This Week in Startups

This Week in Startups is brought to you by: Fidelity Private Shares℠. Manage your cap table and data room, get faster, more accurate 409A valuation and fully automate your next financing round. Visit ⁠https://fidelityprivateshares.com⁠! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to https://www.linkedin.com/twist to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Oracle - Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. Save up to 50% on your cloud bill at ⁠https://w⁠⁠⁠⁠ww.oracle.com/twist * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show (4:49) Extend Robotics’ Dr. Chang Liu joins the show (6:23) The challenges of real-world automation, robotic grape picking, and human in the loop AI (10:44) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. (12:14) Teleoperation, network latency, and future of robotic harvesting (21:05) Building a tech company in the UK and second-order effects of AI (23:24) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist (24:35) AI models learning from best human practitioners (26:56) Global remote work impact and virtual assistants (30:38) Impact of global salary standards on US developers (33:02) Oracle - Save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://www.oracle.com/twist (34:28) Accredited investor rules and potential changes (42:26) Sophisticated investor tests and angel investing (47:32) Investing in local businesses and AI news (48:36) OpenAI announcements and Google’s blowout quarter (52:22) Democratizing education with AI tutors and OpenAI's new search product (1:03:39) OpenAI’s advanced voice feature and earnings highlights (1:06:26) Tech giants' AI initiatives and implications (1:08:03) Amazon’s AWS growth and AI business expansion (1:14:39) Audience question: Interesting AI sectors for startups (1:21:05) The Chinese EV market * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Check out the Launch CloudKitchens Incubator: https://ck.launch.co * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Check out Extend Robotics: https://www.extendrobotics.com/ Here is the “Empowering Main Street in America Act”: https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/emsaa_section-by-section.pdf Check out SearchGPT: https://openai.com/index/searchgpt-prototype/ Check out the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra: https://www.mi.com/global/discover/article?id=3768 Check out Nio: https://www.nio.com * Follow Dr Chang Liu: X: https://x.com/enjoychang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechangliu/ 8 Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (10:44) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. (23:24) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist (33:02) Oracle - Save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://www.oracle.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/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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 https://www.openphone.com/twist Lemon.io - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://www.Lemon.io/twist Linear - Linear helps product teams focus on what they do best: Planning and building great products. Streamline issues, projects, and product roadmaps in a tool your team will actually enjoy using. Get 25% off at https://www.Linear.app/twist * Todays show: Moniepoint made waves this week by raising a massive $110 million Series C. For a startup in a category (fintech) that has seen its venture fortunes falter and a company building for the African market (which has seen its venture inflows slow), Moniepoint is an outlier – twice. Three times if you consider how quickly the company has grown in recent years. How did its round come together? How was it priced? And why aren’t more investors putting capital to work in Africa? Tune in, we have answers. * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex Wilhelm kicks off the show (1:21) Moniepoint's origin story and pivot to the current model (10:30) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠ (10:13) Balancing profitability and venture capital (16:48) Digitalization's impact on Moniepoint's growth (25:11) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (26:43) Moniepoint's office and IPO strategies (28:18) Launch of consumer banking services (31:07) Linear - Streamline issues, projects, and product roadmaps in a tool your team will actually enjoy using. Get 25% off at https://www.linear.app/twist (32:07) The recent fundraising round and valuation insights (38:32) Moniepoint's expansion plans in Africa (42:17) Fostering the early-stage startup ecosystem (44:18) Tosin's journey in angel investing (46:38) Spotlight on African startups in the global market (49:37) Angel University - Apply now at https://www.angel.univeristy * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Check out Moniepoint: https://moniepoint.com * Follow Tosin: X: https://x.com/eniolorunda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tosin-eniolorunda-46833618 * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Thank you to our partners: (10:30) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠ (25:11) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (31:07) Linear - Streamline issues, projects, and product roadmaps in a tool your team will actually enjoy using. Get 25% off at https://www.linear.app/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/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: 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. 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/twist Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to https://www.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. Kalshi. Kalshi—the largest regulated predictions market—now lets you trade on US elections. Visit https://www.kalshi.com/twist to see live odds, trade, and get $20 when you deposit $100. * Todays show: Alex Wilhelm interviews leaders from Monte Carlo and Mastertech.ai, exploring their roles in data observability and AI applications. Linda Gray shares her journey founding Mastertech.ai and highlighting AI's transformative role in auto shops.(2:05) Monte Carlo's Lior Gavish discusses the importance of data downtime and AI's influence on data monitoring. (35:51) * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex Wilhelm kicks off the show (2:05) Linda Gray's career and Mastertech.ai origin (5:17) Mastertech.ai and the auto repair industry (8:06) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist (9:11) Technological adoption and Mastertech.ai's benefits (16:18) Mastertech.ai's OEM approval process and community data (20:50) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (22:20) Mastertech.ai's AI-driven diagnostics demo (34:34) Kalshi—the largest regulated predictions market—now lets you trade on US elections. Visit https://www.kalshi.com/twist to see live odds, trade, and get $20 when you deposit $100. (35:51) Lior Gavish from Monte Carlo joins Alex (45:15) AI's accelerant effect on Monte Carlo's growth and strategy * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Monte Carlo: https://www.montecarlodata.com Mastertech.AI: https://www.mastertech.ai * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Lior: X: https://x.com/lgavish LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lgavish * Follow Linda: X: https://x.com/lindach167 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-gray-6433b251 * Thank you to our partners: (8:06) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist (20:50) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (34:34) Kalshi - Sign up to win $100K at https://www.kalshi.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/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Digital Ocean. Whether you’re just getting started with AI, or seeing your project take off, DigitalOcean is the cloud platform that lets you focus on what matters: building killer apps. Right now get up to $100k in free credits at https://do.co/twist Terms and conditions apply. Cloud Devs. Building the best remote team is tough, but you don’t have to do it alone. Visit https://www.clouddevs.com/twist for an unbeatable offer on hiring elite Latam talent today. Kalshi. Kalshi the largest regulated predictions market—now lets you trade on US elections. Visit https://www.kalshi.com/twist to see live odds, trade, and get $20 when you deposit $100. * Todays show: Sonos director Mattias Scheek joins Jason & Alex to discuss his journey in audio technology and Sonos acquisition. Then, Jason and Alex dive into election security (34:57), influencer marketing, Google’s upcoming AI release (1:10:42), and more! * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show (3:18) Earnings week predictions & discussion on national debt (9:17) DigitalOcean. DigitalOcean is the cloud platform you need to turn your AI project into a rocket ship. Right now, approved listeners can get up to $100,000 in free credits to try us out. Visit https://do.co/twist - get started and view terms and conditions. (10:24) Mattias Scheek from Sonos joins the show (11:23) Mattias Scheek's journey in audio technology and Sonos acquisition (17:49) Challenges for hardware startups in venture capital (20:25) Getting acquired: The process, strategy, and life after (22:04) Cloud Devs - Visit https://www.clouddevs.com/twist for an unbeatable offer on hiring elite Latam talent today. (23:11) Sonos' hi-fi strategy and industry issues in audio clarity (33:08) Kalshi - Visit https://www.kalshi.com/twist today to see live election odds, place a trade, and get $20 dollars when you deposit $100. (34:57) Voting irregularities, election security, and influencer marketing (45:14) Trump Rogan YouTube search issues and search engine comparison (53:06) Monetization experiments on YouTube and Launch Cloud Kitchens Incubator (1:10:42) Google's upcoming AI model for PC browsers and cybersecurity risks (1:15:52) Apple's app permissions approach and AI * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Check out the Launch CloudKitchens Incubator: https://ck.launch.co * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Mentioned on the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWnUry6mCxs * Follow Mattias: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattias-scheek-539a0349/ * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (9:17) DigitalOcean. DigitalOcean is the cloud platform you need to turn your AI project into a rocket ship. Right now, approved listeners can get up to $100,000 in free credits to try us out. Visit https://do.co/twist - get started and view terms and conditions. (22:04) Cloud Devs - Visit https://www.clouddevs.com/twist for an unbeatable offer on hiring elite Latam talent today. (33:08) Kalshi - Visit https://www.kalshi.com/twist today to see live election odds, place a trade, and get $20 dollars when you deposit $100. * 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/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

In this episode: Alex talks with Shensi Ding from Merge, who shares her transition from finance to tech and highlights the critical role of integrations in modern businesses. They explore the challenges of building and maintaining these integrations, emphasizing the importance of standardized data models. Shensi discusses partnerships and the strategies to overcome resistance. The conversation delves into trust-building, enhancing integration observability, and expanding Merge's offerings to include AI applications. They also touch on financial efficiency, growth strategies, and Merge's evolution beyond APIs, concluding with insights into future plans and potential acquisition interest. * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex kicks off the show with guest Shensi Ding of Merge. (5:18) Shensi's journey from finance to tech and the importance of integrations (10:20) The challenges of building and maintaining integrations (11:19) Coda. Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist (13:17) Identifying the market gap for Merge and the benefits of standardized data models (17:39) Partnership building, Salesforce integration, and overcoming resistance (20:07) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠ (21:16) Further discussion on trust-building and integration challenges (26:04) Enhancing integration observability and customer support (30:01) Micro1 - Visit https://www.micro1.ai/twist to get 10 free AI Interviews and 2 weeks free per hire (31:21) Expanding Merge's integration list and its AI applications (35:27) Discussing financial efficiency, runway management, and team dynamics (43:16) Growth strategies, customer base expansion, and go-to-market experiments (47:10) Pricing strategies, customer value, and market trends (50:05) Future plans for Merge, acquisition interest, and long-term vision (52:26) Evolution of Merge beyond API focus. * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Check out Merge here: https://www.merge.dev/ * Follow Shansi: X: https://x.com/shensi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shensiding/ * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Thank you to our partners: (11:19) Coda. Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist (20:07) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠ (30:01) Micro1 - Visit https://www.micro1.ai/twist to get 10 free AI Interviews and 2 weeks free per hire * 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/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Ramsey Shaffer, CEO of Uptrends AI, discusses his AI tool for investment advisors that streamlines market news management. Ana Malhotra, co-founder of Roam, shares her innovative yard-sharing service for dog owners lacking secure outdoor spaces. Tyce Herrman from Ullama presents software that ensures architects' 3D models meet building codes, emphasizing the integration of AI for compliance. The trio highlights the challenges and triumphs of their ventures, showcasing groundbreaking ideas that could redefine their respective industries.

Andrew Lissimore, Founder and CEO of Headphones.com, shares his journey from a side hustle to a thriving audio business. He emphasizes the power of a premium domain and YouTube for growth. The Prandtl Dynamics team from the University of Toronto unveils their groundbreaking anti-drone technology using sound waves, merging audio innovation with defense. The discussion also touches on TollBit’s successful Series A funding and their strategies to scale in a competitive market, highlighting the persistent drive for innovation among startups.

Hans von Spakovsky, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation specializing in election integrity, discusses the growing concerns around election security and documented fraud cases. He emphasizes the need for improved technology in elections and the importance of maintaining public trust. Meanwhile, Rafat Ali, CEO of Skift, shares insights into the travel industry, addressing rumors about major players like Uber and Expedia. The conversation also touches on customer acquisition and the evolving dynamics of loyalty programs in travel, revealing intriguing industry trends.

John Lepore, co-founder of Black Box Infinite, merges science fiction with technology, focusing on Apple’s Vision Pro and Hollywood VFX. He unveils an innovative Formula 1 experience that promises to redefine race viewing through immersive technology. The conversation also dives into advancements in self-driving cars, highlighting Tesla's safety upgrades. Additionally, they explore the intersection of tech and storytelling, illustrating how cinematic influences shape real-world innovations and consumer engagement in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Sarika Garg, CEO and co-founder of Cacheflow, brings two decades of B2B SaaS experience to the table. She shares insights into the challenges of B2B software sales and the evolving landscape of product-market fit. Sarika discusses HubSpot's acquisition of Cacheflow, highlighting the integration plans and the benefits of strategic partnerships. The conversation also touches on the importance of funding, scaling strategies, and how remote work influences company dynamics. Sarika's journey offers valuable lessons for aspiring founders and investors alike.