This Week in Startups

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.Gusto is easy online payroll, benefits, and HR built for modern small businesses. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at Gusto.com/twist.*Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to LinkedIn.com/TWIST to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply.*Todays show:Sunny Madra joins Jason to demo an AI that analyzes human expression (2:07), a generative gaming platform (23:26), Hugging Faces Assistants (39:12), and much more!*Timestamps:(0:00) Sunny Madra joins Jason(2:07) Hume AI - AI toolkit to measure, understand, and improve how technology affects human emotion(6:53) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist(7:57) Hume AI demo continued(19:15) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist(20:25) AI Bet Update - Small model deployed on iphone/android(23:26) FRVR AI - Generative AI to streamline game creation(34:16) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist(35:19) Calling GPTS with @(39:12) Hugging Face Assistants - LLM-powered assistants specialized in the Hugging Face ecosystem(45:05) Eleven Labs ChatGPT*Mentioned on the show:Hume: https://beta.hume.aiFRVR: https://beta.frvr.aiHugging Face Assistants: https://huggingface.co/chat/assistantsEleven Labs ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-h0lbLuFF1-elevenlabs-text-to-speechhttps://twitter.com/dnystedt/status/1754323506056266149https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th3vzKTE0O8*Follow Sunny:X: https://twitter.com/sundeepLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundeepmCheck out: https://www.definitive.io Follow Jason:X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis*Thank you to our partners:(6:53) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist(19:15) 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(34:16) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist*Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co*Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university*Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland*Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Substack: https://twistartups.substack.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups*Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at https://www.vanta.com/ NetSuite. Once your business gets to a certain size the cracks start to emerge.  Things you used to do in a day take a week. You deserve a customized solution - and that's NetSuite. Learn more when you download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist - absolutely free, at http://www.NetSuite.com/twist Scalable Path. Want to speed up your product development without breaking the bank? Since 2010, Scalable Path has helped over 300 companies hire deeply vetted engineers in their time zone. Visit https://www.scalablepath.com/twist to get 20% off your first month. * Todays show: Jason talks with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian about their pending IPO (2:48), advice he tells young people starting out at his firm (13:51), then Ron Biscardi discusses the future of the iConnections conference (47:01), and more!  * LINKS: Check out Reddit: ⁠https://www.reddit.com/ Check out iConnections: https://iconnections.io/ * Follow Alexis: X: https://twitter.com/alexisohanian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisohanian/ Follow Ron: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/rbiscardi⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-biscardi-79063/⁠ Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (11:48) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (22:19) NetSuite - Download your free KPI Checklist at http://www.NetSuite.com/twist (32:42) Scalable Path - Get 20% off your first month at https://www.scalablepath.com/twist * Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co * Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Curotec. Are you one of those companies that knows you need to be using AI, but you're not even sure where to start? Well then you need Curotec. They are AI experts, and they're offering TWiST listeners an AI Strategy Roadmap tailored to your business for $5000. That's 50% off the normal cost just for telling them we sent you. Check out http://www.curotec.com/twist and get $5000 off! Northwest Registered Agent. When starting your business, it's important to use a service that will actually help you. Northwest Registered Agent is that service. They'll form your company fast, give you the documents you need to open a business bank account, and even provide you with mail scanning and a business address to keep your personal privacy intact. Visit - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist to get a 60% discount on your next LLC. Ketone-IQ is a clean energy boost without sugar or caffeine. Get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ at http://hvmn.com/TWIST * Todays show: Beeper's Eric Migicovsky joins Jason to discuss Beeper's mission of providing a universal chat app (1:32), Apple