This Week in Startups

Rachel Reporting joins Jason to read the news! First, they give an update on the banking crisis and how it’s impacting startups (1:34). Then, they cover Balaji’s huge Bitcoin bet and his predictions for the future (14:17) before breaking down OpenAI’s launch of GPT-4 (35:07). Finally, Jason wraps up with some Jay Trading updates (57:28)! (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (1:34) Banking crisis update & how it affects startups (10:11) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (11:14) Best practices for banking (14:17) Balaji’s huge Bitcoin bet (22:18) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist  (23:42) Balaji’s predictions for the future (32:41) Ray Dalio’s The Changing World Order (33:46) CacheFly - Get 10 Terabyte free forever if you signup at http://twist.cachefly.com (35:07) A breakdown of OpenAI’s launch of GPT-4 (57:28) Jay Trade update FOLLOW Rachel: https://twitter.com/_rachelbraun FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1 FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Molly is joined by Laurie Yoler as they dive into her early experiences in VC before discussing how she became the first investor in Tesla (1:45). Next, Laurie talks about her time at Qualcomm and Playground then they wrap with a discussion about AI and how Laurie’s investments were impacted by the pandemic (30:31). (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (1:45) Arriving in Venture (7:36) Laurie’s first investments (13:39) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free. (14:49) Investing in Tesla (21:21) Prenuvo - Get $300 off at http://prenuvo.com/twist (22:51) Raising money for a car company (26:22) Finding strategic partners (30:31) Laurie’s time at Qualcomm and autonomous vehicles (37:11) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups (38:42) Joining Playground (41:29) Leaf Logistics (45:44) Benefitting from the pandemic (48:54) Investing in AI FOLLOW Laurie: https://twitter.com/laurieyoler FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Vinny and Sunny are BACK with Jason for another roundtable! First, they cover the aftermath of the bank shutdowns (2:54) before breaking down the impact on startups and the overall economy. (14:14) They also cover Zuckerberg announcing more cuts at Meta (1:05:49) and OpenAI launching GPT-4! (1:10:55) (0:00) Jason tees up today's topics! (2:54) Reflecting on the aftermath of the SVB collapse (12:50) Cast.ai - Get a free cloud cost audit with a personal consultation at https://cast.ai/twist  (14:14) Understanding the origins of the banking issues and the Fed's response (27:10) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist  (28:09) Signature and Silvergate troubles, overall lessons from the past week (39:33) Orgspace - Get $2000 in credits at http://orgspace.io/twist  (41:04) Understanding CBDC (56:11) Things to consider going forward, payroll crisis (1:05:49) Zuckerberg's "Year of Efficiency" and OpenAI launches GPT-4 Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1 FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Wealthfront Chairman and Co-Founder Andy Rachleff joins Jason for an incredible interview! They start the show by discussing the SVB situation before breaking down different tech mini-crashes throughout Silicon Valley history (2:28). Then, they break down Wealthfront’s business and how to know if a business has market pull (40:49). They finish up the show by covering a range of topics, from AI to stock-based comp (1:13:45). (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (2:28) SVB situation (9:26) The FDIC’s $250K limit (13:27) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups (14:49) The bank run (16:17) The SVB ecosystem (22:20) Merge - Integrate up to 5 customers for free today at https://merge.dev/twist (23:45) Cycle changes (36:15) How to judge a VC (39:27) Issuu - Get 50% off when you go to https://issuu.com/podcast and use promo code twist (40:49) Wealthfront’s operation (48:58) Reactions to the market (55:00) Modern analysis and stock buybacks (1:01:24 ) Caring about profitability (1:02:06) Attaining market pull (1:13:45) Andy’s thoughts on AI (1:16:31) The makeup of a great entrepreneur (1:18:50) Stock-based compensation (1:25:06) How we avoided inflation FOLLOW Andy: https://twitter.com/arachleff FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Alora CEO and Co-Founder Luke Young joins Molly to discuss ocean agriculture and the ability to grow crops offshore (1:17). They discuss the progression of engineering that has propelled Alora’s innovations (11:55) and the challenges of growing at sea (21:53). (0:00) Intro! (1:17) Alora’s mission and technological advancements (5:46) Mitigation and adaptation (7:58) The first taste test (10:25) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST (11:55) Alora’s progression and timeline (16:26) Designing infrastructure and engineering fertilizer (20:25) LMNT - Get a free sample