Down Round

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What's Going On In Australian VC? (feat. Damian Fox) Feb 06, 2024

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Hey! Down Round is still running a sale on premium membership until Friday February 9. Sign up using this link, and you can get an annual membership for $49 instead of the usual $70.

Today we're diving into the world of Australian startups and venture capital. After the end of the post-COVID tech boom, you might find yourself wondering who is investing in what, and where all the money is going now. Well, you're in luck.

To help us unpack what Australian tech investment looks like now – as well as give his hot takes on the tech fads and trends of the past few years – we're joined by Damian Fox, partner at Carthona Capital.

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Apple vs The EU: Brussels goes sicko mode (PREVIEW) Feb 02, 2024

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This is a preview of a premium episode. We're currently running a sale on Down Round Premium – head here to score an annual membership for $49 instead of $70. Amazing stuff.

Last week, we talked about Apple shaky Vision Pro launch, thanks to a number of key developers saying they wouldn't be making apps for the mixed reality headset. This week, the story continues, with Apple officially unveiling its response to recent EU regulation which would force it to open up access to third-party app stores and payment processors in Europe.

Of course, in true Apple fashion, the response is a poison chalice. And it's pissed off everyone from Spotify to Epic Games and all in-between. We discuss.

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Ozempic: The biggest Danish hit since the Smørrebrød Jan 30, 2024

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Hey! Down Round is running a sale on premium membership. Sign up in the next week using this link, and you can get an annual membership for $49 instead of the usual $70.

This week we're talking about the much-hyped weight loss drug Ozempic and its producer, Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk. Thanks to the crazy success of Ozempic, Novo Nordisk is now literally the biggest company in Europe by market cap. Now the vultures are circling, and a whole bunch of drugmakers are rushing competitors to market.

We talk about the drug, the company, it's weirdly 'techy' marketing and where it fits into the incoming universe of biotech and pharma tech.

Links

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Twitch: Give me $20, now (PREVIEW) Jan 25, 2024

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This is a preview of a premium episode of Down Round. To subscribe and listen to this episode and our full archives, go here.

Twitch, the venerable video game livestreaming platform which has repeatedly attempted to become the livestreaming platform for everyone, recently announced a slew of layoffsf. It also confirmed that the company, owned by Amazon, has never been profitable.

Today, we're talking about Twitch: what it is, the escalating troubles it has faced, and why it and the livestreaming business in general has never quite managed to hit its stride.

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The Vision Pro Developer Revolt Jan 23, 2024

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Apple is releasing its Vision Pro mixed reality headset in the US next month. But some of the biggest platforms in the world – from Netflix to Spotify – have announced they aren't supporting it from the get go.

That's partially because it's a niche device with an uncertain chance of success... but could it also be a rebuke of Apple's notorious developer policies, which have pissed off many people over the past decade and a half? We discuss.

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Rabbit R1: Another screen for you to look at -- but with AI! Jan 16, 2024

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The age of the AI device is upon us. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the undisputed star was the Rabbit R1, a standalone AI companion device which uses a 'large action model' to understand the things you like doing on your apps and platforms, and does them for you.

Will it work? Who knows. But Raph bought one. We discussed the hype about the Rabbit, as well as some of the other currents in AI devices which have emerged since the last time we talked about them.

Links

Say Hello to Rabbit R1: A Tiny Orange Box That Trades Phone Apps for AI – CNET

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The New York Times vs OpenAI: Whoever wins, we lose Jan 09, 2024

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Over the Xmas break, the New York Times announced it would be suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, alleging that its GPT platform is trained on copyrighted NYT content. This has become a problem, according to the NYT, because OpenAI is now a direct competitor.

We dive into the lawsuit, and chat a bit about the media, AI and what the future of content looks like. If you're holding out for the last episode of The Down Round Experience... fear not, it's coming this week.

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The Down Round Experience Pt. 4: Happy New Year Jan 02, 2024

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Happy New Year! We trust you're all well. Today, we're looking back on the 2023 that was – diving into some of the episodes we recorded and checking in how those things landed at the end of the year. These include:

Afterpay/BNPL
Crypto and NFTs
Tech layoffs
Instant groceries
Dating apps

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The Down Round Experience Pt. 3: Enter the Shark Tank (ft. Joyride) Dec 28, 2023

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This is part 3 of Down Round's Christmas and New Years production, all recorded in one session. To get every part, sign up to Premium here.

The Down Round Community is overflowing with geniuses. The next trillion dollar company will no doubt be founded by someone who is currently paying us $7 a month, representing one of the highest ROI investments anyone could make.

For today's episode of the Down Round Experience, we're taking your pitches. Our Discord community came with the ideas, and we're evaluating them in the inaugutal Down Round Shark Tank. Joining us is producer and musician Joyride (Rowan Dix) from The Meeting Tree, whose enterpreneurial nous fills out the panel.

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The Down Round Experience Pt. 2: Hack the planet (PREVIEW) Dec 27, 2023

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This is part two of our marathon holiday record. This is a preview – the full episode is available for premium subs. Sign up here.

The Down Round holiday episodes continue. As the beers continue to flow, we turn our critical attention to another major tech event of December: the hack and leak of Insomniac Games, a first-party developer owned by Sony.

Links

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