This Week in Startups

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… 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 NetSuite.com/twist Miro. Working remotely doesn’t mean you need to feel disconnected from your team. Miro is an online whiteboard that brings teams together - anytime, anywhere. Go to https://miro.com/startups to sign up for a FREE account with unlimited team members. Arising Ventures is a holding company that acquires tech startups facing setbacks. Arising Ventures knows what founders care about because they aren’t bankers, they are tech founders themselves! Go to http://arisingventures.com/TWIST * Today’s show: TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to break down the latest earnings reports from Uber (4:04), Lyft (24:28), and Nextdoor (44:15). Then, the two dive into WeWork's failed business model (1:01:44), the viability of various careers as AI advances (38:33), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Tech Crunch’s Alex Wilhelm joins Jason (4:04) Uber’s earning report (7:04) Pirate cut-throat mentality analogy and the money-ball system (10:11) NetSuite - Download your free KPI Checklist at http://www.netsuite.com/twist (11:12) Did the press get Uber’s Earnings report right? (17:39) Uber and the J-Curve (20:29) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://www.miro.com/startups (22:17) Uber, China, and DiDi (23:14) ZIRP environment playbook to own a market (24:28) Lyft gets a participation trophy (25:22) Comparing Lyft to Uber’s Revenue (Quarterly) (27:53) Labor availability (31:05) Arising Ventures - head to http://www.arisingventures.com/TWIST to learn more and connect with the team (32:15) Immigration policy and a record-low unemployment (37:37) The underground economy (38:33) AI effects on unemployment (39:12) Let’s build new cities! (44:15) NextDoor earnings (55:34) A case for hiring remotely (59:13) Combining remote work with the power of AI (1:01:44) Clip from TWiST E969 with Alex about WeWork (1:04:22) Earnings “supplements” (1:07:35) When Alex discovered business as a youth (1:14:18) A South Park clip! * Check out TWiST E969: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM1DDVq3_vs Follow Alex: https://twitter.com/alex * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com 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 Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… 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 http://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist to get a 60% discount on your next LLC. Lemon.io. Get access to Lemon Hire, a platform with more than 80,000 pre-vetted engineers that you can interview within 48 hours. Get $2000 off your first hire at http://lemon.io/hire today! .Tech Domains has a new program called startups.tech, where you can get your startup featured on This Week in Startups. Go to startups.tech/jason to find out how! * Today’s show: First, Jason breaks down what forced WeWork’s bankruptcy filing (2:27), and what it might look like if Adam Neumann took back the company. (5:45) Then, driverDoc's Josh Kolar joins Jason to discuss creating all-in-one digital management platform for trucking companies (25:54). * Time stamps: (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (2:27) Breaking down WeWork’s bankruptcy (5:45) Is there a case for Adam Neumann’s return to WeWork? (12:38) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at http://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (13:46) Adam Neumann's standing in the industry (22:40) Lemon.io - Get $2000 off your first hire at http://lemon.io/hire (25:49) driverDOC CEO and Co-Founder Josh Kolar joins Jason (25:10) Unveiling the entrepreneurial journey that led to the birth of driverDOC. (29:00) How driverDOC is navigating the complex landscape of fragmented trucking industries. (30:04) Adding value to the legacy apps and the big vision for driverDOC (31:19) .Tech Domains - Apply to get your startup featured on This Week in Startups at https://www.startups.tech/jason (32:31) The introduction of AI and multi-modal helps to accelerate the innovation of driverDOC (34:22) An analysis of the current state of bill of lading standardization in the logistics industry. (36:31) Advancements in live package tracking for improved shipment visibility. (38:31) Building a startup in the heartland of America (40:13) The impact of Uber and Amazon on freight (41:32) The case of Convoy and the brokerage model Referenced in the podcast: https://www.reuters.com/business/softbanks-wework-once-most-valuable-us-startup-succumbs-bankruptcy-2023-11-07 https://www.newcomer.co/p/will-adam-neumann-rescue-wework * Check out driverDoc: https://www.driverdoc.io Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshkolar * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com 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 Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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

Todays show: Kruze's Scott Orn joins Jason on the latest edition of Startup Finance Basics! In this episode, they discuss the current state of the market (0:40), diversifying bank relationships (6:09), managing risk (16:25), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Kruze's Scott Orn joins Jason (0:40) The current state of the market (6:09) The SVB lesson: Diversify your bank relationships (16:25) Capital preservation, liquidity, and risk management * Check out Kruze: https://kruzeconsulting.com * Follow Scott: https://twitter.com/scottorn https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottorn * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com 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 Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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

