 spaceplane & more | E1595

First up, J+M discuss Shutterstock partnering with OpenAI and what this means for ownership and IP rights. (1:56) Then they break down Apple partnering with Level to sell a smart lock (29:00) and what the world would be like with a Mach 9 spaceplane. (35:03) Molly wraps the show with a solo news breakdown! (40:37) (0:00) Molly tees up today's segments! (1:56) J+M break down Shutterstock partnering with OpenAI and DALL-E 2 and what this means for IP and content rights (15:30) LinkedIn Marketing -  Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (16:56) How would Jason solve the "training data" problem from both sides? Is the cat out of the bag regarding ai-generated images? (27:50) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (29:00) Apple partners with Level to sell a smart lock (35:03) WLITF: Venus Aerospace's Mach 9 spaceplane! (39:08) Kalshi - Sign up for a chance to win $100K at https://kalshi.com/efc (40:37) Molly solo segment!: US semiconductor employee shortage, India fines Google $113M, Apple's NFT update 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
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Oct 25, 2022 • 1h 19min

Brad Gerstner's open letter to Zuck, Meta's lack of efficiency, Divvy Homes hit piece | E1594

J+M cover Brad Gerstner's letter to Zuck and three-point plan to boost Meta's FCF 2x (7:04), an NFT project located at the Fyre Fest island (33:19), and a hit piece on Divvy Homes and its CEO, Adena Hefets. (39:38) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:08) Opening banter/weekend catch-up! (7:04) Brad Gerstner published an open letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, outlining a plan to double FCF and boost its stock price (12:11) Linode -  Apply to Linode's Rise program for up to six figures in discounts at https://linode.com/twist (13:41) Specific plans in Brad's letter, the "open-letter approach", Meta efficiency comparisons and advertiser treatment (27:16) House of Macadamias - Get 20% off at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20 (28:32) Meta's revenue/capex vs. Google (33:19) Homeownership NFTs on the infamous Fyre Fest island! (38:08) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (39:38) J+M go through a hit piece against Divvy Homes and Adena Hefets and describe what subtle tells indicate a hit piece (1:10:40) Jay Trading update, geopolitics, and more! 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
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Oct 23, 2022 • 38min

Venture Debt: should your startup take it on? + Mi Terro's Robert Luo | E1593

First up, J+M chop it up about venture debt on this edition of VC Sunday School. What are the dangers? And when should your startup take it on? (2:12) Then, Molly has a conversation with Mi Terro founder Robert Luo about how they are targeting the world’s microplastic problem. (19:33) (0:00) J+M tee-up topics for Sunday (2:12) Jason warns founders of the dangers of taking on venture debt (9:23) Harmonic - Get $4000 off at https://harmonic.ai/twist (10:42) Jason addresses when venture debt can and cannot work + PAG’s new venture wealth fund (18:05) MicroAcquire - Sell your business with no fees at https://try.microacquire.com/twist (19:33) Robert Luo joins Molly to explain how Mi Terro is solving the world’s microplastic problem (28:50) Revelo - Get 20% off the first 3 months by mentioning TWIST at https://revelo.io/twist (30:17) Robert talks about competition, his background as an entrepreneur and the future of Mi Terro 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

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