This Week in Startups

Today’s show: Trump just floated the idea of a U.S. Crypto Reserve, suggesting a 10 bips transaction tax and naming unexpected altcoins like XRP, Solana, and Cardano. Jason and Alex break down what this means for crypto markets, regulation, and startups—plus the legal and political fallout. Is this a game-changer or just another pump-and-dump controversy?*Timestamps:(0:00) Alex and Jason kick of the show!(1:48) Trump's crypto policy and PR strategy(7:14) Analysis of Trump's proposed US crypto reserve(10:21) Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist(11:32) Predictions on legal challenges to Trump's crypto proposal(12:08) Industry reactions to the crypto tax proposal(20:27) OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠(22:26) Crypto report around market hours and Eric Trump's tweet(24:13) Predictions on Trump's future crypto policies and inflation impact(27:10) Trump's Truth Social and Crypto Investments dynamics(30:48) LinkedIn Jobs. Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist(31:05) Jason's alternative idea for a crypto tax(36:40) Ramp's funding and fintech sector growth(41:02) Discussion on investment performance and Jason's ETF idea(46:42) Challenges companies face with public offerings and market fairness(50:14) Potential CoreWeave IPO and high CapEx costs(54:39) Founder Hack from Matt Turck(57:12) Exploring hybrid business models*Links from the episode:Check out Angel University: https://www.angel.university/Check out the JCal Case Study at Stanford Business: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/jason-calacanis-case-study-creating-resourcesCheck out Arduino: https://www.arduino.cc/Check out Ramp: https://ramp.com/Check out Coreweave: https://www.coreweave.com/*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm*Follow Lon:X: https://x.com/LonsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonharris*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Thank you to our partners:(10:21) Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist(20:27) OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠(30:48) LinkedIn Jobs. Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist*Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland*Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com*Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Today’s show: Jason and Alex break down the latest head-scratching SEC ruling on meme coins—did they just legalize pump-and-dumps to protect Trump’s token? Plus, they dive into why venture debt can destroy startups, the rise of AI-driven companies, and how Tesla is gearing up to challenge Waymo in the self-driving car race. Then, Brandon Brown from GRIN joins the show to talk about scaling to 8-figure revenue, surviving brutal market corrections, and why he’s stepping down as CEO after a decade. This one’s packed with insights for founders, investors, and anyone watching the future of crypto, startups, and AI unfold.*Timestamps:(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show!(1:39) Palmer Luckey feud, and supporting Trump in Silicon Valley(9:36) AI's impact on startup growth and job displacement(10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(12:20) Product market fit and Salesforce productivity(15:01) Howey Test and its application to cryptocurrencies(20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups(26:13) Jason's libertarian views on meme coins(31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.com/startups(32:16) Meme coin regulation and political implications(37:22) GRIN's Brandon Brown interview and company evolution(46:10) Leadership changes and challenges at GRIN(53:28) Venture debt risks and business cycle preparedness(59:00) Leadership skills and defining reality(1:04:13) Updates on Waymo and autonomous rides(1:09:06) Tesla and the global autonomous vehicle market*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Check out GRIN: https://grin.co/Checkout Angel University with Jason Calacanis & Mike Savino: https://www.angel.university/Check out the Founder Friday City Competition: https://www.founderfridays.tech/city-competition*Follow BrandonX: https://x.com/Brandon_BrownLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-brown-0898731/*Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Thank you to our partners:(10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups(31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.com/startups*Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland*Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com*Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Today’s show: Jason interviews Rahul Vohra, CEO and founder of Superhuman, and Vlad Tenev, CEO and co-founder of Robinhood. This is a packed episode featuring founder tips, fun stories about how Superhuman and Robinhood got their start and much more!Timestamps:(0:00) Episode teaser(2:13) Product market fit and founder journeys(3:25) Jason's investment in Superhuman and market positioning(5:14) AI's role and features in Superhuman(10:25) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(14:37) Targeting users and competitive advantages(22:23) Evolution and new features of Superhuman(20:52) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(24:37) Tackling spam with