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. House of Macadamias is the next big health trend! Get a free month's supply of Macadamia Milk with any order at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20! CLA. Innovation takes balance. CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors can help you get from startup to where you want to end up. Get started now at CLAconnect.com/tech * Today’s show: First up, Jason takes on the news solo by breaking down Uber's Q3 earnings (2:23), reflecting on SBF's guilty verdict (13:39), and giving some takes on Biden's EO on AI (15:53). Then, Motive CEO John Habeck joins to break down building "Shopify for Car Dealerships" (21:39). * Time stamps: (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (2:23) Uber earnings report and Uber’s profitability (12:17) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist (13:39) SBF’s guilty verdict (15:53) Takes on Biden's executive order on AI (20:11) House of Macadamias - Get a free month's supply of Macadamia Milk with any order at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20! (21:39) Motive CEO John Habeck discusses building a startup in a "sleeping giant" industry (32:18) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech (33:17) Understand the TAM for "Shopify for Car Dealerships” * Referenced in the podcast: https://s23.q4cdn.com/407969754/files/doc_earnings/2023/q3/earnings-result/Uber-Q3-23-Earnings-Press-Release.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/10/30/executive-order-on-the-safe-secure-and-trustworthy-development-and-use-of-artificial-intelligence https://www.businessofapps.com/data/uber-statistics https://twitter.com/EconomyApp/status/1721899291248324642 * Check out Motive: https://www.ridemotive.com * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com 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 Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… 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. 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 http://coda.io/twist IntouchCX. Want to build a loyal customer base for your startup? Unlock the power of innovative AI and automated support solutions from IntouchCX to deliver fast, personalized support and enhance your customers’ experience. Schedule your consultation today at http://intouchcx.com/twist * Today’s show: Sunny joins Jason to discuss OpenAI’s DevDay announcements (1:33). Then, Sunny demos an AI-driven chatbot creator (32:49), an AI email-first Chief of Staff (39:12), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Sunny Madra joins Jason to break down OpenAI DevDay! (1:33) OpenAI DevDay announcements: GPT-4 Turbo, expanded context windows, Custom GPTs, and more (12:57) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist (14:28) How OpenAI's "GPT Store" could change the way we consume the internet (22:02) GPT-4 Turbo, speed, cost reduction, expanded context window issues (26:16) Coda - Get started for free at https://coda.io/twist (32:49) DEMO: Droxy.ai: a custom chatbot platform (37:54) InTouchCX - Schedule a free consultation at http://intouchcx.com/twist (39:12) DEMO: Mindy.com: an AI-powered email Chief of Staff (45:43) DEMO: Brave Nightly's webpage summarizer (50:24) DEMO: Zapier's AI-powered Zaps * Check out what happened at OpenAI DevDay: https://devday.openai.com/ Check out Droxy Ai: https://www.droxy.ai/ Check out Mindy: https://mindy.com/ Follow Sunny: https://twitter.com/sundeep * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com 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 Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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

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 www.vanta.com/twist The Embroker Startup Program helps startups secure the most important lines of insurance, at a lower cost, and with less hassle. For guaranteed 10% off on premiums (& up to 20% depending on quote) go to www.embroker.com/twist. Brave is an internet privacy company on a mission to protect your personal info online. Try the Brave Search API at http://www.brave.com/jason Today’s show: Maven Co-Founder and CEO Gagan Biyani joins Jason to break down his startup's live, cohort-based education model (2:28). Then, Gagan dives into his past journeys at Udemy, where he was eventually fired but wound up revolutionizing online learning and going public (35:08), and Sprig, a food-delivery startup that went on to raise $60M and scale to $20M in revenue, but ultimately failed (47:36). * Time stamps: (0:00) Gagan Biyani, CEO of Maven, joins Jason to discuss the future of online learning. (2:24) Maven: the evolution of online learning. (3:23) Exploring Maven's elite courses offered by a diverse pool of passionate professionals. (6:57) Analyzing who is leveraging Maven for education and the cost dynamics of online learning. (10:30) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist (11:36) How Maven's live cohort-based learning emphasizes accountability and interactivity for higher success rates. (13:15) Comparing the outdated cost structures of traditional education with modern alternatives. (23:10) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://www.Embroker.com/twist (26:31) Unveiling the potential earnings for educators in the online learning marketplace. 28:27) The online educational landscape featuring insights on Coursera, Udemy, and others. (30:56) Brave - Try the Brave Search API at http://www.brave.com/jason (33:40) Jason built the “pit” at TechCrunch50, where he and Gagan first met. (35:08) How Udemy's early days were shaped by the Founder Institute and Adeo Ressi. (41:28) Gagan shares his personal story of being fired from Udemy and his lessons learned. (47:33) The trials, tribulations, and ultimate closure of the food delivery startup, Sprig. (53:39) Discussing the most effective methods for scaling and growing a product. (55:02) The world of fundraising and understanding the power law in venture capital. Check out Maven: https://www.maven.com Follow Gagan: https://twitter.com/gaganbiyani https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaganbiyani * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/fourApply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/applyBuy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com 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 Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… The Equinix Startup program offers provides a hybrid infrastructure solution for startups, including up to $100K in credits and personalized consultations and guidance from the Equinix team. Go to https://equinixstartups.com to apply today. Fitbod. Tired of doing the same workouts at the gym? Fitbod will build you personalized workouts that help you progress with every set. Get 25% off your subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up now at fitbod.me/TWIST. LinkedIn Marketing. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups Today’s show: Convai CEO Purnendu Mukherjee joins Jason to discuss creating AI-powered NPCs using Convai (6:05), the birth of generative AI (22:17), open-source vs. closed AI (36:01), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Convai CEO Purnendu Mukherjee joins Jason (3:54) The motivation behind Convai (6:05) Purnendu breaks down creating an NPC character using Convai (10:16) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://equinixstartups.com (11:36) Demo of character creation using Convai's unique toolset (17:18) Integrating AI Characters into Game Worlds with Convai (20:50) Fitbod - Get 25% off at https://fitbod.me/twist (22:17) Convai’s business model and the issue game developers have with moving from flat rate to usage-based charges (25:00) Purnendu reflects on his time at Nvidia (29:57) The birth of the generative AI boom (34:30) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (36:01) Navigating the Future: AI Regulation & open-source vs. closed AI (40:11) The countdown to self-creating AI (43:13) Purnendu breaks down data collected for AI and the uses for an AI-enabled Amazon Mechanical Turk Check out Convai: https://www.convai.com Follow Purnendu: https://twitter.com/purn3ndu https://www.linkedin.com/in/purn3ndu * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com 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 Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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

Airtable CEO Howie Liu discusses product-led growth, bridging the gap between spreadsheets and purpose-driven apps, blitzscaling hiring, challenges of switching to profitable growth, connecting chefs with customer feedback, pricing and features of Airtable's enterprise plan, convenience of using Type Form or Survey Monkey, services provided by Northwest Registered Agent, speaker's obsession with AI, AI models in generating investment data, and the benefits of AI tools in writing.

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Arising Ventures - Head to http://arisingventures.com/TWIST to learn more and connect with the team 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 Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more * Today’s show: Sunny joins Jason for more demos! An AI-driven ownership and equity platform for founders (14:37), an AI interviewer who conducts live interviews (27:20), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Sunny Madra joins Jason (6:08) Jason’s experience with ChatGPT multimodal (13:31) Arising Ventures - head to http://arisingventures.com/TWIST to learn more and connect with the team (14:37) Sunny demos Mantle, an AI-powered cap table management platform for founders (25:49) Nuts.com - Get a free gift with purchase and free shipping on orders of $29 or more at http://www.Nuts.com/twist (27:20) Sunny demos Talently.ai, an AI-powered job interviewer (39:37) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more (40:50) Sunny demos Morise.ai, a tool that helps YouTube creators generate titles, descriptions, and tags for videos! * Check out Mantle: https://withmantle.com Check out Talently AI: https://interview.talently.ai Check out Morise AI: https://morise.ai Follow Sunny: https://twitter.com/sundeep * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Mercury. With Mercury Raise, startup founders no longer have to navigate roadblocks alone. Visit http://mercury.com/raise to get access to a network, connections, and advice. Corient. Real wealth requires real solutions. Corient provides wealth management services centered around you. For more information, speak with an advisor today at http://corient.com 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://vanta.com/twist * Today’s show: First, Loop Golf's CEO Matt Holder joins Jason for a jam session on scaling his startup, which is building an automatic tee time booking app for golfers (4:32). Then, Jason gives a recap on the news surrounding Cruise robotaxi & more! (32:43) * Time stamps: (0:00) Loop Golf’s Matt Holder joins Jason (4:32) What sets Loop Golf apart from traditional golf booking apps (8:17) Matt demos Loop Golf (15:23) Mercury Raise - Visit http://mercury.com/raise to get access to a network, connections, and advice (16:49) The sudden surge in the popularity of golf (20:53) The current state of golfer-tracking technology (24:27) Corient - Speak with one of Corient's wealth management advisors today at http://corient.com (25:29) Incorporating real-time features into Loop Golf (27:40) Thoughts on surge pricing and additional app features (31:33) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (32:43) The suspension of Cruise’s robotaxi permit in San Francisco. * Check out Loop Golf: https://loopgolf.co/ Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * 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