pack with any purchase at http://drinklmnt.com/TWIST (21:53) Challenges of growing on the ocean (26:14) Alora’s Business Model (28:56) Fennel - Join the fennel waitlist now and get your first month free at http://fennel.com/twist (30:10) Salt tolerance (35:17) Alora’s Customer and cost of development FOLLOW Luke: https://twitter.com/lukeheatonyoung FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Jason kicks off Monday by recapping this weekend’s chaos caused by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (1:45). Then, he advises founders on preventing a scare like this from happening again before interviewing Andrew R McHugh of Wist Labs, who is building a platform to capture and relive memories in AR and VR (13:40). (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (1:45) The past weekend’s chaos and triaging startups (12:18) Pilot - Get 20% off the first 6 months at https://pilot.com/twist (13:40) The government’s response and advice for founders (24:12) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (25:39) Andrew R McHugh of Wist Labs (37:28) Brilliant.org - Get 20% off an annual subscription at http://brilliant.org/twist (38:56) Reliving past experiences and Generative AI applications (57:00) Raising capital in the weeks to come FOLLOW Andrew: https://twitter.com/armthethinker FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis Check out Founder University the podcast at https://www.founder.university/podcast

Jason reacts to Silicon Valley Bank being shut down by the FDIC and breaks down what this means for founders and VCs. (0:00) Breaking down the SVB situation (4:28) FDIC press release (7:41) What Jason hopes will happen (10:16) Defcon 1 (12:39) Thoughts on emergency funding (15:46) How does the SVB situation affect early-stage fundraising (26:59) SVB sells their securities (29:10) USV email to founders (31:06) SVB CEO addresses the situation (33:07) Bill Ackman’s response (34:31)Mark Suster’s response (35:52) Audience questions FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Eric Newcomer joins to break down all the trending tech topics, including Stripe raising $6B (16:31), major generative ai fundraises (35:55), Silicon Valley Bank dropping 60% (50:35), and more! (0:00) Jason kicks off the show (1:55) Eric’s move to independent journalism (10:07) First Republic Bank - Discover what a long-term financial relationship can do for you. Visit https://firstrepublic.com today to learn more. (10:57) Take rates and more on Substack (16:31) Eric’s Scoop on Stripe (20:43) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (21:46) The narrative around the tech layoffs + Generative AI (34:24) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (35:55) The deluge of Funding into AI (43:39) The state of VC investing (50:35) Silicon Valley Bank drops 60% FOLLOW Eric: https://twitter.com/EricNewcomer FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Zach Coelius is BACK with Jason to take questions from founders and investors! They cover investing on Zoom post-COVID (6:07), diligence red flags (13:13), investor red flags (27:32), building relationships prior to fundraising (48:59), and more! (0:00) Jason Kicks off the show (1:21) Managing time as an angel (6:07) Moving to zoom instead of the room (9:50) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (10:54) Servicing new deals vs. existing ones (13:13) Red flags to look for in a syndicate startup deal (20:18) Coda - The All-in-one doc for teams, sign up for free at https://coda.io/twist (21:47) Your options when there is no path to profitability (27:32) Red flags when courting angel investors (41:10) Contra - Get $500 off your first hire at https://contra.com/twist (42:35) Assumptions that have evolved (45:23) Recent learnings in the past few years (48:59) Building genuine relationships with investors (53:40) Difficulties in startups (57:37) Negotiating terms on deals FOLLOW Zach: https://twitter.com/zachcoelius FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Emily Melton joins Molly to discuss her early days in venture and what she learned while working at DFJ (1:30). Then, they talk about the barriers that healthcare imposes on entrepreneurship (17:22), building a diverse culture within venture capital (29:53), market distortions, and how to optimize for a down market (38:42). (0:00) Molly kicks off the show (1:30) Getting started in Venture Capital (8:12) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free (9:38) Learnings from working at DFJ (17:22) Healthcare being a barrier to entrepreneurship (20:11) Prenuvo - Get $300 off at http://prenuvo.com/twist (21:41) Threshold Ventures’ fund mechanics (26:15) Investing in Tia: Healthcare solutions for woman (29:53) Building culture (37:45) Pilot - Get 20% off the first 6 months at https://pilot.com/twist (38:42) Optimizing for a down market (52:13) What’s next? FOLLOW Emily: https://twitter.com/emelton FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood