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This Week in Startups

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Aug 12, 2022 • 1h 30min

$DIS earnings, Disney vs Netflix & streaming strategies with Lon Harris + Ephemeral Tattoos | E1532

Lon Harris joins the show for a full streaming industry breakdown, including $DIS earnings, $WBD drama, streaming strategies, and more! (1:59) Then, Molly interviews Ephemeral CEO Jeff Liu on building a high-quality temporary tattoo solution. (1:09:00) (0:00) Jason tees up today's segments! (1:59) Jason welcome Lon Harris to talk misaligned media incentives and Trump coverage (12:45) MicroAcquire - Sell your business with no fees at https://try.microacquire.com/twist (14:05) Hulu's new film Prey is its largest streaming debut to date (27:18) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (28:29 Why the Predator franchise is valuable IP for Disney, how streaming platforms should handle "auteurs" (35:41) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist  (37:14) $DIS earnings, how Disney's streaming platforms overtook Netflix in terms of subscribers (46:52 Breaking down $WBD and how it should handle various IP, streaming residuals upheaval (51:25) Disney vs Netflix BOTE Math, Ezra Miller situation, strategies for Zaslav to take advantage of $WBD IP (1:09:00) Molly interviews Ephemeral CEO Jeff Liu
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Aug 11, 2022 • 1h 40min

State of the crypto market, Tornado Cash blacklisted, $COIN Q2 + The Blueprint Part 5 | E1531

Sunny Madra and Vinny Lingham join Jason for a fully loaded crypto market breakdown (1:40). Topics covered include: Tornado Cash being blacklisted by the US Treasury Dept, Coinbase Q2 earnings, smart crypto regulation, fixing early-stage crypto governance, and more! Jason wraps the show with Part 5 of The Blueprint: Generalists vs. Specialists. (1:21:44) (0:00) Jason intros today's segments: crypto roundtable and The Blueprint! (1:40) Current state of the crypto market after the massive pullback (14:31) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more (15:33 Tornado Cash blacklisted by the US Treasury Dept: what is it, what it means for "frozen" crypto assets & more (27:12) LinkedIn Marketing -  Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (28:36) How large-scale spam attacks and hacks will change consumer behavior in the still-early crypto industry (37:37) Visa - Learn more about Visa’s online Small Business Hub at Visa.com/smallbusinesshub (38:32) How should crypto be regulated? Should the US create a new agency dedicated to digital assets? Should there be a new set of rules for crypto? (48:39) Did Coinbase let customers down? $COIN Q2 earnings, responsibilities to customers, what Coinbase's platform might look like if altcoins are regulated as securities (55:22) Pseudonymous and anonymous impact on high-profile crypto projects, how to fix early-stage crypto governance (1:04:12 Interesting consumer-facing crypto projects (1:21:44) The Blueprint Part 5: Generalists vs. Specialists
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Aug 10, 2022 • 1h 25min

VC market overview, Vision Fund impact, Amazon's core businesses & more with Acquired | E1530

Acquired's Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal join the show to discuss how they think about public market investments (1:43), VC token sales (27:25), a VC market overview (45:40), the Vision Fund's impact on Silicon Valley (1:00:33), and Amazon's core pillars! (1:13:21) (0:00) Jason intros today's guests and topics: Crossover Pod with Acquired! (1:43) Private markets overview, Jay Trading, Ben's investment thesis for TSMC and Shopify (13:44) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist  (14:52) Jason makes two live Jay Trades, better solutions for employee stock options (26:14) Dell - Apply for Dell for Startups and get an additional 10% off Dell Latitude products at https://dell.com/twist  (27:25) Crypto regulation, VC token sales (39:33) Zapier - Try for free today at https://zapier.com/TWIST (41:02) The burden of going public, final ideas on digital asset regulation (45:40) Major takeaways from PitchBook's Q2 US VC Monitor: exit value collapse, deal volume down, seed not impacted as much, signs of life in the early-stage (1:00:33) Reflecting on Masa's precarious position and the impact that SoftBank's Vision Fund has had on the VC industry (1:13:21) Ranking the most impressive pillars of Amazon's business: AWS, Prime, marketplace, advertising
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Aug 9, 2022 • 1h 14min

SoftBank's Vision Fund loses $21B+, DTC brands struggle + NutriSense CEO Alex Skryl | E1529

Jason breaks down SoftBank's Vision Fund losing $21B+ last quarter and reflects on how founders should approach raising capital from megafunds. (2:11) Then, Jason reflects on lessons learned from the tough DTC space (27:05) and gives a quick Jay Trading update! (36:17). To wrap, NutriSense CEO Alex Skryl joins J+M to break down the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring! (47:37) (0:00) Jason tees up today's solo news + founder interview! (2:11) Jason breaks down SoftBank's Vision Fund losing ~$21B+ last quarter and analyzes some clips from Masayoshi Son's investor presentation (11:31) Microsoft for Startups Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups (12:54) Jason disagrees with Masa's new strategy and direction and explains how founders should approach raising capital by megafunds like the Vision Fund and differences between how Uber and WeWork deployed SoftBank capital (22:46) Assure - To get 20% off your first Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) visit https://Assure.co/twist (24:06) Reviewing the biggest hits and misses from Vision Fund I (27:05) Lessons learned from DTC shutdowns, how VCs deploy capital in a downturn (34:45) Prometheus - Go to Prometheusalts.com or download it on the App Store and use the access code TWIST to sign up (36:17) Jay Trading update: $DIS, $AMZN, $WBD, $SFIX (47:37) Nutrisense CEO Alex Skryl joins to talk glucose monitoring benefits, biohacking, and more!
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Aug 7, 2022 • 1h 3min

Why some VCs won't invest in first-time founders + $369B carve-out for climate/energy | E1528

First up on VC Sunday School, J+M cover the stigma around investing in first-time founders: Is it a myth? What are the pros and cons? What really matters when evaluating a founder? (3:01) Then, Molly interviews Jay Koh of The Lightsmith Group to break down the Inflation Reduction Act's $369B climate/energy allocation. (29:08) (0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's segments! (3:01) why is there a bias against investing in first-time founders? (15:04) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist  (16:21) Most important factors to startup success (21:42 Jason and Molly tee up Molly's climate interview which is focused on the Inflation Reduction Act's $369B climate/energy carve-out (27:53) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups  (29:08) Jay Koh of The Lightsmith Group joins to break down the $369B earmarked for climate/energy in the Inflation Reduction Act (36:39) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist (37:58) What will the $369B do for the climate VC industry? (48:48) What will this investment do for America's standing as a global climate tech leader?
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Aug 6, 2022 • 1h 18min

$COIN partners with $BLK, $AMZN acquires iRobot for $1.7B, Jay Trading update + OK Boomer | E1527

Solo Jason news day! First up, Jason breaks down Coinbase's performance as a public company and its recent partnership with BlackRock (2:18), then he covers Amazon acquiring Roomba-maker iRobot (18:08), before wrapping the news with a Jay Trading update. (24:53) Producer Rachel wraps the show by interviewing Minted's Marcus Milione for OK Boomer! (52:35) (0:00) Jason intros today's topics! (2:18) Jason analyzes $COIN's performance as a public company and its volatile price fluctuations (14:52) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (15:59) BlackRock partnering with Coinbase to manage its institutional crypto trading business (18:08) $AMZN acquires Roomba-maker iRobot for $1.7B (23:38) Helpware - Go to https://helpware.com/TWIST to get $1000 off your first invoice (24:53) Jason debuts jaytrading.com and gives his reasons for doing it (30:58) $WBD down ~17% after a bad earnings report (36:53) Bubbles - Get unlimited screen and video recordings for free at https://usebubbles.com/twist (38:10) Jason tells a quick story about meeting Bill Clinton & talks to Producer Rachel about her first year of interviews on OK Boomer (52:35) Rachel interviews Marcus Milione on brand building, monetizing a passion, and more
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Aug 5, 2022 • 1h 13min

$WBD shakeup, streaming earnings, Locket raises $12.5M, Lina Khan/FTC sues Meta | E1526

Lon Harris joins the show to break down the chaotic shakeup going on at Warners Bros. Discovery, what's happening with HBO Max, potential new roadmaps for the DCEU, and more. (2:46) Then, J+M break down a new intimate social app called Locket raising $12.5M (44:02) and Lina Khan taking action against Meta. (51:39) (0:00) J+M intro today's topics! (2:46) Lon Harris joins to break down what is going on at Warner Bros. Discovery (14:05) Grammarly - Sign up for a free and get 20% Grammarly Premium at https://grammarly.com/TWIST (15:22) Is streaming subscription revenue a viable business compared to big box office hauls? Is $WBD making a terrible move re: creative relationships? (24:26) Indochino - Get $50 off any purchase of $399 or more by using code TWIST at checkout https://www.indochino.com (25:48) Discovery vs. HBO branding, Roku/Paramount Plus subscriber counts (38:11) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at https://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups (39:34) Lon's crypto queen series update (44:02) Social app Locket raised a $12.5M early-stage round of funding (51:39) Lina Khan sues Meta over a ~$400M VR acquisition and tries to change the antitrust precedent
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Aug 4, 2022 • 1h 6min

YC reduces S22 batch by 40%, $HOOD RIF, $MSTR CEO change, $ABNB earnings + Blueprint Part 4 | E1525

BIG show! First up, our co-hosts break down why YC cut its summer cohort size by 40% (2:13), Robinhood letting go 23% of its employees (12:40), Michael Saylor out as MicroStrategy CEO (32:09), and Airbnb earnings. (42:07) Then, Jason is back with another edition of The Blueprint, where he covers the benefits of having a bias for action! (48:52) (0:00) Jason and Molly intro today's topics! (2:13) Y Combinator cuts its Summer 2022 batch size by 40%: what does this mean for the early-stage market? (11:35) iTrust Capital - Visit https://itrust.capital/twist to create your Crypto IRA today (12:40) Robinhood terminates 23% of employees: RIF vs layoff vs furlough explanation (27:42) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more (29:02) Jason gives a Jay Trading recap and lays out his reasons for doing it (32:09) Michael Saylor steps down as MicroStrategy CEO (39:14) Visa - Learn more about Visa’s online Small Business Hub at Visa.com/smallbusinesshub (40:10) Jason's predictions for MicroStrategy's direction (42:07) $ABNB earnings, comparing $ABNB and $UBER p/s, $COIN and $HOOD p/s (48:52) The Blueprint Part 4: The Benefits of Having a Bias for Action (54:12) How bias for action relates to other cognitive biases (1:02:50) How founders can have a bias for action: Product velocity
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Aug 3, 2022 • 1h 22min

$UBER & $PINS Q2 earnings + customer-centric primary care with The Lanby's Chloe Harrouche | E1524

J+M break down Uber and Pinterest's Q2 earnings (2:42), and Jason makes a Jay Trade live on air (18:51). Then, The Lanby CEO Chloe Harrouche joins to break down approaching primary care from a customer-centric perspective. (49:40) (0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's show! Big news day + a great early-stage founder interview (2:42) $UBER Q2 earnings: doubled revenue y/y, FCF positive, rides business is back to pre-pandemic levels (13:12) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (14:24) Does Airbnb have similar pricing controls as Uber? (18:51) Jason does a LIVE Jay Trade and explains his investment thesis! ***NOT investment advice (27:28) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST (28:45) $PINS Q2, Should public CEOs be able to retain super-voting shares? (38:01) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist  (39:08) Jason proposes a perfect merger target for Pinterest (45:44) Jason and Molly tee up the interview with The Lanby CEO Chloe Harrouche (49:40) Chloe breaks down approaching healthcare from a customer-centric POV, pricing model, unit economics, and more (1:06:09) Onboarding doctors, scaling the business, opaque pricing in healthcare
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Aug 2, 2022 • 1h 25min

TikTok takes on Spotify, startup advice + US housing market w/ Redfin & Divvy Homes CEOs | E1523

First up, Jason and Molly cover TikTok's recent patents that indicate it might be going after Spotify (2:23). Then, the duo breaks down a recent WSJ report about VCs giving conflicting advice to founders. (18:05) After the news, J+M are joined by Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman and Divvy Homes CEO Adena Hefets for an in-depth break down of the current US housing market. (33:36) WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-valley-lurches-between-deep-cuts-and-bold-spending-11659268801 (0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's topics and guests! (2:23) TikTok might be going after Spotify's music streaming business with "TikTok Music" (16:45) Policygenius - Go to https://policygenius.com to get a free life insurance quote (18:04) Jason and Molly break down a WSJ report about conflicting advice that VCs are giving to founders re: approaching the current downturn; Jason debuts his "Cash vs. Profitability Matrix" (32:04) Notion - Get $250 off by using code TWIST at https://notion.so (33:36) Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman and Divvy Homes CEO Adena Hefets join and break down their businesses before getting into how a 2022 housing downturn might be different from 2008 (41:36) Prometheus - Go to Prometheusalts.com or download it on the App Store and use the access code TWIST to sign up (43:09) Institutional buyers' impact on housing supply, pandemic migration impact on local inflation, new construction outlook (1:08:36) Rental market outlook, commercial real estate's grim projections

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