blocking Beeper Mini after just 3 days (13:35), fighting back against Apple as a startup founder (18:31), and much more! * Timestamps: (0:00) Beeper’s Eric Migicovsky joins Jason (1:32) Beeper and its mission of providing a universal chat app (6:30) How Apple locks people into iMessage and makes it hard to switch from iPhone (12:11) Curotec - Check out http://www.curotec.com/twist and get $5000 off (13:35) Beeper Mini's release and Apple blocking Beeper Mini after just 3 days (18:31) Fighting back against Apple as a startup founder (21:24) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (22:18) The fight against Apple and thoughts on the outcome (28:01) Prior experience dealing with platform restrictions at Pebble and the differences in timelines between startups and government regulation (35:04) Ketone-IQ - Get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ at http://hvmn.com/TWIST (36:17) Apple's response to recent court rulings requiring App Store changes (38:54) Speculation on whether Apple's AR glasses will succeed (41:35) Eric's vision for the future with open protocols for messaging and Beeper's business model Mentioned on the show: https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/9/23995150/beeper-imessage-android-apple-statement https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-markets-act-ensuring-fair-and-open-digital-markets_en https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time-2-and-core-an-entirely-new-3g-ultra https://37signals.com/podcast/this-again-apple/ * Follow Eric: X: https://twitter.com/ericmigi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmigi/ Check out: https://www.beeper.com/mini * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (12:11) Curotec - Check out http://www.curotec.com/twist and get $5000 off (21:24) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (35:04) Ketone-IQ - Get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ at http://hvmn.com/TWIST * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Uizard.io will help bring your vision to life in minutes, not days with the power of AI. Visit http://uizard.io/twist to get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year. Northwest Registered Agent. When starting your business, it's important to use a service that will actually help you. Northwest Registered Agent is that service. They'll form your company fast, give you the documents you need to open a business bank account, and even provide you with mail scanning and a business address to keep your personal privacy intact. Visit - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist to get a 60% discount on your next LLC. Nuts.com is offering new customers a free gift with purchase and free shipping on orders of $29 or more at http://www.Nuts.com/twist * Today’s show: Jason kicks off the show with an update on the late-stage VC market (1:44). Then, Terra Kaffe’s Sahand Dilmaghani joins to discuss Terra Kaffe’s super-automatic machines (19:35), scaling the B2C business (29:59), and much more! * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason kicks off the show! (1:44) Late-stage VC market update (10:41) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist (11:49) Sahand Dilmaghani on his decision to start Terra Kaffe (19:35) Advantages of the Terra Kaffe machines compared to pod machines (24:29) What is takes for a super-automatic machine to make great coffee (29:05) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (29:59) Scaling where the product is viable, offices, schools, multifamily homes (35:27) Nuts.com - Get a free gift with purchase and free shipping on orders of $29 or more at http://www.Nuts.com/twist (36:30) The progress in sales and experience with direct to consumer (50:32) Founder Fridays kicks off today! - Go to https://Thisweekinstartups.com/meetups to learn more * Mentioned on the show: https://www.ft.com/content/18430e05-33c0-4f48-8c87-fae74ff29bbf https://www.ft.com/content/eb2e085a-ef5a-4e91-8634-747e2a602fbe * Follow Sahand: X: https://twitter.com/terrakaffe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahand-dilmaghani/ * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (10:41) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist (29:05) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (35:27) Nuts.com - Get a free gift with purchase and free shipping on orders of $29 or more at http://www.Nuts.com/twist * Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co * Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Michael Kim, a fund of funds expert, shares insights on the evolution and dynamics of early-stage investing. He discusses the concepts of alpha, beta, and quality indices, and dives into why micro VCs are gaining traction. Kim reveals the increasing interest of limited partners in pre-seed and seed investments, highlighting the factors driving funding in these areas. He also emphasizes the importance of consistent returns and the critical relationships between fund managers and startup founders in navigating today's startup ecosystem.