Superhuman's AI(27:05) Custom auto labels and email classification(29:47) Vapi. Go to Vapi.ai and use code Twist200 to get $200 in credits(32:03) Superhuman's auto reminders and drafts(34:14) Vlad Tenev and the origins of Robinhood(39:31) Product design philosophies of Robinhood and Superhuman(49:29) Scaling design principles and investment decisions(52:31) Subjectivity in product design(55:14) Customer feedback in product development(1:00:00) Superhuman's subscription model and customer acquisition(1:05:11) PR strategies and news hijacking(1:12:06) Investment experiences with Robinhood(1:13:35) Navigating company valuation fluctuations(1:15:03) Influences on Vlad Tenev and new Robinhood desktop product(1:22:02) Company resilience and employee reorganization(1:25:52) Crypto regulation and startup mentality(1:30:05) Investment trends among Robinhood users(1:31:12) Retail benefits for startups and capital raising challenges(1:34:04) Accreditation for private investing and solutionsSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpLinks from this episode:Check out Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/Check out Superhuman’s blog post that details all of the new features Rahul went over in the demo: https://blog.superhuman.com/the-next-superhuman-ai/. Check out Robinhood Legend: https://robinhood.com/us/en/legend/Article “How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market Fit”: https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/Check out Rick Rubin’s book: https://www.amazon.ca/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886Article on Bezos and Washington Post: https://www.newsweek.com/bezos-makes-big-change-washington-post-opinion-focus-endorsed-musk-2036618Media Bias Chart: https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chartCheck out “Working Backwards” book about Amazon insights: https://www.amazon.ca/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595Check out Rahul’s article on acquisition: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rip-mailbox-founders-how-stop-worrying-love-being-acquired-vohra/Follow Rahul:X: https://x.com/rahulvohraLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulvohra/Follow Vlad:X: https://x.com/vladtenevLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlad-tenev-7037591b/Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:(10:25) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(20:52) Northwest Registered Agent. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(29:47) Vapi. Go to Vapi.ai and use code Twist200 to get $200 in credits

Today’s show: Jason and Lon break down the latest trends shaping AI training, the evolving job market, and the shifting landscape of social media. A tribute to Steve Jobs on what would have been his 70th birthday explores his lasting impact, Apple’s massive $500 billion AI investment, and the future of US manufacturing. The conversation dives into Outlier’s role in AI training data, its effects on journalism, and broader job market implications. Jason also shares insights on autonomous vehicles, Apple’s AI strategy, and the latest in crypto—covering meme coins, regulatory battles, and the state of angel investing. Plus, a look at Oscar season and the cultural moments making waves.*Timestamps:(0:00) Jason and Lon kick off the show!(2:59) TikTok discussion and Steve Jobs' 70th birthday tribute(4:36) Jason's history with Steve Jobs and impact of blogging(8:56) Jason's interaction with Steve Jobs about podcast monetization(10:13) Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(11:27) Steve Jobs' legacy and Apple's innovation(14:12) Apple's $500 billion investment in AI and TSMC chip manufacturing(20:08) Vanta. Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(21:18) Geopolitical implications of Apple's US manufacturing investments(24:06) Outlier's role in AI training data and legal risks(27:02) Journalists in AI training and job market implications(30:40) Vapi. Go to https://www.vapi.ai and use code Twist200 to get $200 in credits(32:39) Outlier’s AI training recruitment and global reach(34:14) AI's future in various industries(36:53) Experiences with autonomous vehicles and Waymo(37:23) Hot-swappable LLMs and Apple's AI integrations(41:03) Commercial implications of AI deals for Apple(43:08) Public access to podcast docket and meme coins discussion(47:03) Milei’s meme coin and libertarian views on crypto(52:15) Crypto trader's tragic incident and dangers of investing on margin(58:19) Jason's gambling habits and future of crypto regulation(1:01:05) Angel investing and Oscar season discussion*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Follow Lon:X: https://x.com/LonsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonharris*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Thank you to our partners:(10:13) Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(20:08) Vanta. Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(30:40) Vapi. Go to https://www.vapi.ai and use code Twist200 to get $200 in credits*Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara,Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta,Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland*Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com*Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTLinkedIn Jobs. Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twistAdQuick. Visit https://adquick.com/twist and mention TWIST to get $1000 off your first campaign.Today’s show: Jason interviews Bryon Hargis, CEO of Castelion, about the United State’s hypersonic technology gap with China, how we’re catching up and what it will take to win the hypersonic missile race. Alex interviews Jager McConnell, CEO of Crunchbase, about their newly released, scary accurate, AI powered predictive models.Timestamps:(0:00) Episode teaser(1:14) Introduction of Byron Hargis and Castellion's mission(2:20) Significance of hypersonic munitions(5:55) Impact and challenges of hypersonic systems in defense(7:16) Castellion's development and cost of hypersonic weapons(9:39) Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(12:28) Shift in defense contracting and venture backing(18:25) Sales strategies and founder insights in defense startups(19:38) LinkedIn Jobs. Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist(21:10) China's manufacturing capabilities and defense paradigm shifts(24:37) Role of automation and robots in manufacturing(28:58) AdQuick. Visit https://adquick.com/twist and mention TWIST to get $1000 off your first campaign.(31:37) Crunchbase's transition to predictive insights(38:01) Crunchbase's technology stack and AI models(41:36) Financial implications of AI-first model for Crunchbase(48:43) AI integration challenges and financial performance(52:50) AI-driven predictions and their accuracy(54:24) Future prospects for Crunchbase: Acquisition vs. IPO(55:22) Upcoming guests: Vlad from Robinhood and Raul from SuperhumanSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpCheckout Castelion:X: https://x.com/CastelionCorpWebsite: castelion.comCheckout Crunchbase:X: https://x.com/crunchbaseWebsite: https://www.crunchbase.com/Follow Bryon:X: https://x.com/hargsbLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbh/Follow Jager:X: https://x.com/jagermcconnellLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jager/Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:(9:39) Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(19:38) LinkedIn Jobs. Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist(28:58) AdQuick. Visit https://adquick.com/twist and mention TWIST to get $1000 off your first campaign.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara,Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta,Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist*Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twistAtlassian. Head to https://www.atlassian.com/software/startups to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.Today’s show: Jason and Lon Harris cover Nikola’s Chapter 11 and how founders can avoid the same mistake, Superhuman AI’s new features, Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines and where Sam Altman went wrong holding onto top talent, plus much more!Timestamps:(0:00) Episode teaser(1:26) Introduction to startup news and trends(2:47) Bill Ackman's J trade and Herbalife controversy(5:24) Comparing trading strategies: Jason vs. Pelosi(9:49) Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist(11:29) HP's acquisition of Humane and its significance(13:52) Challenges facing the AI industry(20:30) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(21:47) OpenAI veterans launch a new venture(28:09) Chamath's venture into high stakes poker(29:35) Atlassian. Head to https://www.atlassian.com/software/startups to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.(36:37) Nikola's Chapter 11 filing and securities fraud(48:10) The upside of failing as a founder in the U.S.(50:24) Superhuman introduces AI-powered email features(51:58) Preview of upcoming guests on the podcast(53:03) Key characteristics of successful founders(56:21) Play-along: Guess the fake startup(1:04:12) Movie trilogy rankings: Superman, Star Wars, TerminatorSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpCheck out these past Guess The Fake Startups segments:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKP2iiF1oYIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhnOXuGnh14https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueazpyGOgccFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/alexFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:(9:49) Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist*Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025(20:30) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(29:35) Atlassian. Head to https://www.atlassian.com/software/startups to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara,Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta,Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

In this intriguing conversation, Coffeezilla, an internet detective known for exposing online scams, dives into the chaotic world of meme coins. He reveals how these tokens can be rigged and discusses the fallout from a $100M meme coin disaster involving Argentina's president. The dialogue also touches on ethical concerns surrounding influencer endorsements, the potential for crypto regulations, and whether the grift can be stopped. With sharp insights, Coffeezilla illustrates the turbulent landscape of cryptocurrency and the need for accountability.

Today’s show: IPO shakeups, big AI moves, and essential founder hacks—this episode covers it all. Jason breaks down Robinhood’s 6X stock surge and his strategy for $HOOD, plus the latest on tech IPOs as Turo pulls out and SailPoint surges. We dive into AI’s open-source battle, with X.ai chasing a $10B raise and DeepSeek challenging Hugging Face. And for founders, Jason shares the startup golden rule you should break for success—plus, a brand-new startup idea he’s willing to fund right now.*Timestamps:(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show.(1:51) The ‘new’ news cycle(2:17) Calming down during chaotic times(4:29) IPO updates: Turo and SailPoint, private equity, public markets, and M&A(9:37) Rental car business & sharing economy job creation(9:53) Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(12:21) Robinhood's financial performance & fintech resurgence(18:08) NVIDIA's investment in WeRide & self-driving technology(20:02) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(21:28) Cooking, convenience, DoorDash, Uber, CloudKitchens & startup opportunities(25:45) Smart IoT devices & revisiting the mobile convenience stores idea(29:59) Lemon.io . Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(33:12) XAI's potential funding & AI's impact on consumer behavior(40:49) Revisiting failed startup ideas & founder hacks(47:18) Customer advisory councils: size, incentives, and roles(52:09) Humanoid robots & market competition in the next decade(58:51) OpenAI model selection & user experience(1:00:56) Founder University pitches compilation(1:13:56) Audience question: Addressing criticism on Trump and Elon Musk(1:17:26) Discussion on Palantir, bias, state of journalism, and investigative reporting*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Thank you to our partners:(9:53) Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(20:02) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(29:59) Lemon.io . Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist*Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara,Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta,Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland*Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com*Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…Vanta. Get $1000 off your SOC 2 athttps://www.vanta.com/twistNorthwest 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!LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit athttp://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartupsToday’s show: Jason and Alex cover…TBDTimestamps:(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 materialSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter:https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500:https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple:https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Sam Lessin:X:https://x.com/lessinLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/wlessin/Follow Helion:X:https://x.com/Helion_EnergyLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/helion-energy/Follow David Kirtley:X:https://x.com/dekirtleyLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kirtley-490b8230/Follow Alex:X:https://x.com/alexLinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Lon:X:https://x.com/LonsLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonharris/Follow Jason:X:https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:(9:41) Vanta. Get $1000 off your SOC 2 athttps://www.vanta.com/twist(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!(29:43) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit athttp://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartupsGreat TWIST interviews:Will Guidara,Eoghan McCabe,Steve Huffman,Brian Chesky,Bob Moesta,Aaron Levie,Sophia Amoruso,Reid Hoffman,Frank Slootman,Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters:https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter:https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack:https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Today on This Week in Startups: Lon Harris is back, and we’re diving into all things Super Bowl—especially the tech takeover in this year’s commercials. We break down the biggest ad moments, from Squarespace to Uber Eats, Instacart, and even Harrison Ford’s Jeep spot. Plus, we dig into Google Trends after the ChatGPT ad, the unexpected appeal ofThe Banshees of Inisherin, and Matthew McConaughey’s latest move with Salesforce. That’s not all—France is making bold AI moves, OpenAI is getting into chip development, and we’ve got aFounder Fridays competition coming up!*Timestamps:(0:00) Jason, Alex and Lon “kick off” the show!(5:09) Breakout Super Bowl commercials(9:23) Rocket's Super Bowl ad and its impact(10:21)Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time athttps://Lemon.io/twist(13:00) High-risk hobbies of the rich and famous(15:23) We all loved the new Squarespace ad and its effectiveness(19:07) The appeal of "The Banshees of Inisherin" and ChatGPT Super Bowl ad(20:17) OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first six months athttps://www.openphone.com/twist(21:34) Google Trends analysis of ChatGPT ad impact(22:19) A look at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowll half-time show and his popularity(24:15) Rating the ChatGPT Super Bowl ad(31:01) Coda. Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months athttps://www.Coda.io/twist(32:42) Uber Eats and Instacart Super Bowl ads & Harrison Ford's Jeep commercial(39:49) Matthew McConaughey's role with Salesforce and A-list actors in 2025(44:14) France's AI investment and strategy(47:10) AI in customer service and SaaS pricing(52:34) IT unemployment and AI's impact on tech support(56:45) Upcoming earnings reports from key tech companies(1:02:12) OpenAI's custom chip development with TSMC(1:02:35) Founder Fridays: A new initiative for founders and competition format*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter:https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500:https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple:https://rb.gy/v19fcpJoin Founder Fridays here:https://www.founderfridays.tech/*Follow Alex:X:https://x.com/alexLinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm*Follow Lon:X:https://x.com/LonsLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonharris/*Follow Jason:X:https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Thank you to our partners:(10:21)Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time athttps://Lemon.io/twist(20:17) OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first six months athttps://www.openphone.com/twist(30:31)Coda. Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months athttps://www.Coda.io/twist*Great TWIST interviews:Will Guidara,Eoghan McCabe,Steve Huffman,Brian Chesky,Bob Moesta,Aaron Levie,Sophia Amoruso,Reid Hoffman,Frank Slootman,Billy McFarland*Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters:https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter:https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack:https://twistartups.substack.com*Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916