This Week in Startups

First up, J+M discuss founder ambition and tools vs. platforms on VC Sunday School. (3:06) Then, USV's Albert Wenger joins to break down his firm's $162M climate fund, his book "The World After Capital", and more! (24:16) (0:00) J+M intro today's topics! (3:06) Evaluating founder ambition, tools vs. platforms (11:14) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist  (12:48) How investors evaluate tools vs. platforms, and when/if something is "too hard" (19:50) J+M tee up today's TWiCS guest (22:50) SnackMagic - Get 10% cashback up to $1000 until October 15th with code HOLIDAY, and see more at snackmagic.com/twist (24:16) Molly welcomes USV Managing Partner Albert Wenger to discuss USV's $162M climate fund and the climate crisis investment opportunity (33:26) Coda - The All-in-one doc for teams, get a $1,000 credit at https://coda.io/twist (34:57) Albert discusses his book "The World After Capital", and the human attention problem FOLLOW Albert: https://twitter.com/albertwenger FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke joins Jason for the third time to break down Shopify's wild ride over the past 2+ years (1:40), $SHOP's new compensation system (14:19), competing with Amazon (45:38), Shop Pay (56:25), and more! Then, Producer Rachel welcomes Jules Terpak back for another segment of OK Boomer! (1:15:58) (0:00) Jason intros today's segments! (1:40) Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke joins to break down Shopify's wild ride over the past 2+ years and the state of the e-commerce market post-COVID peaks (13:00) Spokn - Get 3 months free at https://getspokn.com/twist  (14:19) Dealing with stock price distractions during periods of volatility, innovating Shopify's compensation system (27:56) Masterworks - Skip the waitlist to invest in fine art using at https://Masterworks.io/twist (29:23) Tobi breaks down the ideation of Shopify's new "Flex Comp" system (38:53) Helpware - Go to https://helpware.com/TWIST to get $1000 off your first invoice (40:09) Laying off 10% of staff over the summer (45:38) Competing with Amazon, innovating in fulfillment (56:25) Shop Pay, BNPL, and remote work quirks (1:15:58) Producer Rachel welcomes Jules Terpak back for another OK Boomer segment covering Gen Z online life, the entertainment economy, social media backlash, "Sharenting" and more FOLLOW Tobi: https://twitter.com/tobi FOLLOW Jules: https://twitter.com/julesterpak FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

(0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:57) J+M intro Ben Huh and discuss his background and why he helped start Orange DAO (15:21) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist  (16:51) Understanding how DAOs handle distributions, more DAO mechanics (26:06) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist (27:20) People taking advantage of business processes left up to interpretation, how blockchain helps solve this, standardizing DAOs (36:58) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (38:22) Understanding trustworthiness, downside protections, will the US fall behind in crypto? (48:32) J+M welcome Lon Harris! (56:13) Amazon's $11B TNF deal (1:06:20) House of the Dragon doing huge numbers for HBO, Rings of Power (1:17:06) Andor, Disney+'s new Star Wars show (1:24:02) Disney losing goodwill with superfans, where to put the next Disney park Check out Orange DAO: https://www.orangedao.xyz Check out Origami: https://joinorigami.com FOLLOW Ben: https://twitter.com/benhuh FOLLOW Lon: https://twitter.com/lons FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

On today's show, Mojo CEO and Co-Founder Vinit Bharara joins Jason to talk about his new stock market to bet on athletes, Mojo, which just launched in New Jersey. (1:39) Vinit breaks down the thesis (17:07), does a product demo (40:27), and explains how they raised $100M to build a stock market from scratch and provide instant liquidity! (0:00) Jason tees up today's interview! (1:39) Jason intros Vinit Bharara, who breaks down his past business ventures including Cafe.com, Diapers.com, working with his brother Preet! (13:05) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more (14:28) Managing Preet at Cafe.com (17:07) Vinit explains the thesis behind Mojo (24:40) Neo.Tax - Get $500 off R&D tax credit fees at https://neo.tax/twist  (26:02) Raising $100M from Thrive Capital, Tiger, and more (39:09) Spokn - Get 3 months free at https://getspokn.com/twist  (40:27) Vinit runs through a Mojo product demo (53:58) Building a team of handicappers and quants (1:00:56) Vinit and Jason share 9/11 stories

Tuesday SPAC-tacular! J+M cover the biggest on-goings in the world of SPACs, including: the latest in the trial of former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton (1:55), Chamath winding down $IPOD and $IPOF and returning money to investors (30:53), and a breakdown of Rumble's business after completing its SPAC! (42:55) (0:00) J+M tee up today's SPAC-tacular episode! (1:55) More chaos at Nikola, Jason reacts to TWiST interview reportedly being used in court (10:48) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist  (12:04) State of charges against former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton, lessons for founders to take away from this saga (23:18) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST (24:37) How Jason avoids founders pitching ahead of their skis (30:53) Chamath to wind down $IPOD and $IPOF (35:06) Revelo - Get 20% off the first 3 months by mentioning TWIST at https://revelo.io/twist (36:33) Jason's thoughts on the market and the state of SPACs, plus a JAY TRADE! (42:55) Rumble completes SPAC merger, J+M break down the business FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

Jason and Molly kick the week off by breaking down the team's favorite new social media app, BeReal, and its plans to add paid features (15:16). Then, they cover how platforms found fake accounts suspected of being run by the US military (31:12). After, they continue with more tech news, including Apple's iPhone 14 Pro bug (42:25) and Twilio's plans to make "anti-racist" layoffs (49:29). They end the show with a We Live in the Future segment, highlighting the startup TransPod (1:03:06). 0:00) J+M tee up today's segments!  (2:45) The hosts recap the weekend  (14:01) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist  (15:16) BeReal's plans to add paid features  (29:46) Notion - Sign up for free at https://notion.com/twist   (31:12) Platforms found fake accounts suspected of being run by the US military (40:59) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist (42:25) The iPhone 14 Pro camera has a camera bug  (49:29) Twilio's plans to make "anti-racist" layoffs (1:03:06) WLITF: TransPod's affordable ultra-high-speed transportation  FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Welcome to Sunday! First up, J+M cover different methods and classifications for dealing with failing startups. (2:01) Then, Molly interviews Team Wildfire CEO Steve Wolf about his "Hurricane-as-a-Service" business! (31:56) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:01) VC Sunday School: J+M discuss hospice care for startups  (10:50) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist  (11:58) VC fund dynamics with Zombie startups, Jason explains "pay to play" (25:32) Spokn - Get 3 months free at https://getspokn.com/twist  (27:03) J+M tee up this week's climate interview! (31:56) Steve Wolf explains his jet engine powered fire-fighting device (37:21) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist (38:55) Steve breaks down the business side of Team Wildfire, "Hurricanes-as-a-Service", and more! (55:32) Molly gets a virtual tour of the "Hurricane on wheels" Check out Team Wildfire: https://www.teamwildfire.com FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Friday variety is back! First up, J+M do a Startup Breakdown and cover newsletter platform beehiiv and how it could disrupt Substack's pricing model (2:27). Then, they cover leaked documents from Meta that show Reels is underperforming (12:52) before Producer Rachel wraps the show with another edition of OK Boomer! (26:18) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:27) Startup of the Day Breakdown! beehiiv charges a flat subscription rate for newsletter subscriptions, price comps with Substack (11:28) Indochino - Get $50 off any purchase of $399 or more by using code TWIST at checkout https://www.indochino.com (12:52) Leaked Meta documents show Instagram's "Reels" product is underperforming (22:51) Producer Rachel joins to tee up today's OK Boomer guest! (24:48) Zapier - Try for free today at https://zapier.com/TWIST  (26:18) OK Boomer: Josh Kaplan joins to break down his background and starting Smooth Media (35:14) WorkOS - Go to https://workos.com to learn how to make your app enterprise-ready. (36:43) Why newsletters are an efficient way for influencers to monetize FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood FOLLOW Rachel: https://twitter.com/_rachelbraun FOLLOW Josh: https://twitter.com/JKaplan1 

J+M kickoff the show by discussing Adobe acquiring Figma for $20B! (2:30) Then, they cover Patagonia's founder donates nearly all profits to solve climate change. (21:53) Finally, Lon Harris joins to discuss streaming consolidation, consumer burnout, and some interesting new projects! (46:36) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:30) Adobe acquires Figma for $20B in a cash and stock deal! (14:42) LinkedIn Marketing -  Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (16:12) Post-merger thesis, large deal user diligence (21:53) Patagonia founder donates his profits to solving climate change (29:46) SnackMagic - Get 10% cashback up to $1000 until October 15th with code HOLIDAY, and see more at snackmagic.com/twist (31:08) Lon Harris joins to break down the state of streaming: consolidation is coming (37:26) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups (38:49) More cuts coming to $WBD, price increases coming to Disney+ and other services, streaming fatigue (46:36) New content to keep an eye on!: new Blade Runner series green lit at Amazon, Spotify series coming to Netflix, and more FOLLOW Lon: https://twitter.com/lons FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

First up, Jason is back with the tenth and FINAL edition of The Blueprint, where he explains the seven ways to create wealth (2:12). Then, Vinny and Sunny join J+M for a crypto roundtable, covering: Do Kwon's arrest warrant (24:04), the ETH merge (49:54), an Orange DAO breakdown (1:14:24), and more! (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:12) The Blueprint Part 10: The seven ways to create wealth (13:01) Visa - Learn more about Visa’s online Small Business Hub at Visa.com/smallbusinesshub (13:57) The Blueprint Part 10 continued: The seven ways to create wealth (19:20) J+M catch up on the current state of early-stage dealmaking (22:39) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more (24:04) Vinny and Sunny join! First topic: a South Korean court issued an arrest warrant for Do Kwon (36:51) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist  (38:07) How to make crypto safer for retail investors (49:54) ETH merge, insane stats on crypto power usage (1:14:24) Orange DAO breakdown (1:33:23) Vinny challenges Jason's Disney Jay Trade FOLLOW Sunny: https://twitter.com/sundeep FOLLOW Vinny: https://twitter.com/vinnylingham FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1