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at vanta.com/twist MEV. Tired of the dev shop rollercoaster? Mev is your reliable technical partner, offering a well-established software development process designed to consistently deliver unparalleled value to their clients. Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist! The Paintbrush Loan is the earliest startup financing on the internet. No pitch deck, no business plan, no minimum time in business, and no warm intros. Plus, you get to keep your equity. Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes. * Today’s show: Zest's Jake Gutstein joins Jason to discuss his journey in creating the cooking app Zest (1:37). The two dive into how the Zest team formed (10:29), finding the right tools for your startup (25:24), Jake's experience in the Launch Accelerator program (33:27), and more! * Timestamps: (0:00) Zest’s Jake Gutstein joins Jason (1:37) What prompted the creation of Zest and the initial concept and MVP for Zest (9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (10:29) The product development, initial testing, and finding a technical co-founder (17:21) The decision to go full-time with Zest, the process of raising initial funding, and the importance of overcoming ambiguity and uncertainty (20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist (22:05) Demo of Zest’s product (25:24) Finding the right tools and mentors and the value propositions of Zest discovered through user research (32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes (33:27) Product launch, approach to fundraising, and experience with the Launch Accelerator program (46:48) Future plans and goals for Zest * Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co * Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Mentioned on the show: https://www.respondent.io https://therewiredgroup.com https://twitter.com/bmoesta https://twitter.com/nealsales https://twitter.com/jasonfried https://twitter.com/dhh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LK6lKCKMQM * Follow Jake: X: https://twitter.com/GutsteinJake LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-gutstein Check out: https://zestapp.co * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist (32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at http://www.openphone.com/twist Curotec. Are you one of those companies that knows you need to be using AI, but you're not even sure where to start? Well then you need Curotec. They are AI experts, and they're offering TWiST listeners an AI Strategy Roadmap tailored to your business for $5000. That's 50% off the normal cost just for telling them we sent you. Check out http://www.curotec.com/twist and get $5000 off! Northwest Registered Agent. When starting your business, it's important to use a service that will actually help you. Northwest Registered Agent is that service. They'll form your company fast, give you the documents you need to open a business bank account, and even provide you with mail scanning and a business address to keep your personal privacy intact. Visit - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist to get a 60% discount on your next LLC. * Today’s show: Sunny joins Jason to celebrate their 100th demo on the show (3:03), explore Paid Leave (17:29), and comb through the X posts of Barsee (32:41), and much, much, more! * Timestamps: (0:00) Sunny joins Jason (3:03) We demo MultiOn, our 100th demo on the show! (12:01) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist (13:30) Jason gives his grade and signs up to use MultiOn. (17:29) Sunny demos Paid Leave powered by MOMS F1RST. (21:04) Curotec - Check out http://www.curotec.com/twist and get $5000 off (23:40) AI demo of Consensus. (26:53) Consensus reminds Jason of the life and tragedy of Aaron Swartz. (29:54) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (32:41) Sunny jumps onto X to show us important advancements in AI posted by Barsee. (35:17) Sunny demos “Depth Anything”. * This episode is dedicated to the memory of Aaron Swartz. * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * LINKS: Check out the list of AI demos here: https://thisweekinstartups.com/AI Check out MultiOn: https://www.multion.ai/ Check out Paid Leave: https://www.paidleave.ai/ Check out Consensus: https://consensus.app/ Rolling Stone Article on Aaron Swarts: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-brilliant-life-and-tragic-death-of-aaron-swartz-177191/ Check out Barsee here: https://twitter.com/heyBarsee * Follow Sunny X: https://twitter.com/sundeep⁠ Check out: https://www.definitive.io/ * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (12:01) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist (21:04) Curotec - Check out http://www.curotec.com/twist and get $5000 off (29:54) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Ketone-IQ is a clean energy boost without sugar or caffeine. Get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ at http://www.hvmn.com/TWIST The Paintbrush Loan is the earliest startup financing on the internet. No pitch deck, no business plan, no minimum time in business, and no warm intros. Plus, you get to keep your equity. Visit http://www.getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes. Coda is the all-in-one doc for teams. And they introduced an AI-powered assistant to take the BUSY out of the WORK! Get started for free at https://www.coda.io/twist * Today’s show: Aileen Lee join Jason to talk about her origins and overcoming challenges as a woman in a male-dominated tech space (2:12), the Unicorn Club and the effects of the ZIRP era (11:51), predictions on which startups will maintain their unicorn status (33:09), and more! * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * LINKS: Check out Cowboy Ventures: https://www.cowboy.vc/ Read Aileen’s 2024 article here: https://www.cowboy.vc/news/welcome-back-to-the-unicorn-club-10-years-later Read Aileen’s original Unicorn article here: https://techcrunch.com/2013/11/02/welcome-to-the-unicorn-club/ Check out All Raise: https://www.allraise.org/ * Thanks to our partners: (10:26) Ketone-IQ - Get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ at http://www.hvmn.com/TWIST (20:39) Paintbrush - Visit http://www.getpaintbrush.com  to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes (31:38) Coda - Get started for free at https://www.coda.io/twist * Follow Eileen X: https://twitter.com/aileenlee LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aileenwlee * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Northwest Registered Agent. When starting your business, it's important to use a service that will actually help you. Northwest Registered Agent is that service. They'll form your company fast, give you the documents you need to open a business bank account, and even provide you with mail scanning and a business address to keep your personal privacy intact. Visit - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist to get a 60% discount on your next LLC. LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to LinkedIn.com/TWIST to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply. * Today’s show: David Weisburd hosts Elizabeth Yin, Zach Coelius, and Jason Calacanis to discuss trends in venture capital, including the growth of fund sizes (2:32), the resurgence of the Bay Area (33:42), the decrease in capital efficiency (51:12), the rise in unicorn companies but lack of liquidity (45:11), and top recent investments (57:27)! * Timestamps: (0:00) David Weisburd hosts Elizabeth Yin, Zach Coelius, and Jason Calacanis to dive into the state of venture funds (2:32) Venture funds are growing in size despite the slow market (10:37) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist (11:43) Exploring the performance: smaller funds vs. larger funds (28:56) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (29:49) Hustle Fund’s quantitative approach to evaluating startups (33:42) Is the Bay Area officially back? (43:51) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist (45:11) Number of unicorns has increased but liquidity has decreased (51:12) The decline in capital efficiency over the past decade (57:27) Rapid-fire segment on top recent investments * LINKS: https://www.wsj.com/articles/pro-take-why-venture-fund-sizes-rose-despite-the-slow-market-fd4c4677 https://www.cowboy.vc/news/welcome-back-to-the-unicorn-club-10-years-later * Thanks to our partners: (10:37) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist (28:56) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (43:51) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist * Follow Elizabeth X: https://twitter.com/dunkhippo33 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethyin/ Check out: https://hustlefund.vc Check out: https://letsgo.hustlefund.vc/raise-millions Check out: Bruinhealth.com Check out: Goafterwork.com * Follow Zach X:  https://twitter.com/zachcoelius LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachcoelius/ Check out: https://coelius.vc/ Check out: Echomark.com Check out: Findbugzero.com * Follow David X:  https://twitter.com/DWeisburd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Check out: https://10xcapital.com/ * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Check out: Podcast.ai Check out: Zestapp.co Check out: getriver.io * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: ⁠https://rb.gy/v19fcp⁠

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist Scalable Path. Want to speed up your product development without breaking the bank? Since 2010, Scalable Path has helped over 300 companies hire deeply vetted engineers in their time zone. Visit http://scalablepath.com/twist to get 20% off your first month. Uizard.io will help bring your vision to life in minutes, not days with the power of AI. Visit http://uizard.io/twist to get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year. * Today’s show: Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu joins Jason to discuss the viral launch of Rabbit's R1 AI companion device at CES, covering the ambitious product vision (1:37), unique design (23:30), custom-built OS and LLM (11:30), manufacturing logistics (49:45), and much more! * Timestamps: (00:00) Rabbit’s Jesse Lyu joins Jason (1:37) Introduction and Pricing of Rabbit R1, a Pocket AI Device (7:07) Differences between large language models and large action models (10:03) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist (11:30) Data collection process for training the Large Action Model (LAM), Neuro-symbolic algorithm vs. traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (16:08) Authentication and access to Rabbit's Web Portal, privacy considerations, and speed and latency of voice interactions (23:30) The role of Teenage Engineering in design inspiration (30:47) Scalable Path - Get 20% off your first month at http://scalablepath.com/twist (32:07) Potential frustrations and limitations with the Rabbit R1 compared to smartphones (41:30) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist (42:38) Evaluating the Accuracy of Voice-to-Text Translations (49:45) Product timeline, experimental features, and getting devices to early adopters (1:12:37) Rabbit’s early development, Jesse's journey, and future prospects of AI * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * LINKS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22wlLy7hKP4 https://teenage.engineering https://www.whathifi.com/news/headphone-30-could-a-computer-in-your-ear-change-headphones-forever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iU6K7NccXk * Thanks to our partners: (10:03) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist (30:47) Scalable Path - Get 20% off your first month at http://scalablepath.com/twist (41:30) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist * Follow Jesse X:  https://twitter.com/jessechenglyu Check out: https://www.rabbit.tech * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast