This Week in Startups - Video

“Minions” record-breaking viral strategy, TikTok algo, reframing semiconductors & energy | E1500 Jul 06, 2022

On today's show, Molly and Jason catch up after the long weekend (0:00) before breaking down how the new "Minions" movie broke a box office record by using TikTok, catchy hooks, and viral marketing (5:19). They also cover TikTok dropping plans to expand its ecommerce platform into the US and Europe (29:52), before covering the "Chips Act" stalemate and discussing how we should reframe semiconductor manufacturing and energy independence as national defense issues (35:50). Links referenced in the show: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.578644/full https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-07-04/chipmakers-and-us-congress-are-playing-a-stupid-game-of-chicken

VC School: What’s a venture scale business + Matt Duesterberg of OhmConnect | E1499 Jul 03, 2022

For today's VC Sunday School, Molly asks Jason about what makes a venture scale business (2:20). Then, for This Week in Climate Startups, Molly sits down with Matt Duesterberg, co-founder of OhmConnect (19:38).

Crypto crash updates, Sequoia’s structure, $ZM product expansion, Starlink & more | E1498 Jul 01, 2022

First, we cover an update from the BlockFi CEO denying that FTX is buying them for $25N (2:33), and we have a couple more crypto quick hits (5:51) before we touch on Sequoia's largest investments being down 70% (34:01). Klarna is raising way down at a $6B valuation (45:23), Zoom is looking to expand beyond video conferencing, (54:50), and the FCC approved Starlink to supply internet to moving vehicles (57:40). Finally, Rachel speaks with co-founder and CEO of Stages, Jared Downing, for this week's OK Boomer (1:08:23).

FTX buys BlockFi for $25M, Sequoia raising $2.25B, AI Umpires for MLB, Substack layoffs | E1497 Jul 01, 2022

First, we talk about Meta’s new Facebook Groups overhaul that looks like Discord (2:35). Then we touch on Sequoia raising over 2 billion for its US venture and growth funds (20:31) and FTX acquiring BlockFi for $25M, 99% below their last private valuation (32:08). For our We Live in the Future, the MLB is looking to automate home plate umpires by 2024 (52:17). Finally, it appears Subtstack is making some cuts after saying it wouldn’t (1:04:48).

Downtown Josh Brown & Michael Batnick on Disney+, Peloton, Knicks, podcasting, markets, & more | E1496 Jun 30, 2022

Today, Jason is joined by the hosts of “What are your thoughts?” Downtown Josh Brown (CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management) and Michael Batnick (Managing Partner at Ritholtz Wealth Management). They discuss the Knicks (1:22), Podcasting (14:25), markets (26:20), Disney (37:52), and more. Finally, Jason takes some audience questions (44:50).

SBF buys the crypto dip, hedge funds short Tether, VC funding down, flying nuclear cruise mockup | E1495 Jun 28, 2022

First, we dig into the crypto contagion where FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is stepping in to backstop crypto lenders (2:56). Then, we check in on the billions of dollars sitting in SPACs- remember those (39:27)? We do a quick hit on the venture market drying up in Q2 (54:27) before we get into our We Live in the Future: a mockup of a SkyCruise luxury airliner that uses nuclear power and never lands (1:16:36).

Digital surveillance risks post-Roe v. Wade ruling with Legal Voice’s Kim Clark + PE firm acquires Zendesk for $10.2B | E1494 Jun 27, 2022

Today, we bring on Kim Clark, an attorney at Legal Voice, who reached out to Molly after listening to our shows last week that mentioned the impacts of surveillance on healthcare privacy, notably abortion (2:13). And in related news, today’s Startup of the day is Stardust, an end-to-end encrypted Period Tracking App (39:13). Then, we cover a non-Roe v. Wade story: Zendesk will be acquired by an investor group in an all-cash transaction valuing it at around $10.2B (42:45).

How to co-invest with other firms (VC School) + Electric Sea Gliders: REGENT Co-Founder Billy Thalheimer | E1493 Jun 26, 2022

For today's VC Sunday School, Molly asks Jason about co-investing with other VC firms (3:11). Then for This Week in Climate Startups, Molly sits down with REGENT co-founder Billy Thalheimer to talk about the ins and outs of their electric sea gliders (29:46).

Praying For Exits on Markets, Crypto, Startup Valuations + Anisha Sunkerneni of Cyphr VC | E1492 Jun 25, 2022

Today, Jason sits down with the anonymous account Praying For Exits — they discuss everything going on in markets, crypto, startup valuations post-crash, and even what was behind the All in podcast controversy (3:09). Then, Producer Rachel sits down with Anisha Sunkerneni of Cyphr VC to talk about NFT NYC and navigating tech events (1:13:30).

Obi-Wan finale + Healthcare’s hidden money pit with Capital RX CEO AJ Loiacono | E1491 Jun 23, 2022

Today we bring on Lon Harris to discuss the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale (2:23), then we do a quick hit on the FDA taking action against Juul (42:14). Finally, Molly chats with AJ Loiacono from Capital RX, who is laser-focused on increasing transparency in prescription drug pricing (55:26).

TikTok data security, the Chinese surveillance state, Amazon running out of warehouse workers | E1490 Jun 22, 2022

Today we kick it off with a discussion of BuzzFeed’s reporting on TikTok, and we debate if there are real risks to worry about here (2:04). Then, we discuss Amazon forecasting it will run out of workers in some of the cities it operates in (37:16). Finally, we talk about some of the ways we are reducing our consumption (43:55).

NFT NYC, Solend takeover, Why Non-Finance use cases are the key to Crypto, Magic Eden & more with Vinny Lingham | E1489 Jun 21, 2022

There’s been some crazy news in Crypto, so we bring on Vinny Lingham, an early investor in Solana, who runs a startup that encrypts identity information on the blockchain called Civic. We dig into NFT NYC (8:24), the fiasco on Solend protocol (22:29), and how South Korean prosecutors have instituted a flight ban for employees while they investigate the $40 billion collapse (45:54). Finally, we talk about how, despite all of this, the Solana NFT Marketplace Magic Eden still raised $130 million at a $1.6 billion valuation (51:04).

When to take a meeting (VC School) + Fungi Flour: Hyfé Foods Founder Michelle Ruiz (Climate) | E1488 Jun 19, 2022

For this week's VC Sunday School, Molly asks Jason about when to take a meeting with a founder (2:20). Then for This Week in Climate Startups, Molly speaks with the CEO and Founder of Hyfé Foods, Michelle Ruiz (16:45). Finally, as we're off tomorrow, we wrap with a couple of Juneteenth book recommendations (44:17).

Kraken CEO Jesse Powell responds to NYT hit piece and breaks down the state of crypto + Alexander Olesen CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms | E1487 Jun 18, 2022

Today, we recap the Warriors' finals win (2:50) with some potential takeaways for founders (14:00). Next, Jason speaks with Jesse Powell: founder, and CEO of crypto exchange Kraken, and they discuss the state of crypto and the recent hit piece the NYT published on him (48:06). For this week's OK Boomer segment, Producer Rachel sits down with Alexander Olesen, co-founder, and CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms (2:07:41).

Apple & Disney’s sports streaming strategy, Facebook’s plan to be TikTok, Obi-Wan, Star Trek | E1486 Jun 16, 2022

It’s Thursday, so we talk all about streaming with our guy Lon Harris! Spoiler alert as we dive into Obi-Wan Kenobi E5 (1:53) and Star Trek E4-5 (34:48). We cover Disney losing cricket streaming rights in India (41:44) and Apple acquiring MLS soccer rights (50:48). Finally, we hit on an internal memo that shows Facebook plans to be more like TikTok (57:17).

YouTube shorts vs. TikTok, Crypto contagion, Twitch ad changes, China found aliens? | E1485 Jun 15, 2022

First, we’ll dig into the creator economy: Youtube shorts almost has as many users as TikTok (3:06), and Twitch is changing how they pay creators (24:00). We quickly hit on some breaking news as The Federal Reserve approved its steepest interest rate increase since 1994 and signaled it would continue lifting rates this year at the most rapid pace in decades (38:20). The crypto contagion continues, so we’ll give an update (41:50) and discuss the full context of MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin comments in 2021 (54:13). And we can’t leave without talking about Aliens. China thinks it has a sign (1:16:24).

Coinbase lays off ~18%, EU crypto regulation, $NFLX & $ROKU ad-tech talks, Hallow prayer app, Prey laptop security | E1484 Jun 14, 2022

Today, we kick off the episode with Coinbase’s several hundred-person layoffs (3:23) and the EU’s crypto regulation in progress (23:15). We cover Netflix talking with Roku to help run its planned ad-supported tier (35:18). Our Startup of the Day is Catholic Prayer and mediation app Hallow, partnered with Mark Wahlberg for promotion (41:03). We’ll also showcase Prey, a company that helps protect laptops from theft, which our producer Justin should’ve used in his recent burglary (47:57).

Crypto drops ~$200B, Celsius freezes, Binance’s BTC pause, Google AI sentience, Magic Spoon: DTC isn’t dead | E1483 Jun 13, 2022

On today's show, Jason and Molly cover crypto losing $200B from its total market cap this weekend (14:51) and Binance pausing withdrawals of Bitcoin for almost 4 hours this morning (29:53). We also quickly talk about a Google engineer claiming Google's AI chat bot has become sentient (38:15). For our We Live in the Future, we cover Amazon announcing drone delivery for later this year (48:52). Finally, we wrap on our Startup of the Day: Magic Spoon, a high-protein cereal maker (53:57).

How to value startups (VC School) + Creating Diamonds from Air with Aether’s Ryan Shearman (Climate) | E1482 Jun 12, 2022

For today’s VC Sunday school, Molly asks Jason about valuation- valuing startups (1:44). Then for This Week in Climate Startups, Molly sits down with Ryan Shearman, CEO of Aether, to talk about how Aether makes diamonds using carbon extracted from the atmosphere (37:22).

Disney’s ambitious streaming goals with Lon Harris + Dressd Founder Capri Wheaton | E1481 Jun 10, 2022

Today, Lon Harris joins for This Week in Streaming and we talk about Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 4 (1:49), then we cover some Disney news as they fire their head of General Entertainment Content, Peter Rice (43:05), and enter a bidding war to keep their rights to Indian Cricket (48:30). We wrap with a segment of OK Boomer: this week Producer Rachel sits down with Capri Wheaton, founder, and CEO of Dressd, a peer-to-peer clothing rental service (1:06:37).

Twitter bots & Apple BNPL with Deirdre Bosa + Prediction markets with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour | E1480 Jun 09, 2022

Today, Deirdre Bosa from CNBC joins Molly to talk about Twitter’s plans to comply with Musk’s demands for data (1:28), Apple being its own bank for Apple Pay Later (17:15), and Facebook's parent Meta changing its ticker to META (32:19). To wrap up, Jason and Molly interview Kalshi co-founder and CEO Tarek Mansour, where they talk about Kalshi building the first CFTC regulated predictions market (39:11).

Amazon’s Dave Clark joins Flexport, Bird layoffs, Twitter’s bring-your-own algo, Multiverse, Ken Griffin gets into crypto | E1479 Jun 09, 2022

Today, we talk about Flexport Founder Ryan Petersen bringing on Amazon’s Dave Clark to be CEO (2:56). Then, we discuss Bird laying off almost a quarter of their team (17:32), and we talk about Twitter working on a bring-your-own algorithm feature (28:24). Our Startup of the Day is Multiverse, a startup building a pipeline of apprenticeships as a college alternative (37:47). We cover Citadel getting into crypto (47:25) and SEC Chair Gary Gensler hinting there might be some overhauls coming to payment for order flow (54:33). We end with a recap of Jason on Megyn Kelly’s show (1:00:10) and Kara Swisher leaving NYT for Vox (1:17:07).

Why BuzzFeed fell 40%, EU mandates USB-C, Lab-grown ear transplants, Tom Brady’s Series B | E1478 Jun 07, 2022

BuzzFeed is tanking- we talk about what it means for its employees and the company (2:07). Next, we discuss Uber Eats coming for GoldBelly (23:51), then we cover the EU mandating that USB-C ports be standard by 2024 (36:17). We close out the show with our Startup of the Day in the sports space (41:21) and a We Live in the Future in the ear transplant space (49:42).

Apple’s new releases, Twitter bots, Didi returns, Bad actors on Binance + Michael Shellenberger’s vision for California | E1477 Jun 07, 2022

Jason talks with independent candidate for California Governor Michael Shellenberger on what he wants to improve in California (2:57). Then, we cover Apple's 2022 WWDC (48:40). We cover the $2.35B of illicit funds laundered through Binance from hacks, investment frauds, and drug deals (1:27:25), and we touch on Elon Musk accusing Twitter of withholding bot information (1:37:24). Finally, we cover Beijing wrapping up the Didi investigation (1:41:11).

Markups & markdowns (VC School) + Coral Regeneration with Coral Vita’s Sam Teicher (Climate) | E1476 Jun 05, 2022

First, in VC Sunday School Jason answers Molly’s questions about markups and markdowns (1:35), then in This Week in Climate startups, Molly talks with Coral Vita’s Sam Teicher about Coral Regeneration (33:37).

Coinbase & Loom rescind job offers (strategies for managers & workers during a downturn) + OK Boomer: Mehak Vohra of SkillBank | E1475 Jun 04, 2022

Today we have a Warriors Game Recap (2:01), we discuss the new Apple emojis (11:29), and then we dive into more layoffs news: Coinbase and Loom rescinding job offers (26:34). Jason and Molly give tips on how to not get laid off (37:55), and then Producer Rachel closes out the episode with an OK Boomer segment with Skillbank founder and CEO Mehak Vohra (1:07:08).

Sheryl Sandberg leaves Meta + This Week in Streaming with Lon Harris: Obi-Wan Kenobi | E1474 Jun 02, 2022

Today, we dive into Sheryl Sandberg leaving Meta (2:14), then Lon Harris joins for This Week in Streaming where we cover Kenobi episodes 1-3 (12:36). We talk about Disney’s response to racism (26:54), where the Star Wars sequels went wrong (36:00), and the Depp v. Heard trial coverage (51:00).

ESG fraud, Stripe & Reddit markdowns, Remote productivity + DroneUp Founder Tom Walker | E1473 Jun 02, 2022

First, we talk about Deutsche Bank getting raided by law enforcement for “greenwashing” its ESG funds (2:59), then we touch on Fidelity marking down its investments in Stripe and Reddit (17:00), then we discuss companies going back to the office over concerns about worker productivity (19:35), Jason explains how he’s collaborating with everyone on the team to increase productivity as we go into this recession (26:00). To end, we have an interview with DroneUp CEO Tom Walker where we discuss their current rollout with Walmart, the regulations that need to get sorted out, and how DroneUp is approaching safety (50:00).

NYT’s Glossier hit piece, VC winters, Activist CEOs and Podcast live events with Acquired’s David Rosenthal | E1472 Jun 01, 2022

Today, Acquired’s David Rosenthal joins us. We discuss their recent Climate Pledge Arena Show (1:37), the new fundraising environment, and what the best founders and VC firms are doing (21:29), and we dig into the New York Times' latest hit piece on Glossier CEO Emily Weiss (37:40). We wrap with an optimistic look at what Australian billionaire and Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes is doing to take on Australia's biggest polluter (1:00:59).

Bolt layoffs, DroneUp, Lunar Outpost, $4.5B crypto fund, Ape theft + Diagram’s Jordan Singer | E1471 May 27, 2022

In today's episode, Jason and Molly cover Bolt's layoffs (12:11), Walmart's drone deliveries (17:02), Lunar Outpost's $12M seed (32:31), a16z's $4.5B crypto raise (44:07), and Seth Green's Bored Ape heist (54:40). Producer Rachel sits down with Jordan Singer, founder of Diagram, for this week's OK Boomer (1:03:54).

The cost of CEOs ignoring mental health with Bonobos Founder Andy Dunn | E1470 May 27, 2022

Today's episode is a Molly solo interview with Bonobos founder and author of "Burn Rate," Andy Dunn (2:30). We go deep on entrepreneurship and mental health, talk about how founders are up to 7x more likely to suffer from bipolar disorders than the average person, how Andy's bipolar disorder impacted building his business (22:09), and advice for founders navigating mental health struggles (34:31).

Solving our biggest problems, Cerebral’s fast & loose telehealth prescriptions, Jack leaves Twitter Board | E1469 May 26, 2022

We discuss the tragedy at a Texas elementary school and gun violence in America (2:25). Can tech play a role in decreasing child deaths (21:14)? Then we cover mental health startup Cerebral getting probed by the DOJ (52:55). Finally, we touch on a breaking story: Jack Dorsey steps down from Twitter’s board (1:13:25).

Snap drops 40%, Layoffs at Gorillas & Klarna, Adam Neumann’s new startup, Coinbase using Principles | E1468 May 24, 2022

First, we break down SNAP dropping over 40% after lowering earnings estimates (4:43). Then we cover some layoffs at instant-delivery startup Gorillas AND BNPL player Klarna (29:18). Next, we talk about Adam and Rebekah Neumann co-founding a tokenized crypto carbon marketplace called Flowcarbon (1:00:02). We wrap on Coinbase’s new Ray Dalio-inspired employee rating system (1:10:36).

All-In Summit recap, Argo debuts AV test cars in Miami/ATX, $AMZN to sublease 10M+ square feet | E1467 May 23, 2022

Molly and Jason are BACK from Miami to break down all the most interesting stories and content from the All-In Summit! (2:13) Then, they cover Argo AI, an AV company that just launched autonomous test cars in Miami and Austin (36:50). Finally, they close by discussing a recent Bloomberg report on how Amazon is looking to sublease 10M+ square feet of warehouse space... negative signal, or no big deal? (45:23)

Proof of Impact CEO Fleur Heyns on meaningful metrics for measuring environmental impact (This Week in Climate Startups) | E1466 May 22, 2022

In this episode of This Week in Climate Startups, Molly sits down with Fleur Heyns of Proof of Impact about how to measure, verify, and analyze ESG & impact data. We discuss the current pain points for investors (11:20), how blockchains can interact with real-world assets (21:15), ESG regulation (34:16) and more!

Privateer Space CEO Alex Fielding: cleaning up space junk with Steve Wozniak + Behind the scenes of working for Jason | E1465 May 21, 2022

First, Jason and Molly reflect on their time in previous tech recessions (03:06). Then, Privateer Space CEO Alex Fielding joins to discuss solving the space junk problem (18:02), the difficulties of mapping debris (33:25), and more. Then, Producer Rachel hosts an OK Boomer episode where she talks with the other Gen Z employees that work for Jason about how they got their jobs and what they've learned at Launch (1:00:21).

Fixing a broken system – Mahmee CEO Melissa Hanna on patient-centric maternal care | E1464 May 19, 2022

Molly Wood sits down with Melissa Hanna, CEO and Co-Founder of Mahmee, a care network for parents (01:44), they discuss the impetus for Melissa launching the company (12:34), the challenges of bringing the product to market (22:08), how she built the network and more (37:29)!

Accelerating leadership – Chief Co-Founder & CEO Carolyn Childers on raising $100M Series B, building a women’s executive network and more | E1463 May 18, 2022

Molly speaks with Carolyn Childers, CEO of Chief, a women’s professional network (01:26) about how their community stretches across digital and physical spaces, accelerating women's executive careers, growing with word-of-mouth as marketing (30:08), their $100M raise (33:22), augmenting Linkedin (39:18) and more.

Bitcoin payments on the Lightning Network with Strike’s Jack Mallers | E1462 May 17, 2022

First we cover the news of Ex-Meta crypto chief David Marcus launching a Bitcoin payments startup backed by a16z & Paradigm (02:05). Then, Jack Mallers, the CEO of Strike joins (8:13) to discuss the lightning network & the history of payment networks (12:10), why companies use the Strike API (24:42), why he thinks Visa and Mastercard can't compete (31:24), Strike unlocking Bitcoin’s potential (34:40) and more!

SaaS multiple compression, downturn outlook & advice for new VCs with Jason Lemkin of SaaStr | E1461 May 16, 2022

Jason and Molly chat with Jason Lemkin of SaaStr (01:44). They discuss: advice for new VCs (16:14), the future of SaaS investing (27:37), playing offense as investors (35:50), secondaries and more.

Women in venture capital + SpringEats.com CEO Anukampa Freedom Gupta-Fonner (Climate) | E1460 May 15, 2022

In VC Sunday School we discuss Pitchbook's data on women-led VC funds (03:16), how much money they've raised and how the industry is evolving. Then, Jason explains why new fund managers often have more success with individual LPs than institutional LPs (27:12). In This Week in Climate Startups Molly speaks with Anukampa Freedom Gupta-Fonner of Springeats.com, a zero-waste grocery service (38:31).

SBF buys 7.6% $HOOD stake, SoftBank’s $13B loss, Twitter exec layoffs & deal update + Nicole Ruiz from Compound VC | E1459 May 14, 2022

First Jason and Molly cover FTX CEO SBF buying 7.6% of $HOOD (1:57), SoftBank’s $13B loss (8:29), Twitter’s exec layoffs (14:55) & give a deal update (21:50). Then Producer Rachel chats with Nicole Ruiz is an investor at Compound VC, a thesis-driven, research-centric investment firm (35:34). Together, they talk about her untraditional path to VC, their investment in Pear Bio, the importance of being a skilled researcher, and more.

Sundar Pichai, tech crash, crypto, journalism and more with CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa | E1458 May 13, 2022

Deirdre Bosa from CNBC’s Tech Check joins to talk about a wide variety of topics (2:20), including her interview with Sundar Pichai, journalism (12:54), the crashing public markets, crypto (44:58), Twitter iterations (1:06:12) and so much more!

Airbnb’s category search, Coinbase’s new disclosure + Facebook exits podcasting with Ashley Carman | E1457 May 11, 2022

First Jason and Molly open by digging into some details for the All-In Summit (02:12). Then they discuss Airbnb's search options (08:13), Airbnb's new aircover insurance feature (21:34) and Coinbase's disclosure that account funds aren't safe in a Coinbase bankruptcy (35:04). Then, Molly is joined by Ashley Carman to talk about Facebook dropping podcasts (54:46).

Terra UST stablecoin unpegged with Bennett Tomlin + High growth tech’s runway: $COIN, $SQ, $ZM, $TWLO, $SHOP & $PTON | E1456 May 11, 2022

First, crypto reporter Bennett Tomlin joins to break down the the massive decline of algorithmic stablecoin Terra USD (UST) and how the Terra-Luna ecosystem works (09:00). Then we recap five tech stocks that are down at least 70% off mid-COVID peaks Coinbase, Shopify, Twilio, Zoom and Block (44:44). We briefly touch of Elon’s comments about reducing permanent bans on Twitter (1:05:48). Wrap with Peloton’s painful earnings (1:22:53).

Dara sets the tone for Uber’s next push, Jason’s market prediction, Apple’s ML director departs, Internet affordability & more | E1455 May 09, 2022

First, we discuss Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's company-wide email rallying Uber behind a cash-generating vision to court investors (6:30). Then, we cover Apple's machine learning director departing because of the company's work from home policies (43:22) and the White House's negotiation with ISPs for low-cost high-speed internet to pair with the Affordable Connectivity Program (57:00).

Side investing (VC School) + Stripe’s Nan Ransohoff: Frontier carbon removal | 1454 May 08, 2022

Sunday double-header. First, Jason discusses why some VC firms allow side investing and others explicitly forbid it (01:50). Then, in a This Week in Climate Startups segment Molly interviews Nan Ransohoff, Head of Climate at Stripe (12:27) about their $900M+ plan to fund carbon sequestration (31:18).

Twitter’s new Birdwatch moderation/annotation feature + OK Boomer: Flapjack’s Patrick McDonnell | E1453 May 06, 2022

First Jason and Molly break down Twitter's new community annotation feature Birdwatch (1:40), they go through screenshots of the beta version and weigh the possibility for the Birdwatch to bridge the moderation gap. Then Producer Rachel interviews Patrick McDonnell of Flapjack (44:04) about working in a hacker house in Miami, optimizing restaurant menus and his experience making the Boring Company flamethrower.

Stripe launches Plaid competitor, Cameo layoffs, Elon raises $7B + Streaming news with Lon Harris | E1452 May 06, 2022

First we chat with Lon Harris from Inside Streaming about the latest Netflix news, strategy, exciting upcoming shows and the proliferation of ads on streaming services (2:23). Then we cover Plaid CEO insinuating that a Stripe PM probed their company for information before making a copycat (39:40), Cameo's round of layoffs that included 4 execs (53:08) and the latest on Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition (1:06:25).

Live Show Preview: Wednesday May 4 May 05, 2022

Every Monday - Thursday, Jason and Molly record live at https://youtube.com/thisweekin - it has bonus content that doesn't make it into the edited version of the show. This is a sample of the LIVE version recorded today. If you like this, subscribe, sign up for notifications and join us live in the YouTube chat.

Tech reactions to Roe vs. Wade leak + $UBER, $LYFT and $ABNB earnings | E1451 May 05, 2022

First Jason and Molly discuss the way tech is impacted by the leaked Supreme Court Roe vs. Wade decision (2:20). Then they break down the differences between a Lyft and Uber’s Q1 (52:18). To wrap, we discuss AirBnB’s strong quarter and upcoming big announcement (1:03:48).

Meta’s VR plans with The Information’s Sylvia Varnham O’Regan + SEC strengthens its crypto enforcement team | E1450 May 03, 2022

First, we speak with The Information’s Sylvia Varnham O’Regan about Meta's plan to double its VR headsets by 2024 (02:06), VR adoption (13:14), and more. We wrap by discussing the SEC’s Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit adding 20 new agents (39:52).

Bolt’s struggles with The Information’s Malique Morris + How Yuga Labs’ mint sent Ethereum Gas 120X + Gravity Sketch | E1449 May 03, 2022

First, we discuss Bolt’s declining customer base and struggles with The Information’s Malique Morris (02:50). In addition, we discuss Fast, Amazon's "Buy with Prime," ShopPay (25:35) and all the other developments in online checkout. Next, we cover a massive spike in Ethereum gas prices from Yuga Labs and Solana's bot attack (55:12). We wrap with our Startup of the Day: Gravity Sketch, a 3D design platform (1:11:35).

How to manage competing portfolio companies (VC School) + Energy Impact Partners’ Shayle Kann (Climate) | E1448 May 01, 2022

Sunday double-header. First, in VC Sunday School Jason discusses competing companies in the portfolio, when it's ok, when it's not and how to manage issues in good faith (01:52). Then, in This Week in Climate Startups, Molly interviews Energy Impact Partners' Shayle Kann (19:42) about "Deep Decarbonization," the carbon management industry (33:37) and more.

$AMZN & $AAPL earnings, Snap’s drone, China softens on tech, AirBnB goes nomad + Landon from Inside | E1447 Apr 30, 2022

First, we cover 5 news stories: Amazon Q1 earnings (02:01), Apple's fiscal Q2 earnings (06:33), China's new tune for tech (12:06), AirBnB's long-term remote commitment (16:55) and Snap's new Pixy camera drone (24:48). Then Producer Rachel interviews Landon Campbell of inTheir20s and inside.com about investing, landing big guests like Steve Wozniak for his podcast and what he's learned about how great people spent their 20s (29:47).

WeCrashed & Severance finales w/ Lon Harris + Twitter follower changes w/ The Verge’s Corin Faife | E1446 Apr 29, 2022

First up, Lon Harris joins to break down the finales of WeCrashed (1:52) and Severance (34:50), then The Verge's Corin Faife joins to discuss his research on the sharp changes in Twitter follower counts for right-leaning and left-leaning accounts. (1:07:39)

Archegos founder arrested, Bolt sued by Authentic Brands, $GOOG & $MSFT earnings, Apple sells repair parts, EV Corvette | E1445 Apr 28, 2022

All news. First we break down the SEC's allegations from one of the craziest financial stories since Bernie Madoff, Archegos Capital (4:20). Then cover: Bolt being sued by its largest customer (28:47), Google and Microsoft's Q1 2022 earnings for the first quarter (42:45) and Apple selling iPhone spare parts and repair tools (1:02:10). We wrap with GM's EV corvette announcement (1:07:20).

Jack’s Twitter take & employee reactions, Medical NFTs, Hopin’s $200M founder secondary sale | E1444 Apr 26, 2022

All news. We break down, Jack chiming in on Twitter’s sale to Elon Musk and the employee reactions (2:21). Then, we talk about an NFT project where Doctor influencers on TikTok are selling access to medical advice (40:02). To wrap, we cover Hopin’s fundraising at a large valuation, its founder's $195M secondary sale and more (52:27).

Twitter accepts Elon’s buyout offer, EU’s new algo rule, Pipedream Labs: Hyperloop for package delivery | E1443 Apr 26, 2022

First, we cover Twitter's Board accepting Elon Musk's take-private deal (1:41). Then, we cover a new EU social media regulation that will increase algorithm transparency called the Digital Services Act (41:34). Our startup of the day is Pipedream Labs which is making a Hyperloop for package delivery (53:37).

VC School: Deal Memos + Sphere CEO Alex Wright-Gladstein (Climate) | E1442 Apr 24, 2022

First, in a VC Sunday School segment, Jason explains his approach to deal memos (01:42) and what parts of a memo are most important. Then, in a This Week in Climate Startups segment, Molly chats with Alex Wright-Gladstein of Sphere (17:06) about offering climate friendly retirement plan options (21:43), financial incentives and more.

Twitter funding secured, Boring Co. raises $675M, Amazon’s $1B VC fund, Ackman’s $400M loss + The Lunar Society: Dwarkesh Patel | E1441 Apr 23, 2022

First Jason and Molly do four rapid news stories: Elon securing funding for the Twitter buyout (03:20), Bill Ackman’s $430M loss on Netflix (11:48), The Boring Company's $675M raise (18:47), Amazon’s $1B Industrial Innovation fund (28:56). Then, Producer Rachel interviews Dwarkesh Patel of The Lunar Society Podcast (37:12), he's a recent computer science graduate and one of the 42 people Jeff Bezos follows on Twitter!

TSLA earnings + Streaming: WeCrashed & Severance review, CNN+ demise, Netflix’s future | 1440 Apr 21, 2022

First, Jason and Molly cover Tesla’s strong Q1 and gems from the earnings call (2:22), then Lon Harris joins (31:32) to discuss WeCrashed episode 7 (34:17), Severance episodes 1-3 (58:46), Netflix’s rough Q1 and quality drop off (1:13:35) and CNN+ shutting down (1:26:40).

Netflix earnings breakdown, Kushner’s $3B pitch deck, CNN+ on pause, Grubhub for sale | E1439 Apr 21, 2022

First, we break down Netflix's earnings and discuss where Netflix’s content strategy might have gone wrong (2:46). Then, Jason pitches Jared Kushner’s leaked PE firm fundraising deck (35:15). We wrap with a discussion of Warner Bros. Discovery possibly killing CNN+ (56:27) and Just Eat Takeaway announcing they are looking into selling Grubhub, 10 months after finalizing a $7B acquisition (1:13:21)!

Jack’s candid Twitter takes, FB invests in African internet, Regent’s electric Seaglider, Better.com layoffs | E1438 Apr 19, 2022

First, Jack is getting candid about Twitter’s board dysfunction (2:14). Then, we cover Facebook’s internet infrastructure development projects in Africa (24:31) and Better.com's new round of layoffs (33:53). Our startup of the day is Regent, which is making a regional seaplane (46:51). We wrap with a discussion of Zendesk considering a sale (1:01:34) and Telsa's third act (1:04:57).

Q1 venture capital review, Twitter breaks, BeReal’s new take on social & more | E1437 Apr 18, 2022

All-news show. First, we go over PitchBook’s Q1 Venture Monitor report where VC fundraising is high, but portfolio exits are down (3:08). Then, we discuss how the incoming CNN CEO Chris Licht and Chris Sacca are both taking a Twitter break (33:35), and touch on Alex Jones' InfoWars filing for bankruptcy (44:33). Our startup of the day is new social app BeReal (53:55).

Twitter’s takeover defense, Meta’s AR project with The Verge’s Alex Heath + Wordcab’s Aleks Smechov + OK Boomer: Rachel Cantor | E1436 Apr 15, 2022

Friday variety show! First, The Verge’s Alex Heath joins to talk about two big stories he recently broke (2:32): Facebook’s plans for AR glasses and Twitter’s internal reaction to Elon’s takeover bid (38:04). Molly sits down with LAUNCH Accelerator founder Aleks Smechov whose company Wordcab specifically focuses on speech-to-text AI summaries (1:04:54). We wrap with an edition of OK Boomer where Producer Rachel talks to writer and marketer Rachel Cantor(1:18:51)!

Elon offers to take $TWTR private at $43B + Autonomous car drives away from police | E1435 Apr 14, 2022

All news show. First, Jason and Molly debrief after their Worldcoin interview (2:37). Next, they discuss Elon Musk's take-private offer for Twitter at $43B (08:50), the highlights from Elon's TED interview (15:33), and more (24:53). In a We Live in the Future segment, we react to a viral video of police pulling over a self-driving Cruise car (58:38).

Meta’s 47.5% take rate + Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania: onboarding the globe to crypto | E1434 Apr 13, 2022

First, we cover Meta's announcement that they will be taking 47.5% creator fees on their Horizons platform (2:17) and A16Z’s Crypto lead Chris Dixon ranking number one on the Forbes Midas List. Then, Jason and Molly chat with Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania to talk about the crypto project he launched with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (11:08). Worldcoin is scanning people’s irises with custom-made hardware and aspires to reach over 1 billion people (23:21). Alex addresses privacy concerns, scaling challenges (32:45) and more.

Shopify Board proposes share restructuring + The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson, Why American Teens Are So Sad | E1433 Apr 12, 2022

First we discuss Shopify planning 10-to-1 stock split & increasing CEO/Founder Tobi Luke’s control from 34% to 40% (1:42). Then, the Atlantic's Derek Thompson joins to discuss his piece “Why American Teens Are So Sad” (25:59), including the impacts of new-parenting styles (33:38), social media (44:10) and infinite news.

Elon no longer joining $TWTR board, Breslow’s Instacart case-study, NYT tells reporters to reduce time on Twitter | E1432 Apr 11, 2022

All news show. First, we discuss Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal announcing that Elon has reversed his decision to join Twitter's board (04:10) and the NYT's Editor telling reporters to stop tweeting so much in an internal memo (31:29). Then, we discuss Ryan Breslow's latest series of threads, including one claiming that Instacart’s CEO was shadow-fired by Sequoia (44:35).

Investing in down rounds (VC School) + The Lightsmith Group Co-Founder Jay Koh (Climate) | E1431 Apr 10, 2022

Another Sunday edition of This Week in Startups! In VC Sunday School, Jason answers a question about investing in down rounds (1:54)from "Noti Gang" member Bob Gee. Then, Molly has a great interview with Jay Koh (12:16), an investor at The Lightsmith Group about how he invests in the climate landscape (20:41), cautionary tales from the first climate investing wave (32:13), and more.

Macro insights with Rose Technology CEO Alex Campbell + TCG Crypto’s Gaby Goldberg | E1430 Apr 08, 2022

First, Jason chats with Alex Campbell of Rose Technology, a data analytics tool and marketplace that helps organizations more clearly understand macro trends (1:28). Alex is a former trader for Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates and shares some incredible insights on the global macro environment across Chinese real estate (10:45), investment rates, Bitcoin, Tether, historical financial crises (43:36) and more. Then, for another edition of "OK Boomer," Producer Rachel Chats with Gaby Goldberg (1:08:45) from TCG's Crypto investment arm. They talk about resources to get started in crypto (1:28:52) and why Gaby invests at the intersection of consumer and crypto. Charts referenced by Alex: https://bit.ly/twistchartsrose

Portfolio construction, Sequoia’s transition & Fast with Acquired.FM + The Dropout: This Week in Streaming with Lon Harris | E1429 Apr 07, 2022

First, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal from Acquired join Jason to talk portfolio construction (13:41), Roelof Botha succeeding Doug Leone at Sequoia (30:58), and to debate the takeaway from Fast's demise (52:22). Then Lon Harris from Inside Streaming joins to discuss the final two episodes of The Dropout (1:24:16)!

Uber travel, OpenAI illustrator, Edit button, CNN+ review + Dune Analytics CEO Fredrik Haga | E1428 Apr 06, 2022

We kick off our crypto series with Dune Analytics CEO and Founder Frederik Haga about crypto on-chain analytics (37:23). But first, Jason covers Uber’s piloting long-distance travel bookings in the UK (01:44), Twitter’s edit button announcement (07:34), Open AI’s new Dall-E 2 product (15:34), and does a quick CNN Plus review (26:30)!

FB vs. Apple on AR and Ads, Twitter’s Future, Conflict, Crypto Regulation with Antonio Garcia Martinez & Zach Coelius | E1427 Apr 06, 2022

Antonio Garcia Martinez (Chaos Monkeys, The Pull Request) and Zach Coelius (Investor, Coelius Capital) join to discuss a wide range of news topics including Antonio's trip to Ukraine, the one-click checkout company Fast closing down, Elon Musk joining Twitter's board, Apple taking on Facebook in ads (and how it will impact the battle for AR/VR), crypto regulation and more!

Elon buys ~9% stake in Twitter + Freestyle Capital’s Dave Samuel | E1426 Apr 04, 2022

First, Jason and Molly discuss Elon buying a 9.2% stake in Twitter (01:50). Then, Dave Samuel of Freestyle VC joins (23:18) for a discussion on early stage investing. Freestyle invested early in startups including Airtable, Patreon and Intercom. We talk about how fund size dictates strategy, how to give feedback to founders (especially when it's a no) and more.

Inbound vs. outbound deal flow (VC School) + Jason Jacobs of My Climate Journey | E1425 Apr 03, 2022

Sunday double-header! In the opening VC Sunday School segment, Jason discusses deal flow (1:43), you will learn: 1. Inbound vs. outbound deal flow 2. Tactics VCs use to streamline their deal flow 3. Jason's philosophy on responding to founders - Your process is my opportunity Then, Molly chats with Jason Jacobs of My Climate Journey about scaling climate tech investing, inspiring people to solve climate problems and the tangible value of community (21:27).

GoPuff & Fast trimming staff + Bradley Tusk on tech regulation + Glimpse Co-founder Akash Raju | E1424 Apr 01, 2022

First Jason and Molly discuss instant delivery company GoPuff and 1-click checkout company Fast making layoffs (2:22). Then, Bradley Tusk of Tusk Ventures joins to discuss Uber’s Taxi strategy in NYC, sports betting and tech regulation (40:06). Then in our Ok Boomer segment Rachel talks to Akash Raju, co-founder of Glimpse, brands pay Glimpse a subscription fee for the products to be featured in short-term rentals (1:36:47).

NFT exclusive restaurant: FlyFish Club CEO David Rodolitz + Reviewing We Crashed & The Dropout with Lon Harris | E1423 Mar 31, 2022

Lon Harris joins us for This Week in Streaming to break down WeCrashed episode 4 AND The Dropout episode 6 (1:54). Then, we have David Rodolitz, the CEO and Co-Founder of FlyFish Club, which is NYC’s first NFT restaurant (45:20).

Facebook funding anti-TikTok lobbyists with Taylor Lorenz + SEC SPAC crackdown, Fast vs. Bolt | E1422 Mar 30, 2022

First up, Taylor Lorenz joins to talk about her newest scoop for the Washington Post: Facebook hired a lobbying firm to battle TikTok (2:18)! Then, we discuss the SEC considering cracking down on SPACs (39:40), lastly we cover Fast, a 500-person one-click checkout startup, reportedly generating less than $1M in revenue (1:01:14).

$625M Axie Infinity Ronin Bridge hack, $TWLO insider trading, Subject’s learning platform, $HOOD extends trading hours | E1421 Mar 30, 2022

First we explain the $625M hack of Axie Infinity’s Ronin Bridge (1:34), then we discuss the engineers at Twilio who allegedly insider traded (17:30). Next we discuss Robinhood extending its trading window by four hours a day (29:50) and wrap with our startup of the day is Subject, a company providing high school courses for credit online (37:39).

Oscars recap, FTX investors don’t hold board seats, Apple working on hardware subscriptions | E1420 Mar 29, 2022

All news show. First, we recap the Oscars, including "The Slap" and Apple winning Best Picture (02:17). Then, we discuss $32B crypto derivate exchange FTX not having investors on its Board of Directors (42:45), Apple's reported hardware subscription (01:02:12) and Jason's Hot Tub story (01:09:57).

Understanding non-dilutive fundraising options + Continuum Ag Founder Mitchell Hora | E1419 Mar 27, 2022

Sunday Double-header! First, in VC Sunday School, Jason explains non-dilutive funding's impact on startups (2:18). Then, Molly interviews Continuum Ag Founder Mitchell Hora. His company helps farmers analyze their soil and create a roadmap to improve it via a holistic approach known as regenerative agriculture (21:33).

Teenage hacking phenom allegedly caught, Molly’s Hall of Fame induction & OK Boomer | E1418 Mar 26, 2022

Another Friday variety show! First up, Jason and Molly break down the 16-year old hacking phenom who was allegedly behind the recent hacks at Microsoft, Nvidia and Okta, and might have just been caught (1:13). Then, the duo covers Molly's induction into LIBSYN's Podcasting Hall of Fame (6:46) and reminisces on the early days of podcasting including their first podcast together over 16 years ago (11:19). Finally, Producer Rachel is back with another edition of OK Boomer, this time with Miami Hack Week founder Ja’dan Johnson (20:19).

Streaming news! Breaking down WeCrashed E1-3 & The Dropout E5 with Lon Harris | E1417 Mar 25, 2022

Lon Harris joins Molly and Jason to talk WeCrashed, The Dropout and Super Pumped! First, they play a round of "Boff, Marry, Kill" between the three shows (1:16), before breaking down the first three episodes of WeCrashed (16:15) and the two lead performances (24:25). They finish with a quick chat on The Dropout and examine the potential of a "tech cinematic universe" (34:15).

Katie Haun’s $1.5B web3 fund, Yuga Labs worth $4B, Apple’s BNPL play + ChroniFI’s Ben Miller | E1416 Mar 24, 2022

Jason and Molly take on another Five in Five! Five stories in (a little over) five minutes each: Katie Haun's record-breaking $1.5B debut web3 fund (2:50), Yuga Labs raising $450M at a $4B valuation (12:42), Apple's potential BNPL play (25:23), Worldcoin's $100M raise and privacy concerns (29:59) and Nothing's new iPhone competitor (40:13). Then, Molly talks to ChroniFI Founder & CEO Ben Miller on building a consumer software product that helps people plan for financial independence. (48:59)

How Apple can win podcasting, Bezos’ leadership, MBAs raising search funds & FDNY robodogs | E1415 Mar 23, 2022

Tuesday news day! Jason and Molly break down the following stories: Apple's "new" creator tools, and brainstorming on how they could dominate podcasting again (2:23), Jeff Bezos' letter to shareholders from 2000, when Amazon's share price was down ~80% from its dot-com bubble peak (16:02), understanding search funds and why elite MBA grads are raising them (38:23). Finally, they wrap with a WLiTF segment about the FDNY purchasing a couple of Boston Dynamics "robodogs" to help with search and rescue missions. (47:15)

Sequoia debuts Arc, SEC considering climate disclosures, Disney CEO fallout & more | E1414 Mar 22, 2022

Monday news! Jason and Molly have some big stories to discuss: Sequoia's new "catalyst" program, called Arc (2:37), SEC considering mandating climate disclosures from public companies (19:21), another Startup of the Day (33:28), and they wrap by covering some interesting ongoings at Disney regarding its new CEO and Bob Iger (41:13).

Super Pro Rata (VC Sunday School) + ClimateCheck Founder Cal Inman (Climate) | E1413 Mar 20, 2022

Sunday Double-header! First, in VC Sunday School, Jason discusses and defends his pro rata strategy (1:26). Then, Molly interviews ClimateCheck founder Cal Inman. His company analyzes and risk-rates real estate based on expected changes to the world’s climate (14:43)!

NEWS: $BABA & $TCEHY layoffs, Google’s AR purchase, $APE coin; OK Boomer: Smirk | E1412 Mar 19, 2022

First, Jason and Molly rip through the news (1:44). They cover looming layoffs at two Chinese tech giants (2:31), Google getting back into the AR glasses race with a new acquisition (7:27), chaos in the instant delivery space (13:15), and Yuga Labs launching $APE coin, a BAYC token. (24:58) Then, Producer Rachel interviews Smirk founder Preston Attebery on mobile gaming, the future of social gaming, and more! (33:00)

Reacting to Super Pumped (Uber) & The Dropout (Theranos) with Lon Harris + OneShop CEO Nick McHenry | E1411 Mar 18, 2022

We chat with film expert, podcaster, and Inside.com writer Lon Harris to talk about tech's latest streaming series The Dropout and Super Pumped! After that conversation, Molly sits down with LAUNCH founder Nick McHenry for a quick interview about his startup OneShop (1:08:00).

Spotify x Barcelona, ex-Disney CEO joins Genies, AMC gold mine + D.A. Wallach: music and bio-investing | Angel S6 E10 | E1410 Mar 17, 2022

We wrap up Angel Season 6 on First Time Funds with Pharrell Williams-signed rocker turned investor D.A. Wallach of TimeBio Ventures (32:23). But first, we do 4 rapid-fire news topics: Spotify spent ~$307M on FC Barcelona naming rights (2:56), AMC acquired a 22% stake in gold miner (10:29), Ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger joins the NFT avatar company Genies’ Board (16:14) and we break down the anatomy of two alleged NFT grifts (22:35).

Ex-FB Diem team builds Aptos blockchain, Metamask parent ConsenSys raises $450M, Mojo’s athlete betting market, Zero Grocery shutdown | E1409 Mar 16, 2022

First, we discuss a new Layer 1 blockchain called Aptos, valued at $1B in a recent round led by a16z (2:42). Then discuss MetaMask’s parent Consensys raising $450M at a $7B valuation (39:47). Our startup of the day is Mojo, which is building a stock market-like product to “bet on athletes” (51:35). Next, we do a post-mortem for our "shutdown of the day," Zero Grocery, a grocery delivery company that closed down this month after announcing raising $12M a month ago (59:06). To wrap, Jason chats with JJ Foster, a listener who did some show notes for us (01:11:05).

Blue Origin picks Pete, NYT launches Telegram channel, Clearview AI in Ukraine, Semiconductor pains | E1408 Mar 15, 2022

It's an all-news show. We discuss Blue Origin selecting Pete Davidson to go space (2:47), Clearview AI offering their facial recognition services to the Ukrainian government (24:58), the NYT launching a Telegram channel and semiconductor slowdowns forcing Ford to ship Explorers without rear AC controls (44:00).

How Big Funds Change the Startup Ecosystem (VC Sunday School) + Climate: Include Ventures’ Taj Ahmad Eldridge | E1407 Mar 13, 2022

Sunday double-header. First, Jason and Molly discuss the impact of large funds on the startup ecosystem, how fund size influences firm strategy and why big funds often seed smaller funds (2:21). For the This Week in Climate Startups segment, Molly chats with Taj Ahmad Eldridge from Include Ventures (29:42). They discuss: 1. How Taj's experience with negative health impacts from pollution helped guide his investing focus 2. Include Ventures' unique fund of funds and direct investment strategy 3. Why Taj is not afraid of hardware investing (and how it's paying off) 4. How government branches can support climate tech progress

$RIVN, Biden on TikTok & Crypto, $PTON + Countdown Capital’s Jai Malik + Josh from Party Round | E1406 Mar 12, 2022

It’s a variety show. First Jason and Molly do six rapid fire news topics (2:10) including: Rivian’s lowered guidance, Biden briefing TikTok influencers on Ukraine, declining NFT volume, creator economy wins, Biden’s Crypto executive order and Peloton’s new pricing pilot. Then, hard-tech investor Jai Malik of Countdown Capital joins (42:22) for Angel Season 6 “First Time Funds.” Finally, producer Rachel has another edition of OK Boomer, this time she talks viral marketing and new ways of fundraising with Josh from Party Round (1:18:42).

Love.com, Lessons from Bain Crypto launch + Redfin Founder & CEO Glenn Kelman | E1405 Mar 10, 2022

Jason and Molly discuss Ryan Breslow's new startup Love.com (2:03), Bain Capital Crypto’s new $550M fund announcement that backfired on Twitter (14:49). Then, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman joins to discuss the current real estate market and how policies are promoting a nation of renters (54:28). Plus, Glenn turns the tables on Jason and Molly to ask them a few questions.

Apple’s new Mac + Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt, driverless service in SF, the Origin (zero-emission shared vehicle) | E1404 Mar 09, 2022

First Jason and Molly recap the Apple event, including the new Mac Studio release (1:53). Then they discuss Pony AI's $8.5B Series D (34:41). Next, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt joins to discuss launching their driverless service in SF (46:40), their custom-built zero-emission shared vehicle the "Origin" (1:01:06), and self-driving maturity.

Doug Leone of Sequoia Capital: global growth, partnering with legendary companies and the evergreen fund | E1403 Mar 09, 2022

Sequoia Capital is the greatest venture capital firm of all time. It's indisputable. - Jason Jason chats with Sequoia's Doug Leone, a leader who shepherded the firm for four decades. They discuss great founders, governance, Sequoia's global expansion, mentoring the next generation of investors and more.

Alumni Ventures charged by SEC + What Germany got wrong about nuclear power with Mark Nelson | E1402 Mar 08, 2022

First, Jason and Molly cover the news of Alumni Ventures Group getting charged by the SEC for misleading investors about their management fees (1:56). AVG had to repay $4.7M to investors and paid $800,000 in a settlement. Next, we briefly touch on Index Ventures stopping their investments in Russia (24:56). Then, Radiant Energy Fund Managing Director Mark Nelson joins to make the case for nuclear power and explain why many countries have chosen to decrease their nuclear capacity (40:03).

How much money is too much? (VC Sunday School) + Climate: Andrew Beebe of Obvious Ventures | E1401 Mar 06, 2022

Another Sunday double-header edition! First Jason leads a VC Sunday School session on how to react when companies try and skip steps and raise larger rounds (2:51). Plus, how Pegasus (or Alicorn) companies can end up being much better investments than traditional Unicorns. Then, for This Week in Climate Startups, Molly chats with Andrew Beebe of Obvious Ventures (18:47). You will learn: 1. Andrew's focus within climate tech (electric mobility, carbon and carbon markets) 2. How Andrew's first startup exit set him up to join the solar industry 3. How contrarian bets make careers 4. The key criteria for climate investments to be good venture bets 5. How Obvious Ventures puts its "world positive" mission into practice 6. The way carbon disclosure requirements will reshape industry 7. Why Andrew recommends reading Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future"

Google ends WFH, $SNOW earnings + Stillmark’s Alyse Killeen Angel S6 E7 + Pallet CEO Kai Han | E1400 Mar 04, 2022

First Jason and Molly cover Google is bringing employees back to the office three times per week starting in early April (1:41), Snowflake dropping 15% after reporting strong earnings, Slack’s slowing growth within Salesforce. After the news, Molly sits down with Alyse Killeen of Stillmark to continue Season 6 of Angel: First-time funds (38:10). We wrap with Producer Rachel's interview with Kai Han of Pallet, which is building a platform for creators to curate job boards (1:11:50).

Cana CEO Matt Mahar on launching a “Replicator for beverages,” turning a product into a platform, working with The Production Board, and more | E1399 Mar 03, 2022

Cana is back on the podcast, previously David Friedberg teased the "molecular beverage printer" on E1365. This time, we speak and to CEO Matt Mahar about pricing, their go-to-market plans, their cartridge subscription process, Cana's potential climate impact, current flavors and more! Molly was the first outsider to tour their facility and she tried a whole bunch of beverages from the Cana One. To see the video search "This Week in Startups - Video" in your podcast player or go to https://youtube.com/thisweekin.

Apple pauses RU sales, Ford splits-off EVs + How Facebook killed Joe Speiser’s $100M business | E1398 Mar 03, 2022

First, we talk about Apple pausing all sales in Russia and other actions they’re taking (1:47). Then, we cover Ford splitting its EV business off from its ICE business (15:57). Then, Joe Speiser from Hampton VC joins to talk about how being too reliant on Facebook killed his media company Little Things with an algorithm change (25:42). We wrap with a quick WLITF segment on humanoid robots (42:05).

Tech takes action against Russia, Backbone’s mobile gaming device + Joel Greenblatt from Gotham Capital | E1397 Mar 02, 2022

First, Jason and Molly break down the reactions from big tech companies to the Russia / Ukraine conflict (2:22), then we showcase our Startup of the Day, Backbone which is innovating in mobile games (51:41). Then Jason does an amazing interview with investor Joel Greenblatt, where we discuss increasing public market participation, strategies for finding value, taxes and more (1:05:50).

Web 3 is Going Great with Molly White | E1396 Mar 01, 2022

First, Molly Wood quickly sums up crypto donations flowing to Ukraine (2:03). Then, Jason and Molly chat with Molly White, the creator of the website "Web 3 is Going Great." We discuss the problems she identified with Web 3, speculation vs. building, DAOs, decentralization and more (7:01).

What investors mean when they are “waiting for a lead” (VC Sunday School) + Seth Bannon of 50 Years | E1395 Feb 27, 2022

First up is a VC Sunday school where Jason discusses what investors mean when they say "we are interested in investing, but come back when you found a lead" (1:51). Then, we tease Molly's EV review of the Audi e-tron Sportback (20:42). To wrap, Molly does a This Week in Climate Startups segment with Seth Bannon (recorded on 2/9/22), a founding Partner of Fifty Years, a Venture capital firm investing in climate solutions (34:12). You will learn: 1. The convictions that unpin Fifty Years' investment thesis 2. Why Seth thinks VC has lost his way 3. Why increasing longevity could be a net-positive for climate 4. How Fifty Years measures impact of their investments 5. How Seth evaluates the potential negative externalities of his investments 6. How his PhD to VC program works

DHH on Basecamp’s painful evolution, Bitcoin, Revitalizing internet discourse + Lumanu CEO Tony Tran | E1394 Feb 26, 2022

Jason chats with David Heinemeier Hansson (2:03) about global governments reacting to COVID, Basecamp’s Twitter cycle blowup last spring when more than 1/3 of the company left, the shift from debating in the public square (Twitter) to debating in private with friends on group chats. We also talk about why David now sees a case for Bitcoin after Canada leans toward authoritarianism. To wrap, Producer Rachel does another OK BOOMER segment where Rachel talks to Tony Tran (96:02), the founder and CEO of Lumanu, a company for creators to run their business.

Critical cyber attacks of the last decade + How Jason Calacanis grew the Launch Fund: Angel S6 E7 | E1393 Feb 25, 2022

Molly interviews Jason about raising "LAUNCH Fund I." This season of Angel is focused on the nitty-gritty details of raising and running a first-time fund (22:47). Jason shares everything from getting his first check to his biggest mistakes. But first, we discuss the biggest cybersecurity hacks of the last decade and potential risks going forward (1:32).

Kanye’s genius business model, Platform dependency risks, Pipe enters the movie biz + AirPals’ Joshe Ordonez | E1392 Feb 24, 2022

First we discuss Kanye’s new “STEM Player” bluetooth speaker, and why he’s trying to diversify away from Spotify and streaming platforms (2:21). We continue with a discussion about platform reliance one founder saw his business destroyed overnight by Facebook (25:17). Then we cover Pipe.com’s recent acquisition which is bringing them into the media space (28:59)! Lastly, Molly chats with Launch Accelerator Cohort 24 founder Joshe Ordonez, the CEO of Airpals about her awesome messenger service startup (39:44).

Coinbase’s mutable messaging, Revitalizing Peloton and High-growth companies poised for a comeback | E1391 Feb 23, 2022

First, we cover Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong potentially taking credit for an idea generated by a creative firm (2:09). Then, we cover Peloton’s new CEO Barry McCarthy's vision for a revitalized Peloton (15:29). To wrap, we break down a dozen growth stocks that are down over 60% off their 52-week highs. We forecast two winners, one with the highest upside and one with the lowest downside (27:53).

From PM to GP: Roach Capital’s Fahd Ananta | Angel S6 E6 + OK Boomer: Dive Chat | E1390 Feb 19, 2022

Angel Season 6 is all about first-time fund managers. Fahd Ananta of Roach Capital joined to discuss his path from founder to PM to VC (04:07). You will learn: 1. How Fahd got Angel investing at Shopify 2. How Fahd made the transition from Angel investing to raising a fund 3. How geography can be used as a differentiator 4. The way he used his product skill to get on competitive cap tables Then in our OK Boomer segment, Producer Rachel talks to John Herrick, the CTO of Dive Chat, a new messaging and event app (34:09).

Spotify’s ad-tech acquisitions to take on YouTube with The Verge’s Ashley Carman + Founder University Pitches | E1389 Feb 18, 2022

Ashley Carman joins Jason & Molly to discuss Spotify's acquisition of podcast ad-tech companies Chartable and Podsights (1:55). Ashley is a senior reporter at The Verge and the lead writer at HotPod. We dig into why she thinks Spotify's main competition is YouTube and how the Big Tech and Big Media podcasting efforts are playing out. After that, 10 companies pitch Jason and the team in rapid-fire (46:16). These startups went through Founder University, a 12-week course run by the team at Launch. Companies: Giphting, Chojuu, TaCo, Term Payments, Fix6, Remotespace, SavvyTeam, Gaan, Timewell, Innocuous AI

Keith Rabois of Founders Fund + AirBnB’s earnings & evolving customer base, SF BOE recall | E1388 Feb 17, 2022

World-class investor-operator Keith Rabois is back for his eighth time! But first, Jason breaks down Airbnb’s great Q4 and full-year earnings report (2:42) and how its customer segment is evolving. Then, he briefly covers the SF Board of Education recall (22:58). When Keith joins (31:27), he and Jason discuss: 1. How he called the top of the tech market in November 2021 2. Keith's 2019 prediction that came true 2. Venture Capital's decaying price discipline 3. Facebook's challenge ahead 4. Six predictions for the market

Do startup employee stock options need an overhaul? Softbank’s failed Arm sale + Growth University’s Craig Zingerline | E1387 Feb 16, 2022

Catalyzed by a Ryan Breslow viral tweetstorm, we break down the arguments for if companies should loan money to employees to allow them to exercise their stock options early (1:42). Then, we briefly cover Nvidia’s attempted Arm acquisition falling through and what it might mean for the SoftBank-backed chip designer (30:21). Finally, Molly interviews Craig Zingerline from Growth University, a LAUNCH Accelerator founder (38:00)!

Crypto’s Super Bowl blitz, Joby’s asian air-taxi partnerships, Affirm’s earnings & BNPL growing pains | E1386 Feb 15, 2022

First, we break down the Crypto companies that ran super bowl ads and see how they stack up against the dot-com era ads (1:53). Then, we do an update on Joby aviation now that they are trying to roll out an air taxi service in South Korea (28:03). To wrap, Molly covers the BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) space and the challenges these companies are having as they scale, specifically Affirm's recent earnings (36:49).

VC Sunday School: first-tier investor behavior + Climate: Dangerous Ventures’ Mike Lin | E1385 Feb 13, 2022

Jason and Molly begin this double-header Sunday show with a VC Sunday School segment on top-tier VC behavior (01:38). You will learn: 1. How first-tier VCs compare to second-tier VCs 2. When VCs should intervene in a portfolio company 3. The difference between micromanaging and good governance 4. Jason's framework for ensuring alignment: Mission, Plan, Strategy, Tactics 5. Why good Board Members remain calm and positive Then, Molly is joined by Mike Lin from Dangerous Ventures for a This Week in Climate Startups segment (22:00). You will learn: 1. What Mike learned from working at Makani Power (acquired by Google X) 2. The potential of "muscle-powered" energy and its limits 3. Lessons from the failed Potenco generator & One Laptop Per Child project 4. How Mike got himself fired from Apple for insubordination 5. Why Dangerous Ventures is backing "Dunkirk" climate solutions

Rapid Disney+ growth, Predicting preference with Qloo’s Alex Elias, OK Boomer: Zehra Naqvi’s Z-list | E1384 Feb 11, 2022

Jason and Molly open the shown discussing Disney’s Q1 Earnings and the 37% increase in Disney+ subscribers (01:51). Then, Qloo CEO Alex Elias joins to discuss his AI prediction company (21:12). You will learn: 1. How Qloo uses machine learning to understand taste and draw cultural correlations 2. Why Qloo adopted an API business model and is focused on developers 3. Ways businesses and brands are using Qloo to improve customer experience and drive revenue To wrap, we have an “OK Boomer” segment where Producer Rachel speaks with Zehra Naqvi from Republic (45:21). They disucss Zehra's work at Republic as an investment associate (48:00) and how Zehra developed the Z-list to facilitate intros between startups & VCs (55:21).

Peloton’s new CEO + Cake Ventures’ Monique Woodard Angel S6 E5 | E1383 Feb 10, 2022

In the opening news segment, Molly and Jason break down the news around Peloton's new CEO, Barry McCarthy, including the open letter he sent to the company, his background and principles for success (2:05). Then, Monique Woodard of Cake Ventures joins for Episode 5 of Season 6 of Angel (32:50). Monique was a founder, startup community leader, VC scout, and VC partner before raising her first fund. In this episode you will learn: 1. Her thesis on investing in demographic change 2. What fundraising is like as a founder vs. fundraising as an aspiring fund manager 3. Why she chose to have multiple closes for her fund 4. Why Monique focused her efforts on institutional LPs, even though they take longer to close than individual LPs 5. What it takes to operate as a solo GP

$3.6B crypto hack recovered + Segment co-founder Peter Reinhardt’s next bet: Charm Industrial | E1382 Feb 10, 2022

We have a great interview today! But first, Molly and Jason cover one of the craziest stories of the year. A couple has been charged with conspiring to launder ~$3.6B worth of crypto from the 2016 Bitfinex hack (2:14). Today’s Guest is Peter Reinhardt, the co-founder of Segment, a customer data platform that sold to Twillio for $3.2B. Peter discusses his new company, Charm Industrial, which is focused on carbon capture and removal. In addition to his takeaways from selling Segment (42:00), you will learn: 1. How they turn agricultural waste and biomass into a high-carbon fuel 2. The carbon-removal benefits of injecting the bio-fuel into old oil wells 3. Why carbon capture is an important piece of getting to Net Zero 4. The potential impact of Charm Industrial if it succeeds (total CO2 tonnage) 5. Why this process differs from more passive ways of carbon offsets 6. How he landed customers like Shopify & Stripe (and why he thinks companies will continue to do this, even without government regulation)

Peter Thiel departs FB board, John Foley steps down at Peloton, Should Amazon spin off AWS? + Startup of the Day: Island | E1381 Feb 09, 2022

Molly and Jason cover Peter Thiel stepping down from FB’s board and look back at the board's evolution over time (2:07). Next, we cover Joe Lonsdale’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, where he argues AWS should be split off from Amazon (27:41). We debate if valuations would increase if separated. Then, Peloton Founder & CEO John Foley is stepping down as the firm lays off 2800 people (40:30). We debate if they angling for an acquisition or making a turnaround attempt. To wrap, we discuss our startup of the day, Island, which is a browser for enterprise with a big valuation for a pre-product company (50:11).

Spotify’s saga continues, $FB warns of EU exit, GoFundMe’s protest refund, Peloton’s suitors | E1380 Feb 08, 2022

Molly and Jason catch up on the big news stories from the weekend. First, we talk about the Joe Rogan & Spotify saga (1:51) and size up the odds of Rogan finishing out his contract with Spotify (15:41). Then, we cover Facebook warning about pulling Instagram and Facebook out of Europe due to privacy regulations (29:54). Next, we cover GoFundMe’s decision to pull funding for the “Freedom Convoy” protesters in Canada. We wrap with a discussion of the WSJ's reporting that Amazon is considering acquiring Peloton (57:26).

John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins with Ryan Panchadsaram + VC Sunday School: cap table management | E1379 Feb 06, 2022

John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins joins to discuss his lessons from a career of investing and his new book "Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now," alongside his co-author Ryan Panchadsaram. But first, Jason gives a 10-minute crash course on how to navigate messy cap tables in our latest VC Sunday School segment (1:54). Then John and Ryan join Molly and Jason for a conversation (15:11). In this episode, you will learn: 1. The six objectives and four accelerants to reach zero emissions by 2050 2. Why Nuclear power is an important part of the plan, but cannot be the only solution 3. The biggest blockers to rapid climate progress and why "the climate crisis is under-hyped" 4. Hard-won lessons from funding solar companies 5. How John assesses founders and develops conviction to invest 6. Indications John saw that Jeff Bezos was an exceptional entrepreneur 7. Where investors should focus to drive the biggest output

NYC delivery wars, Cruise gives driverless rides in SF + Gopuff Co-CEO Rafael Ilishayev | E1378 Feb 04, 2022

First Jason and Molly discuss reports from "The Information" that Jokr is looking to sell its NYC delivery business due to heightened competition (1:51). Next, they cover how Cruise is opening up its driverless vehicles to give rides in San Francisco (11:09). Then, Gopuff Co-founder and Co-CEO Rafael Ilishayev joins to discuss his rapid delivery business (19:12). Almost a decade ago, Raf and his co-founder Yakir Gola started one of the fastest-growing commerce businesses while in college. Most recently they raised $1B at a reported $15B valuation in July 2021. In this episode, you will learn: 1. The rationale behind operating a vertically-integrated model 2. How they operate hundreds of micro-fulfillment centers & manage deliveries in 20 minutes 3. Why they acquired BevMo and Liquor Barn to accelerate their alcohol delivery business instead of building it themselves 4. The challenges he sees going forward to operate the business well 5. Why Gopuff launched their own private label called “Basically” and hot food offering called "Gopuff Kitchens" 6. How influencers like Mr. Beast are choosing Gopuff as a key platform to distribute products

Full $FB earnings breakdown, NFT company violates music IP + Behind Genius’ Paige Finn: Angel S6 E4 | E1377 Feb 04, 2022

In the opening news segment, Molly and Jason break down the numbers behind Facebook's colossal drop in market cap (2:42). Then, they cover a company that seems to be violating music copyrights to sell NFTS (38:14). Then, Paige Finn of Behind Genius joins for Episode 4 of Season 6 of Angel (49:45). Paige became interested in venture capital during college, but within a year and a half of graduating in 2020 she already has a fund! In this episode you will learn: 1. How she secured her first allocation before having a fund 2. The steps she took to set up an SPV while being a non-accredited investor 3. How she raised a $1.6m fund 4. Behind Genius' investing thesis and strategy 5. The books that have most influenced her work and writing style 6. Why she wrote a picture book (for adults) called "Seed to Harvest: A Simple Explanation of Venture Capital"

All-In’s hijacked feed, Google’s earnings breakdown, Jason’s legendary iPad troll | E1376 Feb 03, 2022

First, Jason explains how someone copied the All-In podcast, put in ads, and then redirected Google’s podcast player to display it as the real All-In feed (1:44). Then, we break down Google's Q4 and full year earnings for 2021 (18:25). Is Google the best business ever? Then, Jason tells the story of “The Great iPad Troll of 2010” (45:10).

Playstation’s $3.2B Bungie acquisition, Metafy gaming tutoring, Shopify CEO joins Coinbase Board of Directors | E1375 Feb 02, 2022

Another big news drop in the gaming space! Jason and Molly discuss Sony is acquiring Bungie for $3.6B (2:36). We break down what this means for Sony, Bungie’s crazy history, and if other big tech giants should look for M&A targets in gaming. Then, we talk about our startup of the day called Metafy which allows pro gamers to do 1-on-1 teaching, online for hourly rates (29:38). Finally we wrap with Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke joining Coinbase’s board (48:33). This is the last all-news show this week.

Breaking down Ryan Breslow’s YC critique + Spotify’s solution & Joe Rogan’s response | E1374 Feb 01, 2022

Over the weekend Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow wrote a big thread on why he thinks Y Combinator isn't worth it. We break it down point by point and assess the validity of the claims (7:07). Right before we started recording, news broke that Breslow was leaving the CEO role to assume the executive chairman position, so we cover that too (2:11). Then, we cover Joe Rogan’s expla-nology (explanation/apology) video regarding his COVID-related interviews that have upset many. We react to his response, Spotify's new COVID policy and reflect on the risks to Spotify’s business overall (44:32).

VC Sunday School: startup investing in a down market + Emily Kirsch of Powerhouse Ventures | E1373 Jan 30, 2022

Jason says, "fortunes are made in the down market and collected in the up market." In today's VC Sunday School Jason and Molly discuss how a down market impacts early-stage investors (01:45). You will learn: 1. Risks to VC fundraising when valuations are down 2. If your investing process should vary depending on market conditions 3. How a down market impacts future returns 4. Why founders should have 18 months of runway 5. How founders can turn a down market into an advantage Then, Molly chats with Emily Kirsch, Managing Partner of Powerhouse Ventures for a This Week in Climate Startups segment (25:53). Emily is a climate investor and they discuss: 1. Why Powerhouse is focused on software 2. Climate change's potential impact on GDP 3. How financial tools enabled the solar revolution 4. Regulations impacting climate investing 5. How different climate tech investors work together 6. The imbalance between climate tech founders and companies

Packy McCormick’s Not Boring parlay: Angel S6 E3 + Producer Rachel visits Miami Hack Week | E1372 Jan 29, 2022

Today’s guest is Packy McCormick of Not Boring, for Episode 3 of Season 6 of Angel. Packy turned his massive newsletter into a Not Boring Fund I in 2021, and has since invested $10M into startups. In this episode you will learn: 1. How Packy raised his first fund from his readers. 2. What regulations he needed to navigate to comply with the SEC. 3. Which sectors he invested his first $10M into (in just 6 months) and some of his breakout startups. 4. Why IRR can be hilariously large in the early stages of a small fund. 5. How he manages a syndicate and a venture fund while still doing right by LPs. As Packy signs off we check in with Producer Rachel who went down to Miami Hack Week and spoke to one of the organizers of Tap House.

$TSLA earnings breakdown & 2022 IPOs to watch with TechCrunch’s Alex Wilhelm | E1371 Jan 28, 2022

Alex Wilhelm from TechCrunch joins Molly and Jason for a full episode. First, they breakdown Tesla's Q4 2021 earnings including its consistently increasing Model 3 production, profitability and charger network growth (3:08). Next up, they discuss why Alex thinks the IPO window is closed for most startups. We wrap with a review of some of 2022's most anticipated IPOs including Discord, Reddit, Stripe, Impossible Foods, Chime and Instacart (24:45).

MSFT adds $10B, Stripe mafia memes, Spotify: platform or publisher, Scratchpad case-study | E1370 Jan 27, 2022

We break down Microsoft’s amazing earnings (quarterly revenue is up $10B year-over-year) and assess if Satya Nadella is the greatest big tech CEO right now (2:32). Then, we follow-up on the Stripe Mafia thread yesterday from the Bolt CEO (20:59) and we talk about Neil Young asking to have his music removed from Spotify over Joe Rogan’s COVID conversations, which prompted a discussion of Spotify’s new headache is it a publisher or a platform (37:40)? And, we talk about Scratchpad raising $33M, which led to Jason's request for new types of startups: beautiful interfaces for giant clunky products.

TikTok vs. YouTube, Bolt CEO calls Stripe & YC “Mob Bosses,” Culdesac, Anduril wins $1B contract | E1369 Jan 26, 2022

In this all news show Jason and Molly talk about Jason's strategy for meeting with founders (1:48) and we talk about monetization for creators on TikTok and how payouts compare to YouTube (6:48). Then we look at the post where Bolt Founder Ryan Breslow accused Stripe and YC of being Silicon Valley mob bosses (31:41). Our startup of the day is Culdesac, which is building a walkable community in Arizona (45:42). To wrap, we cover Anduril’s $1B Department of Defense contract for counter-drone tech, their largest contract to date (58:55).

Comparing 2022 to the Dot-Com bubble + Activist investor challenges Peloton leadership | E1368 Jan 25, 2022

Due to the volatility in the market, Jason and Molly review the fundamentals of Block, Zoom, Netflix, Coinbase, and AirBnB and compare this correction with the Dot-com crash (2:11). They discuss investing in a downturn, the difference between private and public investors, speculative businesses vs. strong fundamentals and more! To wrap, we cover activist investor Blackwells Capital calling for the Peloton Board to terminate CEO John Foley and consider a sale (57:10).

Sunday VC School: how investors work together + Prime Movers Lab’s Ramez Naam | E1367 Jan 23, 2022

First, Jason teaches Sunday VC School: how investors work together (01:54). In this segment you will learn. 1. How collaboration varies across investing stages. 2. How lead investors are determined and what their responsibilities are. 3. The strategies you can use to win deals (Jason explains the pitch he gives to founders with options). 4. The warning signs to watch for when working with other investors. 5. Tactics founders can use for lower-friction fundraising. Then, Molly chats with Ramez Naam from Prime Movers Lab in a This Week in Climate Startups segment (35:10). They discuss the declining costs of renewable energy, making the choice between advancing existing technologies and inventing new ones, how science fiction can make you a better investor and more.

Apple AR headset scoops with Mark Gurman + Campbell Baron: Gen Z startup content creator | E1366 Jan 22, 2022

First, Jason and Molly chat with one of the top Apple reporters, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, about Apple's AR headset (2:02). They talk about Apple's strategy, timeline, competitive strengths and more. Then our Producer Rachel chats with Campbell Baron, a 19-year old who sold his TikTok to Workweek, a new startup-focused media company (1:00:25). Campbell created business content and accumulated millions of views before he turned 18! In the interim, the producers Jason & Molly have a chat about what they are working on, lessons from their early careers and more (35:25).

Google AR, Peloton pullback + David Friedberg: Cana, the first molecular beverage printer | E1365 Jan 21, 2022

David Friedberg joins to discuss The Production Board's latest company, Cana, which is making the world's first molecular beverage printer. But first Jason and Molly break down some news. Google is reportedly working on an AR headset (2:15) and Peloton trying to improve their bottom line by raising prices and reportedly halting production and trimming headcount (18:54). Then, David joins to chat about how his company Cana could totally remake the beverage industry with a device reminiscent of Star Trek's Replicator (36:57). You will learn: 1. How humans perceive taste. 2. How The Production Board incubates deep tech companies and evaluates if science is ready to be commercialized. 3. The way the Cana device will be able to recreate any beverage on demand. 4. Which types of beverages will be practical first. Check out Cana: https://www.cana.com/vision

FTC antitrust revision, 5G rollout pause + David Rosenthal’s $2.8M fund: Angel S6 E2 | E1364 Jan 20, 2022

First Jason and Molly cover how 5G rollouts are causing problems with airlines (2:03) and Lina Khan’s remarks on reworking antitrust regulation to not only consider deals inflicting consumer harm, but those lessening competition (10:10). Then, David Rosenthal for Season 6 Episode 2 of Angel (29:00) - David’s been a VC for a while, but he just launched a new $2.8M fund part-time with Nat Manning - We get into why his small fund size is actually so significant and represents new possibilities in venture - How he uses his podcast and community to get dealflow - What he thinks you need before starting your own VC fund

Full breakdown of Microsoft acquiring Activision-Blizzard for ~$70B+ | E1363 Jan 19, 2022

Microsoft has announced its intention to make the largest tech acquisition ever by buying Activision-Blizzard for ~$75B ($68.7 when you net out Activision's cash). This is Microsoft's 3rd major gaming acquisition as it attempts to build the “Netflix for Gaming" with its Game Pass service. We cover the details of the deal: what the combined company will look like, how this fits into Microsoft's metaverse strategy, Microsoft's commitment to change the Activision-Blizzard culture, the $3B “breakup fee” that Activision is on the hook for if deal falls through, the potential challenge from the FTC and more!

Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman: victory through taking ownership, increasing velocity & cultivating talent | E1362 Jan 18, 2022

Frank is the Chairman & CEO of Snowflake, a company he joined and rapidly accelerated in 2019. Frank led Snowflake to the largest software IPO in history (his third massive IPO as CEO). Previously, he grew Data Domain from $0 in revenue in 2003 to a ~$776M IPO in 2007 and then grew ServiceNow to a $22B market cap. In this episode you will learn the principles Frank uses to achieve outlier outcomes. 1 - Attracting and cultivating high-performing talent. Getting the wrong people off the bus fast is critical. Frank prefers "drivers" to "passengers." 2 - Without risk-taking, the business will stagnate. Left to their own devices things slow to a "glacial pace." CEOs should push to find the true limits of the organization. 3 - Intellectual honesty is required. Copy-pasting strategy from previous roles is unacceptable. You need to develop deep conviction, while maintaining humility to course correct when you are wrong. 4 - Culture and reputation are defined by your actions. CEOs must maintain an incredibly high bar. Get his book "Amp It Up: Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity" https://ampitupbook.com/

Oath Keepers indicted from Signal messages, U.S. House subpoenas tech platforms + Alex Masmej: selling a personal token | E1361 Jan 14, 2022

First, Jason covers the how Signal messages led to the Oath Keeper sedition indictments (1:47) and how Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter are being subpoenaed by the House committee investigating Jan 6th, 2021 (15:32). Then Producer Rachel has an "OK Boomer" segment where she talks with Alex Masmej a French entrepreneur about his experience raising $20K from selling a personal token, $ALEX (27:10).

1M fewer college students: is it a problem? + Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius | E1360 Jan 13, 2022

First Jason covers the recent college enrollment decline (1:23) and lays out his alternative (9:56). Then Zach Coelius joins for an Ask an Angel session, where they answer 12 audience questions about investing and startups (20:37). You will learn: - What is the definition of an outlier success in VC? - Are investors okay with founders that use no-code software like Bubble as an MVP? - How does a seasoned investor deal with a founder who is headed in the wrong direction? - Common pitch failures? - When should you go for top line versus bottom line? - Would VC funds do better with individuals instead of institutions? - What industries Zach and Jason would like to see disrupted - How much of an impact does bad reputation have on investing? - What makes a good Board Meeting? - As a VC, is it better to stay off the board from a liability standpoint? - What is too expensive at the seed stage?

$140B streaming wars 2022 budget, Warren’s bad “Big Grocery” take + Mac Conwell: Angel S6 E1 | E1359 Jan 13, 2022

First we talk about how the top streaming platforms projected to spend $140B on content in 2022 (2:18) and Elizabeth Warren’s bad take on grocery stores. Then Mac the VC joins the show as the first guest for Angel Season 6 (49:29) to share his story and how he invests.

Y Combinator’s New Deal, Turo S-1 + Deep Sentinel CEO Dave Selinger: Human-in-the-loop security cameras | E1358 Jan 11, 2022

First Jason and Molly discuss YC's new $500K deal for startups and what that means for founders and early stage investors (1:53). They also dig into car-sharing app Turo's S-1 (25:32). Then Redfin Co-founder and current Deep Sentinel CEO Dave Selinger joins to discuss how his company blends human monitors and AI-enabled cameras to deliver an unmatched security camera experience (38:25).

Tech pullback, SEC considers tightening startup investing regulations, Apple XR headset leaks | E1357 Jan 10, 2022

We cover the tech stock pullback (1:34), discuss the impact of the SEC exploring more restrictions and disclosures for late stage private companies (12:00) and share details about Apple’s mixed reality headset are leaking (37:07). We wrap with a new segment... over/under(45:11)!

Sunday VC School: valuation vs. traction matrix + Climate: New Energy Nexus CEO Danny Kennedy | E1356 Jan 09, 2022

Welcome to our new Sunday show. Each episode will have two segments, Sunday VC School and Climate startups. First, Jason and Molly discuss early-stage investing including, Jason's valuation vs. traction matrix (1:44) and developing a BS detector (23:03). Then Jason introduces Molly's new climate segment (27:15) and then Molly interviews New Energy Nexus CEO Danny Kennedy (33:38). They discuss what Danny looks for in clean energy investments(37:03) and more! Valuation vs. Traction Matrix: https://calacanis.com/2019/03/30/the-valuation-vs-traction-matrix

Kazakh Bitcoin mining outage, Synthetic actors, Memes + Ben Awad: Gen Z Programming Mentor | E1355 Jan 07, 2022

Jason and Molly cover how 15% of the world’s bitcoin mining network went down when Kazakhstan’s internet was shut off (3:11) and Chainalysis' scam report (12:32). Then they do a "We Live in the Future" segment about AI created actors (16:49) and “Memes of the Week” review of Marc Andreessen's tweets (25:32). Finally, Producer Rachel wraps with an "OK Boomer" interview with YouTube creator and software engineer Ben Awad (38:43).

GETTR & social media moderation, NYT to acquire The Athletic + Axie Infinity’s Jeff Zirlin on NFT gaming | E1354 Jan 06, 2022

First, Jason and Molly cover how the Twitter competitor GETTR got 700K+ downloads this week (2:25) and discuss the challenges of moderating a social media platform (15:54). Then, they quickly cover how the NYT is reportedly buying the Athletic for $550M (21:13). To wrap, we have an interview with Jiho Zirlin from Axie Infinity, the multi-billion dollar NFT game (32:15). They talk about how "play to earn" games actually work (40:11), balancing an in-game economy (53:33), renting Axies and how "guilds" work (58:05), digital land (1:03:42) and more!

OpenSea raises $300M, VW & Toyota commit $170B to EVs, China’s strangled tech sector, New media | E1353 Jan 06, 2022

In this all news show, Jason and Molly cover Toyota & Volkswagen committing a combined $170B to take on Tesla’s EV dominance (2:30), NFT platform OpenSea raising a $300M Series C at a $13.3B valuation (20:08), China’s tight grip on tech causing job loss and accelerating company closure (44:50), and how Ben Smith from the NYT is teaming up with Bloomberg Media’s CEO to launch a new media company (56:52).

Elizabeth Holmes is guilty, Amazon wins over socialists, Biden sanctions China | E1352 Jan 05, 2022

Jason and Molly cover Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes guilty verdict (1:47), how even socialists have admitted that Amazon is the best place many people have ever worked (40:08). To wrap they dig into Biden’s new sanctions against China the implications from decoupling our economies (56:16).

How JOKR lost $159 per order, rising startup valuations, OpenSea freezes stolen NFTs, Web 2 CEOs troll Web 3 | E1351 Jan 04, 2022

Jason and Molly cover how QuickCommerce startup JOKR lost $159 per order in the US in August (1:54), the state of startup valuations (25:57), Jason's case of COVID & the state of testing (32:00), OpenSea freezing over $2M worth of stolen NFTs (52:28) and they wrap with quick recap of the latest chapter of Web 3 Twitter beef featuring AirBnB CEO Brian Chesky and Box Founder Aaron Levie (58:24).

The 2021 TWISTY Awards: best guest, most awkward moment, best chemistry & more! | E1350 Dec 27, 2021

Jason hosts "The 2021 TWISTY Awards" where we give out 10 awards for top podcast moments from this year including: the most surprisingly awesome guest (02:17), best chemistry (04:48), best live moment (23:43), most awkward moment (28:51), funniest moment (36:51), best guest (45:19) and more! At the end he has a short "after-party" discussion with producers (50:58). Thank you for listening, this is our last planned episode of 2021.

Web3 wars & Rivian Q3 earnings with our new co-host Molly Wood! | E1349 Dec 22, 2021

Jason is joined by This Week in Startups' new co-host Molly Wood for a news show. First they cover why Molly joined the TWiST team (1:24), then they dig into the Web3 wars erupting on Twitter (24:00) and break down Rivian's Q3 earnings (51:45). Producer's note: this is our only podcast this week

Praying For Exits: the satirist of venture capital | E1348 Dec 17, 2021

Praying for Exits, the top meme account in Venture Capital joins to discuss being a pseudonymous commentator (01:13), why VCs spend too much time brand building (12:37), entitlement in tech (23:47), assessing founders and companies qualitatively and quantitatively (35:46), crazy VC stories (52:10) plus so much more!

Melania Trump’s NFT, Reddit to go public + Twitter’s Tony Haile: news & product evolution | E1347 Dec 17, 2021

First Jason covers Melania Trump launching an NFT series (02:27) and Reddit just filing to go public(13:10). Then, Twitter's Tony Haile joins (24:14) to talk about selling his startup Scroll to Twitter, helping lead Twitter's product team (37:07), Twitter's roadmap and more.

mRNA cancer treatment, Google’s vax policy, Better.com CEO “taking time off” + Founder roundtable: PaidBack, Wearwell, SupporTrends | E1346 Dec 16, 2021

First Jason covers the Mayo clinic's promising new signs for mRNA cancer treatment (02:02), Google's firm vaccine policy (07:41) and the Better.com CEO stepping away after last week's meltdown (16:39). Then, Jason brings on three founders he has invested in and chats with them about their company: SupporTrends co-founder Oliver Rowen on customer insights (25:23), Wearwell co-founder and CEO Erin Houston on sustainable fashion (37:11), and PaidBack co-founder Amber Masters on budgeting and paying off debt (50:15).

What Elizabeth Holmes’s prosecution missed, Nike buys NFT studio, Tether, the power of equity, ISS tourism | E1345 Dec 15, 2021

All news show! First Jason gives an Elizabeth Holmes trial update and reveals the key point the prosecution missed (2:12). Then he covers, Nike acquires an NFT company (14:17), $USDT becoming an official currency of a shadow government in Myanmar (31:55), how “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips made $150M on the trilogy (36:58) and the Japanese billionaire who delivered UberEats to the international space station (44:55).

Is Peloton undervalued? + Rad Power Bikes CEO Mike Radenbaugh + Succession recap, All-in | E1344 Dec 14, 2021

First, Jason breaks down the math of why Peloton might be undervalued (3:23). Then, the founder and CEO Rad Power Bikes Mike Radenbaugh joins to discuss building a massive ebike company (15:36), the most innovative features, ebike regulation and cites. Then, *spoiler alert* Jason gives his top takeaways from the Succession season three finale recap (01:05:58) and Producer Nick pitches a storyline to work Jason into season four. At the end of the show Jason and Nick discuss the strategy and behind the scenes of producing All-in (01:32:20).

Guess the fake startup + Founders of Jenni.AI, Wearloom, Track, Llama Life + How to hire Gen Z | E1343 Dec 10, 2021

First, Jason plays "Guess the Fake Startup" (1:30). Then, Jason interviews four founders he invested in (12:50): David Park from Jenni.ai about computer copywriting assistants (18:08), Samuel Spitz from Wearloom on aggregating the resale marketplace shopping experience (28:11), Sudhama Bhatia from Track about his premium calendar client (40:35) and Marie Ng from Llama Life on building a time-based productivity tool (51:05). To wrap up the show, we have an "OK Boomer" segment where Producer Rachel talks with Gen Z marketer Erifili Gounari (01:13:25)

Armstrong & Tether skip crypto hearings, Adele’s NFT resale solution + Startup Checklist E10 | E1342 Dec 10, 2021

First, Jason covers the recent crypto hearings (1:25), then offers a brief potential NFT solution for Adele's ticket scalper problem (16:06). After the news, Jason closes out the 100-point Startup Checklist with ten tips for founders including, lean management (23:19), constant product engagement (43:51), monthly updates (46:30) and more!

Art Basel recap (Beeple, JUUL, Cathie Wood) + reacting to Better.com’s leaked layoffs clip | E1341 Dec 09, 2021

All news today. Jason recaps his Art Basel experience (1:55), meeting Beeple, being ultra candid with the JUUL CEO (6:58) and interviewing Cathie Wood & Tiffany Zhong about crypto at 500 Global's Pre-Money conference (17:23). Then, he breaks down the Better.com CEO's 900-person layoff over Zoom (31:36).

What is a Vibe Capitalist? Bedrock’s Geoff Lewis on investing, crypto, city-states, defense & AI | E1340 Dec 07, 2021

Geoff Lewis is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Bedrock Capital. He joins to discuss lessons from entrepreneurship (1:25), why "vibe" is the critical way he assesses founders (11:44), his investment in Praxis, a city-state building company (23:15), his unique answer to the contrarian question (31:17), defense tech, AI and much more.

Crypto accounting for startups | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1339 Dec 06, 2021

Crypto is reaching the mainstream, which has major implications for crypto and traditional startups alike. Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn joins to discuss what regulation and taxes actually apply to crypto (3:17), recent improvements in crypto accounting infrastructure (8:24), appropriately documenting crypto holdings (21:25) and more! With crypto market capitalizations rivaling large cap tech companies, the IRS wants its due. This is a great crash course for properly documenting crypto and avoiding future fines.

Square becomes Block, Spotify Wrapped’s genius, $GRAB debut + Founders of Fathom, Deft & Krepling | E1338 Dec 03, 2021

First, Jason covers Square's corporate renaming to Block to reflect their broader ambitions (2:11), breaks down the genius of Spotify wrapped (13:15), and gives a nod to Grab's public debut (16:41). Then, Jason is joined by 3 founders who went through the Launch Accelerator, to extract the lessons from the early days of running a company. First is Paul Bloch of Fathom, an AI-enabled podcast search platform (23:03), then Zach Hudson of Deft, a E-commerce search engine (41:58) and finally Liam Gerada of Krepling, a no-code e-commerce platform (54:19).

Podcasting, crypto and favorite finds with Acquired’s Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal | E1337 Dec 02, 2021

David and Ben from Acquired.FM join Jason to talk about their favorite podcast moments from 2021 (1:29), valuations across startups & crypto (35:50), top content recommendations (1:10:00) and so much more!

Twitter bans sharing “private media” + Startup Checklist: How to raise capital | E1336 Dec 01, 2021

First, Jason covers Twitter's confusing major new privacy policy revision (1:54), reacts to a 1995 clip of Bill Gates talking about the internet on Letterman (12:36). Then, in episode 9 of the Startup Checklist, Jason explains how to raise capital from venture investors (16:47). This includes: finding investors and evaluating if they are the right fit (29:35), nailing cold emails (35:33), pitching your startup, sending investor (47:42) updates and more.

Twitter’s new CEO, Mr. Beast’s record-breaking Squid Game + Haus’ Helena Price Hambrecht | E1335 Nov 30, 2021

First, Jason sums up Jack Dorsey's departure from Twitter's CEO role (1:41). Then he breaks down the stats from Mr. Beast's latest YouTube video (11:05). After the news, Haus CEO and Co-Founder Helena Price Hambrecht joins (16:53) to discuss her DTC alcohol brand, changing habits of American drinkers and more.

End of year startup accounting checklist | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1334 Nov 29, 2021

Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn shares the seven tasks founders need to complete before years end. Jason and Scott discuss efficiently navigating compliance and tax deadlines, taking advantage of tax incentives for VC-backed startups, financial planning and more.

Zoom’s revenue tops $1B, valuation falls + Startup Checklist: how to prepare for fundraising | E1333 Nov 24, 2021

First Jason covers Zoom's Q3 earnings and reflects on broader tech valuations (01:53). Then, Jason does a Startup Checklist episode on how to get your startup ready for an investment (16:10). The episode covers the basics like making sure you have the right structure (18:06), the ways you can fundraise (39:33) and more.

Turner Novak: Turning memes into a $10M VC fund | E1332 Nov 24, 2021

Banana Capital's Turner Novak joins to discuss breaking into venture, starting his own fund (11:08), what it's like being an emerging manager, rising valuations, and crypto (45:10). Turner also makes the case for quick commerce, group grocery buying in Latin America (1:04:03) and more!

A DAO bids $40M on the Constitution, Startup Checklist: Operational best practices, Gen Z VCs | E1330 Nov 19, 2021

First, Jason covers ConstitutionDAO attempt to buy one of the remaining 13 copies of the constitution at Sotheby's (01:56). Then, he does 10 points from the Startup Checklist on operational excellence (34:54). To close out the show, Producer Rachel speaks with Meagan Loyst, a VC at Lerer Hippeau who leads a group called Gen Z VCs (01:04:00).

Tarantino sued over NFTs + Twitch Co-Founder Justin Kan: YouTube, Entrepreneurship, Investing | E1329 Nov 19, 2021

First Jason explains why Miramax is suing Quentin Tarantino over his Pulp Fiction NFT collection (2:31). Then Twitch Co-Founder & GP at Goat Capital Justin Kan joins (19:19) to discuss lessons from entrepreneurship, what he looks for when investing, his YouTube channel, podcast and more!

Why Sam Lessin is using the VC model to invest in individuals + Jason funds a startup on air | E1328 Nov 18, 2021

First, Sam Lessin of Slow Ventures joins to discuss how he is applying the venture model to invest in individuals, he just placed a $1.7M bet on a YouTube creator (4:10). Then, Jason brings on Chris Niblett, who is going through Founder University (41:40). They discuss Chris's company Bizzly, which is a "Patreon for small businesses," what can be improved, and Jason invests live on the show!

Ohio sues FB + Bradley Tusk “The Fixer,” Uber, startups navigating politics, mobile voting | E1327 Nov 17, 2021

First, Jason covers the Ohio Attorney General suing Meta (2:05). Then, Tusk Venture's Bradley Tusk joins to discuss the strategy he developed to help Uber overcome cities trying to ban it (17:43), what actually motivates politicians (23:02), mobile voting (31:07) the advice he would give Mark Zuckerberg (48:28) and more!

How to hire anywhere in the world (legally) | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1326 Nov 15, 2021

Remote work unlocked massive hiring opportunities for startups, but also creates new compliance challenges. In this episode, Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn joins to explain how startups should navigate remote work. They discuss PEOs, sales tax, and tax credits.

The greatest CNBC hit of all time, YouTube hides dislikes + Ready Games CEO David Bennahum | E1325 Nov 13, 2021

First up, Jason showcases what he calls the greatest CNBC hit of all time (01:46). Then he covers YouTube hiding the downvote counter (18:49). In the interview segment, Ready Games CEO David Bennahum about his new fashion Icon NFT marketplace game (27:31) and the transition from walled gardens to open source. We wrap with another edition of "OK Boomer" (01:07:00) where Rachel is reporting on Emily Herrera, a 22 year old who started her own Angel syndicate while still in college (01:20:24).

Breaking down Rivian’s IPO & $100B valuation + DAO deep dive with OpenLaw’s Aaron Wright | E1324 Nov 11, 2021

First, Jason analyzes Rivian's IPO and gives his thoughts on the current valuation (2:05). Then, Aaron Wright from OpenLaw joins (22:13) to discuss Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). At OpenLaw Aaron has helped launch 9 DAOs by providing legal structure, tooling and infrastructure. They talk digital contracts, why Aaron thinks DAOs are better for investment decisions and more!

Coinbase Q3 earnings breakdown + Startup Checklist: Crafting a brand & knowing your market | E1323 Nov 11, 2021

First, Jason breaks down Coinbase's Q3 earnings and takes a look at the broader trends in crypto trading (01:13). Then, Jason runs through 10 points of his "Startup Checklist" focused on crafting a brand & knowing your market (11:25). At the end, Jason answers a question from the live audience (43:16).

$RBLX earnings, Jetson ONE personal aircraft + Oculus game dev Ryan Engle, creator of Pro Putt | E1322 Nov 09, 2021

First Jason covers Roblox earnings, the platform's total usage is up 28% year over year (2:19)! In a new segment, "We Live in the Future," Jason shares Jetson One, a personal E-VTOL (11:16). Then, Ryan Engle of Golf+ joins to talk about the VR golf game his team developed for Oculus (23:08), Meta's lead in VR hardware (51:29) and more.

How to simplify diligence & avoid fraud | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1321 Nov 08, 2021

In this hot funding environment, both investors and founders benefit from startups having all the finance basics covered. In this episode, Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn joins to explain how to prepare for diligence and avoid fraud. They discuss common blockers in diligence (10:19), the benefits of tight financials (23:31) and more!

Tech Earnings: $UBER, $ABNB, $PTON + OK Boomer: Gen Z joins the workforce | E1320 Nov 05, 2021

First, Jason breaks down three recent earnings reports, Uber (1:57), Airbnb (21:10) and Peloton (26:00). Then, he introduces a new segment "Ok Boomer" where our producer Rachel reports on Gen Z tech & business culture. Today, she talks to Ziad Ahmed of JUV consulting about managing and working with Gen Z employees as they enter the workforce. (39:55)

Building a Great Team: Startup Checklist E5 | E1319 Nov 04, 2021

We continue with episode five of the Startup Checklist, where Jason gives 10 points to build a great team. He covers hiring, compensating the early team (11:31), outsourcing, structuring the company, setting the cadence (39:48), finding advisors and more!

Zillow falls after iBuying collapse, Biden Admin’s stablecoin report + LeadIQ’s Mei Siauw | E1318 Nov 03, 2021

Jason reacts to Zillow's huge drop after the implosion of their iBuying business (4:33), and breaks down the Biden Administration's stablecoin report (23:35). Then, LeadIQ CEO Mei Siauw joins the show to talk growing a SaaS business with a distributed team, going from $500 to $10M+ in revenue, and more! (43:27)

Bytedance bans 996 + Multicoin Capital’s Kyle Samani: The 100x fund | E1317 Nov 02, 2021

First Jason briefly covers TikTok owner Bytedance's restriction on overtime working hours (2:14). Then Multicoin Capital partner Kyle Samani joins (11:07) to discuss how they evaluate products, why they prefer to invest in tokens over equity, the Solana blockchain (19:17), Helium (57:05), Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and much more.

Facebook’s new name + DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg: the privacy search engine | E1315 Oct 29, 2021

Facebook changed its name to Meta. In the news segment, Jason shares 10 highlights from the keynote and reacts to the name change (1:57). Then DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg joins (36:22) to discuss his search engine's continued growth, surviving Google's monopoly (41:57), how they differentiate with privacy (48:30), and all the updates they've made since he was last on the show 10 years ago!

Media employees battling “back to work” orders + Startup Checklist E4: Building a Great Product | E1314 Oct 28, 2021

First, Jason reacts Conde Nast's union refusing to return to the office on November 1 and takes stock of the big tech WFH policy landscape (1:34). We continue the show with episode four of the Startup Checklist, where Jason covers "Building a Great Product" in points 31-40 (13:54).

Sequoia’s new structure, $HOOD and $TWTR earnings + Bolt’s Ryan Breslow: 4-day work week | E1313 Oct 27, 2021

First, Jason covers Sequoia's VC-redefining transition to an evergreen fund (1:54). He continues Q3 earnings coverage with Robinhood (13:38) and Twitter (21:10). Then, Ryan Breslow from Bolt joins to discuss transitioning to a 4-day work week, open-sourcing their company handbook and running a startup effectively (28:07).

Facebook’s Q3 earnings breakdown: revenue, user growth, rumored rebrand + Italic’s Jeremy Cai | E1312 Oct 26, 2021

First, Jason breaks down Facebook's Q3 earnings, including: growing revenue and profits, slowing user growth, AR investment and its new reporting structure (2:00). He also covers Facebook's potential rebrand as a metaverse-focused company and its declining usage amongst US teens and young adults. (11:35) Then, Italic's Jeremy Cai joins the show to discuss his innovative new e-commerce concept, ruffling feathers with incumbents, supply chain insights, and more! (25:58)

Growth & Retention: Why Subscription is the Holy Grail | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1311 Oct 25, 2021

This Startup Basics is all about growth & retention. Tiffani Bova from Salesforce joins to talk about how startups should measure customer health, the pitfalls of high churn, the best kind of growth, how to earn trust by saying "no" & more.

Trump SPAC, WeWork SPAC, GitLab IPO w/ Eric Newcomer + Quick Commerce w/Matt Newberg | E1310 Oct 22, 2021

Tech journalist Eric Newcomer joins to talk the Trump SPAC (8:26), WeWork SPAC (15:58), and the behind the scenes funding story of GitLab's IPO (25:41). Then, HNGRY's Matt Newberg joins to talk innovations in the quick commerce space, the growing impact of ghost kitchens, and more! (1:01:10)

Inflation warnings and hedge strategy, Bitcoin ETF, Hindenburg’s Tether bounty + Startup Checklist E3 | E1309 Oct 21, 2021

First, Jason reacts to CNBC's Paul Tudor Jones interview, where PTJ warned about inflation and called Bitcoin (and crypto) a better hedge than gold (2:10). Then, Jason covers the new Bitcoin ETF and Hindenburg putting a bounty out for information on Tether (21:34). We wrap with episode three of the Startup Checklist, where Jason covers "Finding and Delighting Customers" in points 21-30 (34:41).

Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: the next $60B, Engage, Segment acquisition & more + Who actually uses Oculus? | E1308 Oct 20, 2021

It was great to have Jeff back on the pod! But first, Producer Rachel gives some updates on TWIST Founder Meetups (01:54) and Jason talks a bit about Oculus (14:12). Then, Jeff Lawson from Twilio joins (24:42) to discuss their new mission to build the leading customer engagement platform, the launch of their new product Twilio Engage, lessons from scaling & their big acquisitions, San Francisco and more!

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire on USDC, Tether & more + Jason reacts to Apple’s new M1 chips & MacBooks | E1307 Oct 19, 2021

First, Jason reacts to the most recent Apple event announcing new M1 chips & Macbooks (1:26). Then, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire (23:85) joins to discuss how USDC, what makes Circle different from Tether, regulation, and more.

How to manage customer relationships | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1306 Oct 18, 2021

This Startup Basics is all about managing customer relationships. Tiffani Bova from Salesforce joins to talk about the ways startups can improve customer interactions, transforming one-time transactions to reoccurring relationships. Jason and Tiffani give practical tips better serve customers and keep them coming back.

Coinbase chases NFT billions + Peter Thiel “The Contrarian” with author Max Chafkin | E1305 Oct 15, 2021

First, Jason covers Coinbase's announcement of their new NFT platform (2:06). Then, Bloomberg's Max Chafkin joins to discuss his book, "The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power" (19:57). It's a wide-ranging discussion about Peter's life, business, and politics as well as a debate over the way Max framed him in the book.

Is Netflix over cancel culture? + Startup Checklist: Choosing a Business Model | E1304 Oct 14, 2021

First, Jason covers the blowback Netflix is facing from Dave Chappelle's new special "The Closer" and the masterful response from Co-CEO Ted Sarandos (2:09). Then, continuing our startup checklist series, Jason explains 10 items founders need to go through before choosing a business model (25:08).

US inherits China’s Bitcoin Mining Dynasty + Jacob Helberg on the “New Cold War” with China | E1303 Oct 13, 2021

Jason does a short news segment on China’s Bitcoin Mining hash rate falling to 0 and how the U.S. is now the largest mining hub (1:59). Then, Jacob Helberg author of "The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power," joins to discuss China's long-term goals (9:03), the United States' lack of preparedness, the struggle for control of front-end and backend technologies (32:22), plus much more.

Solana Founder Anatoly Yakovenko on scaling the blockchain to warp speed | E1302 Oct 12, 2021

Anatoly from Solana joins Jason to discuss how they've managed to build the fastest blockchain (0:54). Solana's "proof of history" innovation allows for over 50,000 transactions a second, we get into Solana's value prop (25:51), use cases (40:14), developer ecosystem and more!

How to understand customer engagement | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1301 Oct 11, 2021

Startup Basics is BACK! This series focuses on one of the most important aspects of any successful startup: the customer. On episode two, Salesforce's Tiffani Bova joins to break down all things customer engagement: defining it, authenticity, blending automation with a human touch, social media strategies and more!

Tether’s hidden billions with Bloomberg’s Zeke Faux + Startup Checklist E1 | E1300 Oct 08, 2021

First, Jason chats with Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux about his latest investigative piece "Tether's $69 Billion Mystery"(1:04). Then, Jason launches our news series "Startup Checklist" (31:49) which explores the things you should do to be prepared to launch a company.

FB Whistleblower’s Senate testimony + Scorpion Capital shorts Ginkgo Bioworks, claims fraud | E1298 Oct 06, 2021

In this all news show, Jason covers Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen’s Senate testimony and Mark Zuckerberg's response (2:22). We also get into the fraud claims made by Scorpion Capital against Ginkgo Bioworks $DNA (1:01:35), we had Ginkgo CEO Jason Kelly on E1239 https://bit.ly/twiste1239.

How to create great customer experience | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1297 Oct 05, 2021

Startup Basics is BACK! This series will focus on one of the most important aspects of any successful startup: the customer. On episode one, Salesforce's Tiffani Bova joins to break down all things customer experience: defining it, what an amazing experience looks like, how startups can beat the incumbents, and more!

Facebook’s whistleblower reveal & major outage + reacting to OZY media CEO on Today Show | E1296 Oct 04, 2021

In this news episode, Jason covers the Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's "60 minutes" interview and breaks down some clips. Then he shares the highlights and rationalizations from the OZY Media CEO's Today Show appearance.

Coinbase CEO reflects on “mission” manifesto + Kettle’s Nat Manning on fire insurance | E1295 Oct 01, 2021

First Jason covers Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's reflections on last year's blog "Coinbase is a mission focused company.” Then, Nat Manning joins from Kettle, to chat about better assessing fire risk with data, how California can prevent home damage from increasing wildfires, outperforming actuaries & more.

Amazon’s AI driver supervisors, OZY media fallout, rising FEMA flood insurance, OpenScouting | E1294 Sep 30, 2021

Jason does a full news show breaking down: how Amazon monitors drivers with AI cameras (01:54), Tesla's new driver score (22:05), OZY Media's continued fallout (32:45), and new proposed changes for homeowners in coastal zones (42:08). Plus, Jason explains his new program OpenScouting.com

Google’s game-changing ad policy + Michael Dell on “Play Nice But Win,” stories from building a computing giant | E1293 Sep 29, 2021

First, Jason brings on investor, former ad tech exec, and frequent guest Zach Coelius to discuss the strategic implications of Google's new ad attribution policy (01:43). Then Michael Dell joins for for a full interview (21:54) sharing stories from the early days of building Dell, scrappy supply-chain arbitrage, global expansion, negotiations with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, the $67B EMC VMware acquisition (57:40) and more!

OZY Media’s deception, VC retirement, Clubhouse’s monetization problem with The Verge’s Ashley Carman & more | E1292 Sep 28, 2021

First, Jason covers OZY media's attempted deception of Goldman Sachs & investors (1:50), then covers Clubhouse's monetization problem with special guest Ashley Carman from the Verge (24:26). To wrap up, he discusses VC retirements (46:30) and Disney's Star Wars Visions (56:29).

Facebook puts Instagram Kids on pause, Bevy’s high-profile firing + Squarespace’s Anthony Casalena | E1291 Sep 27, 2021

Jason covers Instagram's Adam Mosseri announcing the pause of Instagram Kids (2:09), the recent firing of Bevy employee following a hostile interaction in Brooklyn (21:51). Then, Squarespace Founder and CEO Anthony Casalena joins (35:43) to discuss what marketing channels have been best for growing the company, new products offerings and shares stories from scaling and more!

News! China bans crypto transactions (again), Zillow & iBuyers impacting Real Estate + Ask Jason | E1290 Sep 24, 2021

Jason covers China's latest crypto mandate (0:59), a TikToker's conspiracy about iBuyers and the Redfin CEO's response (17:17), then takes a bunch of Ask Jason Questions (31:42) & more!

Apple Maps 3-D update, SEC Chair tips off coming crypto regulation + Pacaso’s Austin Allison | E1288 Sep 22, 2021

First, Jason covers the new Apple Maps and what he speculates it means for their next major product (2:11), then discusses SEC Chair Gary Gensler calling crypto the "wild west"(10:38). Then, Jason interviews Pacaso Founder & CEO Austin Allison about fractional home ownership, battling NIMBY's and more (24:46)!

Apple launches iCloud Private Relay + Framework’s Nirav Patel on customizable laptops | E1287 Sep 21, 2021

In a short news segment, Jason describes Apple's new iCloud+ privacy suite (2:18). Then, Framework founder Nirav Patel joins to talk about making laptop customization great again (13:04)! They discuss the difficulty of raising VC for a consumer hardware startup, creating products for the "modding" audience, the environmental benefit of fixing products and more(24:16)!

Head of Instagram comments on teen impact, Jay-Z’s NFT lawsuit + Sourcegraph’s Quinn Slack | E1285 Sep 18, 2021

First, Jason reacts to comments from Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri on the impact of Instagram on teen girls and comparing the risks of social media to the automobile industry (1:50). Then, Jason breaks down OpenSea's update on their front-running employee (11:55), and Jay-Z's NFT lawsuit (15:40). Finally, Sourcegraph CEO Quinn Slack joins to discuss growing his universal code search engine, selling a high-ticket SaaS product and more (21:48)!

Rapid Fire News: App Annie fraud, Instagram’s negative impact, Discord valued at $15B & more | E1284 Sep 17, 2021

Full news show! First up, Jason covers the App Annie fraud (1:59), then he shares thoughts on Facebook's leaked documents showing they knew Instagram was detrimental to teen girls' mental health despite claiming the contrary (13:55). He also touches on Discord's $15B valuation (25:56), Mailchimp selling for $12B (33:40), and answers some livestream questions (40:35)!

OpenSea admits employee was front-running featured NFTs + Goldbelly CEO Joe Ariel on food e-commerce | E1283 Sep 15, 2021

First, Jason breaks down NFT platform OpenSea admitting one of their employees was front-running featured items (2:02). Could this tip off the SEC that NFTs might be securities rather than collectibles (12:01)? Then, Jason talks to Producer Rachel about TWiST Meetups (18:24). Finally, Goldbelly CEO Joe Ariel joins to talk about his high-end food marketplace, being the first mover in a blossoming category, the food e-commerce market & more. (30:15)

“Amazon Unbound” author Brad Stone on the mind of Bezos, the future of Amazon & more | E1282 Sep 14, 2021

Brad Stone, the author of "Amazon Unbound", joined to talk about Elon Musk (09:44), Amazon's workplace environment (23:25), the importance of Prime (27:17), which tech companies are most dangerous for society (51:13), & more!

Growth stocks, Inflation impacts, SPACs & more with Beth Kindig & Knox Ridley from I/O Fund | E1281 Sep 10, 2021

Beth Kindig and Knox Ridley from the I/O Fund came on to discuss with Jason their top growth stocks, market indicators, how to manage risk in an all tech portfolio, potential big tech spin outs, Roku's incredible expansion and more!

Coinbase battles SEC over Lend + How DeFi interest rates work with Genesis’ Matt Ballensweig | E1279 Sep 09, 2021

Coinbase CEO Brain Armstrong took to Twitter to call out the SEC for what Coinbase considers unclear guidance & hostility around their Lend product, Jason breaks down the situation (1:43). Then, to better understand how DeFi lending works Jason interviews Matt Ballensweig the Head of Institutional Lending at Genesis, a crypto prime brokerage (9:51). We close with three "Ask Jason" questions (50:23).

BAYC at Sotheby’s, Loot, Tether Canada ban + 8VC’s Joe Lonsdale: Palantir, China, Cicero | E1278 Sep 07, 2021

First Jason covers the $19M Bored Ape Yacht Club bid on Sotheby's & the Loot NFT collection launched by a Vine co-founder (1:42), and briefly covers Tether being banned from Canadian exchanges (11:07). Then serial founder and investor Joe Lonsdale joins (19:53) to discuss his companies (Palantir, Addepar, OpenGov), his new podcast "American Optimist," what regulations need to be fixed in the US, China's bold moves & more.

Next Unicorns: Miso Robotics’ Mike Bell, $3 an hour fry cooks + MorningBrew’s Dan Toomey on TikTok | E1276 Sep 02, 2021

Jason chats with Miso Robotics CEO Mike Bell (1:07), about automating food preparation, filling the labor gap, the consequences of robots, growing with crowdfunding and more. Then, TWIST Producer Rachel Braun interviews Dan Toomey about the strategies he uses to run the Morning Brew TikTok account.

Bored Ape Madness with The Infatuation’s Andrew Steinthal + Breaking into VC with Nicole DeTommaso | E1275 Sep 01, 2021

The Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs have been going crazy in the secondary market, Jason brings on collector and co-founder of media site "The Infatuation" Andrew Steinthal (2:04) to chat about why he bought in, why he's not selling, and the overall mechanics of the community. Then, TWIST producer Rachel interviews the Nicole DeTommaso of Harlem VC (33:25) about how she broke into venture capital with a pitch deck!!!

Elizabeth Holmes Theranos fraud trial kickoff + Blokable’s Aaron Holm: how to scale housing | E1274 Aug 31, 2021

First, Jason covers the kickoff of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial (1:48). Then, Blokable Co-CEO & Co-Founder Aaron Holm joins (16:37) to discuss solving the housing crisis, the Phoenix Rising project (27:05), why vertical integration is the key to making modular affordable, green materials (40:53), why LA's homeless housing project went way over budget (46:46) & more.

CCP closes foreign IPO loophole + Audius’ Roneil Rumburg: decentralized project crash course | E1273 Aug 27, 2021

First Jason covers the CCP banning US IPOs for big tech companies, closing the VIE loophole (1:50), then Audius Co-Founder Roneil Rumburg joins (18:44) to talk about his "decentralized SoundCloud," how decentralized crypto projects actually work for investors and executives, and more!

HeadSpin accused of $80M fraud, housing startup irks NIMBYs + Not Boring’s Packy McCormick | E1272 Aug 26, 2021

In the news segment, Jason covers unicorn SaaS Startup called HeadSpin has been accused of a massive fraud by the SEC and DOJ (2:06), and Pacaso real estate startup offering fractional ownership of vacation homes is causing outrage in wine country (17:35). Then, Jason interviews Not Boring's Packy McCormick (34:41), about his time at WeWork competitor Breather (36:14), turning his newsletter into a venture fund (59:12), and Packy's vision for crypto - it's one of the best explanations we've heard (1:03:17).

Rapid Fire News: OnlyFans reverses course, Circle to clean up USDC reserves, Warby Parker S-1 | E1271 Aug 25, 2021

In today's news show, Jason covers OnlyFans being back to business as usual (1:31), the stablecoin Circle cleaning up commercial paper from their USDC reserves (16:49), and does a break down of Warby Parker's S-1 as the company prepare to go public via direct listing (30:30).

Rapid Fire News: Facebook “cleans up their house,” Tyga takes on OnlyFans, Jack Ma vs. CCP | E1270 Aug 24, 2021

In this news episode Jason covers Facebook finally revealing their Q1 transparency report after they originally shelved the report for PR purposes (2:08), Tyga deleting his OnlyFans account and announcing he will launch a competing platform (23:59), the WSJ's coverage of where Jack Ma is now (36:19) & more!

Robinhood earnings breakdown, Amazon launching department stores + Mark Suster deep dives VC | E1268 Aug 19, 2021

Jason breaks down the 2 metrics he uses to to assess Robinhood's Q2 earnings (1:43) and Amazon entering Department Store retail (16:39). Then, Mark Suster from Upfront Ventures joins (24:07) to discuss venture metrics, community as a moat, why high valuations don't necessarily mean a bubble & more.

Noodlegate, the end of cancel culture? + Next Unicorns: OpenGov CEO Zac Bookman | E1267 Aug 18, 2021

Jason opens the show with a brief recap of "Noodlegate" and the end of cancel culture (2:09). Then he chats with OpenGov CEO Zac Bookman for the latest installment of our Next Unicorns series (14:10) about what makes governments ineffective (25:46), preventing corruption (30:37), the challenges selling into governments (35:54), how some states like Idaho & West Virginia have made their detailed budgets public on the cloud and more!

Casey Newton’s Superhuman misfire, Apple’s backdoor, 5G crypto network, WhatsApp’s Taliban problem | E1266 Aug 17, 2021

Podcasting from Italy after a 2-week break of news, Jason covers Casey Newton's failed dunk on Superhuman's $75M raise (2:58), the privacy implications of Apple's approach to preventing child porn distribution (23:14), the Helium Networks internet project (35:02), crypto regulation (43:03), and how WhatsApp is handling Afghanistan (49:45).

Next Unicorns: Splice CEO Steve Martocci, building the Github for music | E1265 Aug 13, 2021

Steve Martocci, the CEO of Splice (also co-founder of Blade & previously sold GroupMe to Skype) joins for our Next Unicorns series to discuss how music rights work (10:07), growing a high-quality marketplace (21:59), AI music creation (36:10), & more

How to secure follow-on investment for your startup (FounderU) + Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius | E1264 Aug 12, 2021

Jason discusses how founders can secure follow on funding (1:57), then is joined by investor Zach Coelius to answer listener questions on technical co-founders (38:21), successful founder traits (40:41), founder red flags (46:07), why startups fail diligence (56:17) and more.

How to come up with a startup idea (FounderU) + Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius | E1263 Aug 11, 2021

Jason does a Founder University segment on how to generate startup ideas (1:55), then Zach Coelius joins to take some "Ask an Angel" questions: what data points are most valuable when iterating on product (29:03), what skills are most important to be a success in VC (36:410), what skills are most important to be a success in VC (42:51).

Nick Kokonas of Tock & Alinea, flipping the low-margin restaurant model | E1262 Aug 10, 2021

Nick Kokonas joins to discuss his his company Tock (10:50), his world-class restaurant group Alinea (0:54), how restaurants can improve their operating leverage (18:05), digital experiences augmenting hospitality (39:41), why tipping needs to be replaced (44:50), the labor supply (56:16), inflation (1:00:27), employee health and more!

Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman on the current state and future of the US housing market | E1261 Aug 06, 2021

Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman joins to discuss the current U.S. housing situation (05:05), homebuilding rates, San Francisco (23:43), remote work (28:22), generational work-life balance differences (35:24), Redfin's approach to real estate (46:52), regulation, DOJ & MLS (58:33), & more.

Bootstrapping vs. taking Venture Capital (FounderU) + Ask An Angel with Zach Coelius | E1260 Aug 05, 2021

In a Founder University segment, Jason compares running a bootstrapped vs. venture-backed company (1:17), discusses 'pegasus' companies (11:09), advises what types of businesses should take VC (23:59), and explains what motivates VCs (33:27). Then Zach Coelius joins to take some listener questions (38:48).

How to a Grow Consumer SaaS App to 225K Paying Customers – Next Unicorns: Fitbod CEO Allen Chen | E1259 Aug 04, 2021

Fitbod CEO Allen Chen joins to discuss how they got funded & why they haven't deployed their capital (01:06), the importance of being user-centric when building a consumer app (17:44), how Allen plans grow to 1 million customers (29:14), & more!

Creating a new venture fund: formation, follow-on strategies & more with Acquired | E1258 Aug 03, 2021

Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal from Acquired join to discuss David's new venture fund Kindergarten Ventures (00:56), how to structure a VC fund (12:16), Jason's super pro-rata strategy (30:17), podcasting (35:50), and they tease the next episode on "The Mount Rushmore of Venture Capital" (56:11) & more!

News! Robinhood/Duolingo IPOs, Big Tech earnings, China & more with TechCrunch’s Alex Wilhelm | E1257 Jul 30, 2021

Alex Wilhelm from TechCrunch joins Jason to chop up this week's news. They cover Robinhood & Duolingo's IPOs (3:40), consumer subscription businesses (25:09), Google's growth (28:25), the startup funding landscape (38:51), Amazon (42:46), China's actions against tech (47:35), Apple (1:04:19) & more!

Nikola’s Trevor Milton indicted for fraud, Robinhood IPO + GRIN CEO Brandon Brown | E1256 Jul 29, 2021

Jason covers the Grand Jury indictment of Nikola founder Trevor Milton for making false claims to investors (1:50) and gives short recap of Robinhood's IPO (18:55). Then, Brandon Brown joins to discuss his company GRIN (25:40), the influencer economy, shifting advertising trends, social media platforms and more.

Youtube vs. Netflix, Google’s $230B run rate + Next Unicorns: OpenSea’s Devin Finzer on NFTs | E1255 Jul 28, 2021

Jason breaks down Google's earnings and compares Netflix & Youtube (3:22). Then, in our Next Unicorns series, Devin Finzer (27:01), the Co-Founder and CEO of OpenSea (an NFT marketplace) joins to discuss the innovations that helped NFTs take off (37:58), the future of collectibles & more.

Emergency Pod! Tether executives facing DOJ bank fraud probe (via Bloomberg) | E1253 Jul 27, 2021

Tether executives are reportedly facing a DOJ criminal probe for bank fraud! Jason breaks down Bloomberg's report (1:31), Tether's response (10:34) and assesses potential implications for the wider crypto ecosystem, including if this had anything to do with Sunday night's Bitcoin surge. (16:29)

Dfinity’s ICP crypto complaint, Snap/Twitter earnings, China’s e-learning crackdown & more | E1252 Jul 23, 2021

In this rapid fire news episode, Jason covers a16z-backed Dfinity's crypto class action complaint (02:46), Snapchat and Twitter's massive earnings (19:33), the CCP considering turning it's ed-tech sector non-profit (34:15), Alphabet's new company (40:23), San Francisco's 17M sq. ft. of vacant office space (47:22), and then reflects on some old Disney+ predictions (58:28).

China punishes Didi, Twitter’s new feature, UAE makes it rain + Do Kwon of Terraform Labs | E1251 Jul 22, 2021

Jason covers China's increasing penalties for Didi (2:52), Twitter's test of a downvote feature (12:13), and how the UAE was able to induce rain with electricity (17:32). Then Do Kwon, the founder of Terraform labs joins (22:38) to discuss his stable coin project TerraUSD (31:18), the underlying cryptocurrency LUNA, and shed light on Tether as crypto insider (59:56).

Bezos goes to space, Robinhood IPO, USDC attestation + Flock Safety’s Garrett Langley | E1249 Jul 21, 2021

In news Jason covers Bezos reaching space (2:32), Robinhood's S-1/A (13:28), Circle's new USDC attestation (22:25), crypto crackdown in Asia (36:06), Zoom buying Five9 for almost $15B (46:00) Keith Rabois' OpenStore (47:11). Then for our Next Unicorns series, Jason interviews Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langely, about reducing crime in American cities and neighborhoods (50:18).

Rapid Fire News: AI voices after death, DOJ investigates Lordstown Motors, COVID adaptation | E1248 Jul 16, 2021

Jason covers Anthony Bourdain's amazing AI deepfake voice in "roadrunner" & potential startup ideas for the technology (01:49), the investigation into EV startup Lordstown Motors (12:27), and the way businesses are reacting to how COVID is being managed in FL & CA (42:11).

Rapid Fire News: FB’s right-wing algo, Tether update, giving Cuba internet, Powell on stable coins & more | E1247 Jul 16, 2021

News episode, Jason covers CrowdTangle's data headache (01:56), how the White House wants to crack down on social media misinformation (13:34), Florida Gov. DeSantis proposal for providing internet to Cuba (17:17), a $1B fund for creators (21:32), our Tether investigation (25:07) & more!

The Next Unicorns: Adena Hefets CEO of Divvy Homes, forging a new path to home ownership | E1246 Jul 15, 2021

To kick off this season of "The Next Unicorns," Adena Hefets, CEO of Divvy Homes, joins to discuss how they are helping Americans blaze a path to owning a home (2:51), if we are in a real estate bubble (25:37), the American home shortage (34:53) and more!

China cracks down on US IPOs, winning founder qualities, Ask Jason: accelerators, investing | E1244 Jul 13, 2021

Jason covers the CCP crackdown on Chinese tech companies listing in the US, shares how he spots winning founders (14:02), then answers Ask Jason questions: finding a technical co-founder (36:47), signals for startup success (39:29), advice for new angel investors (45:18), and more.

Biden targets big corporations + Tether Investigation with Bitfinex’ed | E1243 Jul 09, 2021

Jason covers Biden's executive order seeking to increase competition and weaken the power of Big Tech (2:21). Then, we continue our Tether Investigation with @Bitfinex'ed (18:16), covering how Tether works (36:09), and why he believes there is massive risk to the crypto markets (48:55) & more!

Nextdoor SPAC breakdown, Pelosi trading options + Morning Brew’s Alex Lieberman | E1242 Jul 08, 2021

First, Jason breaks down the highlights from Nextdoor's SPAC announcement (1:48) and covers the profits made by politicians trading tech company options (16:26). Then, Alex Lieberman, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, joins to talk about growing a newsletter business (45:34), expanding as a media company (49:51), angel investing (57:19) & more!

Barclays blocks Binance, China pauses Didi downloads + Steezy CEO Evan Zhou | E1241 Jul 06, 2021

Jason covers the red flags emerging around Binance (2:34), the Chinese government's swift action against Didi relating to data privacy (16:40). Then Steezy Founder & CEO Evan Zhou joins to discuss how simple an MVP can be (27:44), growing & monetizing a consumer SaaS company (32:56) & more.

Emergency Pod! Robinhood files to go public: S-1 breakdown | E1240 Jul 02, 2021

Robinhood is going public! Jason breaks down their recently filed S-1 and covers the most important metrics (1:56), comparisons against other major brokerages (8:45) and more!

How to nail Monthly Investor Updates (FounderU) + Ginkgo Bioworks CEO Jason Kelly | E1239 Jul 01, 2021

First Jason explains how to deliver great investor updates & the benefits of doing them well (1:36). Then, Ginkgo Bioworks CEO Jason Kelly joins to discuss the expanding capabilities of synthetic biology (24:48), how Ginkgo is currently helping customers make products more effectively (35:58), the ethics & risks of editing DNA (51:53) & more!

Sam Altman’s “Worldcoin,” Facebook hits $1T + Alchemy’s Nikil Viswanathan on “AWS for Blockchain” | E1238 Jun 29, 2021

In the opening News segment Jason covers Sam Altman launching a new cryptocurrency "Worldcoin" (2:18), and Facebook becoming the fastest company to ever reach a $1T market cap (11:16). Then, Alchemy CEO Nikil Viswanathan joins for an interview on his "AWS for the blockchain" (20:44), the limitations of the blockchain (29:24) & more! Podcast Notes: https://bit.ly/1238notes

News! Peter Thiel’s $5B Roth IRA, Black creators strike on TikTok, BuzzFeed SPAC, Microsoft goes anti-Apple PLUS Ask Jason | E1237 Jun 25, 2021

News episode Jason talks about Peter Thiel’s multi-billion dollar Roth IRA (1:27), Black creators striking on TikTok (13:32), BuzzFeed's SPAC (24:15), Microsoft's dig at Apple (31:28), and two Ask Jason questions (41:59)!

The power of the SOD/EOD plus Bill Maris on early Google stories, origins of GV, bioterrorism & more | E1236 Jun 24, 2021

First, Jason does a "Founder University" segment on the benefits of remote managing using a SOD-EOD format (1:31). Then Bill Maris joins to discuss what working at Google was like when Bill started GV (25:28), why Google didn't win on social (38:49), bioterrorism risks (1:07:39) & more.

China moves crypto mining to US + Overtime’s Dan Porter on GenZ basketball league & network | E1235 Jun 22, 2021

Jason covers the recent Chinese Bitcoin mining migration (1:56). Then, Dan Porter the CEO of Overtime joins to discuss how Overtime is building a next-generation sports network across Youtube, Twitch, & social media (15:12) and launching Overtime Elite a new basketball league where 16-18-year-olds can earn $100-$500K to prepare for the pros.

What startups need to succeed | Scaling Your Startup S2 E10 with Intercom’s Des Traynor | E1234 Jun 18, 2021

Intercom CEO Des Traynor discusses why startups need to grow fast (7:44), how to execute at speed (10:48), build an effective culture (33:35) & more!

GameStop poaches Amazon execs, Streaming stalls + Genies CEO Akash Nigam on Avatars & NFTs | E1233 Jun 16, 2021

Jason kicks off the episode with the news: an update on the Tether (02:02), how Gamestop poached Amazon talent (06:17), and the first-ever decline in the average number of streaming accounts per household (19:04). Then, Akash Nigam joins to discuss his company Genies, why everyone will have an avatar, the metaverse, NTFs & more (25:10).

Tether: Crypto’s Black Swan? Plus Alternative Asset Roundtable featuring the founders of Masterworks, Fundrise & Rally Rd | E1232 Jun 15, 2021

Jason kicks off the episode with research into the claims against Tether Limited, the company behind USDT, the world's largest "stablecoin" and 3rd largest cryptocurrency (1:30). Then Jason is joined by 3 founders of Alternative Asset investing platforms (25:49), Chris Bruno of Rally, Scott Lynn of Masterworks, and Ben Miller of Fundrise. They discuss inflation, supply & demand, expanding company roadmaps (59:56) and more!

Zymergen CEO Josh Hoffman on Biofacturing PLUS Founder U Startup Math | E1231 Jun 11, 2021

Jason opens with a Founder University segment on "Startup Math" (1:48), then interviews Zymergen CEO Josh Hoffman on Biofacturing (16:45), how DNA sequencing & machine learning are enabling materials science advancements (26:35), what human capital is needed for the industry (42:53) & more. Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/1231notes

News! The cult of Bitcoin maximalists, Bezos is going to space, & Facebook’s smartwatch | E1230 Jun 11, 2021

First up, Jason covers "Bitcoin Toxicity." Are Bitcoin maximalists exhibiting cult-like behavior? (1:19) Then, he assesses the risks of Bezos going to space: is the potential upside worth the risk of ruin? (36:16) Finally, he wraps with news of Facebook's rumored smartwatch. Have Apple's recent privacy measures forced Facebook's hand into the wearables space? (40:59)

Customer Success | Scaling Your Startup S2E9 with Statusphere’s Kristen Wiley & Techmate’s Nicole Beals | E1229 Jun 09, 2021

Customer success is key to startup success. First, Statusphere CEO Kristen Wiley shares strategies from managing two customer success teams in B2B and B2C. (1:00) Then, find out why customers churn from Techmate COO Nicole Beals, who also shares how Techmate increased their customer retention rate from 70% to 98%. (27:07) To wrap, Jason leads a Q&A covering compensation, productizing customer moments, and more. (40:41)

Aurora CEO Chris Urmson on building the roadmap to fully autonomous vehicles | E1228 Jun 08, 2021

Chris Urmson the CEO of Aurora, a leading self-driving company, joins Jason to recount the history of autonomous vehicles (1:06), the roadmap for removing human drivers (16:47), what technology problems are left to solve (38:25) and more!

Apple’s WFH blowback, navigating current startup valuations PLUS Sugar’s Fatima Dicko | 1227 Jun 08, 2021

Jason gives his take on the letter from a group of employees to Tim Cook about Apple's return to work (1:00), then Fatima Dicko the CEO and Founder of Sugar discusses pivoting in the pandemic (25:54), what amenities apartments will offer in the future (45:39), and more. Then Jason wraps with a "button" on investing when valuations are high, where there is value to be found, and more (58:44). http://bit.ly/e1227tnotes

Katerra’s collapse, Bill Ackman’s SPAC merger plus Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi | E1226 Jun 04, 2021

Jason covers the bankruptcy of the Softbank-backed construction startup Katerra, Bill Ackman's Universal Music SPAC, then interviews Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi about portable benefits for independent contractors, the expanding UberEats business, local commerce and more!

Launching Twitter Blue with Twitter’s Head of Product Kayvon Beykpour | E1225 Jun 03, 2021

Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter's Head of Product shares the strategy behind Twitter's recent feature releases, what structural changes enabled Twitter to increase product velocity, how they segment composers & consumers, the Twitter blue launch & more!

Low-Burn | Scaling Your Startup S2 E8 with Neyborly’s Ben Seidl & Xendoo’s Lil Roberts | E1224 Jun 03, 2021

A low-burn rate gives startups the agility they need to succeed and weather unforeseen challenges. Two CEOs join Jason to discuss how founders can make the most of their limited capital. Ben Seidl of Neyborly covers managing burn rate (2:58), Lil Roberts of Xendoo shares the steps needed to maintain financial health, then Jason joins for a Q&A on how to create a slingshot business(48:48), the appropriate level of runway (55:02) & more.

Citizen App’s bounty blunder, “digital bodyguard” service + Coinbase launches “Fact Check” | E1223 May 28, 2021

Jason breaks down the Citizen App's recent mistake of putting a $30,000 bounty on an incorrect arson suspect (01:39), assesses the merits of an "Uber for private security" (17:15), and covers Coinbase's launch of their self-titled "Fact Check" media arm (37:32).

Acquired.FM’s Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal on Berkshire vs. Bitcoin, Amazon acquires James Bond IP, and more! | E1222 May 26, 2021

Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal of Acquired join Jason to talk about Bitcoin's recent price action (5:55), the cognitive dissonance of liking both Bitcoin and Berkshire (14:27), Amazon's acquisition of MGM (39:34), and more!

Culture | Scaling Your Startup S2 E7: 15five’s David Hassell & Balloon’s Amanda Greenberg | E1221 May 25, 2021

Two CEOs join to talk about intentionally creating and maintaining a workplace culture that delivers high performance. First, 15five's David Hassel shares how to build culture at scale (1:49), then Balloon's Amanda Greenberg shares a process to help leaders navigate hybrid work (26:00). To wrap, Jason joins for a Q&A session covering workplace political speech, compensation, remote work, and negotiations (42:00).

US initiates crypto regulation, Robinhood IPO access, Slack as a Trojan Horse PLUS Magic Spoon CEO Gabi Lewis | E1220 May 21, 2021

Jason hits the recent restrictions on crypto from the U.S. and China, Robinhood allowing users to get in at IPO prices, and Antonio García Martínez's chat with Kara Swisher (1:15). Then in the main segment, Magic Soon Cereal Co-Founder Gabi Lewis discusses the difference between a good product and product-market fit (25:47), how Magic Spoon does influencer marketing (45:25), classic cereal flavors & more!

Emergency Pod! Huge Bitcoin correction, Robinhood IPO rumors, Squarespace direct listing | E1219 May 20, 2021

Emergency pod! Bitcoin sees a major correction due to China's crack down (1:46). What are the chances it could it go to zero, and could China banning crypto be a blessing in disguise? Robinhood is rumored to be going public next month (14:14), what will their market cap be at IPO? Plus Squarespace goes public via direct listing (26:10)!

Marketing SEO & Conversion Funnels | Scaling Your Startup S2 E6: Gravitr’s Doriane Mouret & Outlaw’s Danielle Vincent | E1218 May 19, 2021

This episode is full of tactical advice for improving your marketing operations. Gravitr's Doriane Mouret explains how to improve your conversion funnels (3:28), Outlaw's Danielle Vincent shares how to improve your SEO (33:45), then Jason joins for a Q&A covering the right cadence, location, and quality of content to publish (47:21).

Amazon in talks to acquire MGM, AT&T offloading Warner Media, Dapper Labs lawsuit plus NYT’s Taylor Lorenz on creator economy, Clubhouse & Jake Paul’s venture fund | E1217 May 18, 2021

Jason covers Amazon's talks to acquire MGM, AT&T's spin-off of WarnerMedia to Discovery, and Dapper Labs lawsuit about the nature of NFTs (1:00). Then, NYT journalist Taylor Lorenz joins to discuss the implications of social media & its more reckless influencers (15:21), why she prefers to write for the New York Times instead of a lucrative Substack offer (48:50), and more!

Emergency Pod! Twitter is reportedly building a paid subscription called “Twitter Blue” | E1216 May 18, 2021

Jason shares insights on the Twitter Blue leak (1:40) then breaks down recent product innovations, Twitter's 2021 acquisition spree, and what it all means (15:05). Check out the pod notes: https://bitly.com/e1216notes

Ask an Angel PLUS Antonio Garcia Martinez vs. Apple with Zach Coelius | E1215 May 15, 2021

Zach Coelius joins Jason to answer live listener questions (1:09), and then the pair discuss Apple's recent debacle in firing Antonio Garcia Martinez after being pressured by employees (42:43). Check out the pod notes here: https://bitly.com/e1215notes

Product | Scaling Your Startup S2 E5 with Superhuman’s Rahul Vohra & Fitbod’s Jesse Venticique | E1214 May 15, 2021

This episode reveals the product strategies of two of Jason's high-performing portfolio companies, Superhuman & Fitbod. First, Superhuman's Founder & CEO Rahul Vohra shares his 7 principles for improving products with game design (01:40), then Fitbod's CO-founder and Product Head Jesse Venticique describes how to optimize your product hook (20:08), and to wrap up, Jason brings the two together for a Q&A session (36:44). Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/e1214tnotes

Oura CEO Harpreet Rai on improving sleep, NBA partnerships, hardware & more PLUS the Instagram Kids debacle | E1213 May 13, 2021

Jason gives his take on Facebook's Instagram Kids initiative (0:53), then, Ōura's CEO Harpreet Rai discusses how sleep & recovery scores are calculated (25:09), how Oura works with the NBA & enterprise to keep organizations healthy (50:49), and more! Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/e1213tnotes

Precursor Ventures’ Charles Hudson & Jason give candid feedback on startup pitches at Founder University | E1212 May 11, 2021

Jason & Charles Hudson from Precursor Ventures take 8 pitches from founders and give feedback on how the pitches were structured (13:10) and their business models (38:48). Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/twist1212

Facebook’s Oversight Board rules on Trump ban plus how to reverse engineer TAM & more | E1211 May 07, 2021

Jason covers the Facebook Oversight Board's decision on Trump (15:49), gives a potential solution for bad actors on social media that are of public consequence (39:25), provides a concrete way to reverse engineer TAM (55:00), and more!

Fundraising | Scaling Your Startup S2 E4 with Density’s Andrew Farah and SoleSavy’s Dejan Pralica | E1210 May 06, 2021

Two startup CEOs share their approach to fundraising, Andrew Farah explains the strategy he used to raise $100M for Density (03:58), Dejan simplifies his community-forming principles for SoleSavy (38:27), and both give tactical lessons from the mistakes they made along the way (46:23)! Deck: https://bit.ly/3b8gz8g

Crafter’s Morgan Spenla on delighting makers with memberships, materials, and a marketplace | E1209 May 05, 2021

Morgan Spenla shares why her company Crafter delivers a wonderful experience to makers (01:06), how they monetize (15:04), why she hires customer support from Starbucks (48:07), and more!

Breaking down Basecamp’s tumultuous week, politics at work & more | E1208 May 05, 2021

Jason weighs in on Basecamp's ban of political discussion at work (10:57), the ensuing employee exodus (22:40), shares his policy for his companies (26:32), answers a listener's question about how to surround yourself with great people (40:09), and more! Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/e1208Tnotes

How Tiger Global is outpacing VC with better, faster, cheaper, capital ft. Founders Fund’s Everett Randle | E1207 Apr 30, 2021

Tiger Global, a crossover hedge fund, is moving at an unprecedented speed and scale in venture capital. Everett Randle of Founder's Fund joins Jason to break down Tiger Global's strategy, discuss the implications for the investing ecosystem (13:14), explain his "Walmart of VC firms" mental model (24:42), and more! Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/E1207Tnotes

Sales | Scaling Your Startup S2 E3 with GRIN’s Brandon Brown and LeadIQ’s Mei Siauw | E1206 Apr 29, 2021

A high-functioning sales machine is a way to predictably scale revenue quickly. Two 8-figure B2B SaaS CEOs share the lessons they've learned from building effective sales teams including how to create an effective sales motion (2:49), structure a sales pod (12:00), hire a great VP of sales (15:10), train SDRs into AEs (28:55), deal with average performers (47:54), and more! Slide Deck Slide Deck: http://bit.ly/SYS-S2E3-Deck

Arlan Hamilton on raising $5M in crowdfunding, empowering & educating underestimated founders | E1205 Apr 27, 2021

Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital discusses her $5M crowdfunding raise on Republic (04:16), what's "popping" in her current portfolio (20:06), her founder education course (49:46), and more! Check out the pod notes here: http://bit.ly/1205podnotes

Emergency Pod! Tim Cook vs. Mark Zuckerberg: Apple and Facebook go to war over privacy updates | E1204 Apr 27, 2021

Jason dives deep on Apple vs. Facebook: the numbers, the philosophical differences, the potential outcomes & more! (5:05) Check out the full pod notes here: http://bit.ly/e1204podnotes

Altimeter’s Brad Gerstner on taking Grab public in largest SPAC ever, fixing broken IPOs | E1203 Apr 23, 2021

Crossover technology investor Brad Gerstner discussed Altimeter Capital taking Grab public in the largest SPAC ever (38:55), why the IPO process is broken and how to fix it (12:55), and the responsibility of people with platforms to encourage responsible retail investing (22:12). As well as, how $2000 for every American invested in the public markets at birth would display the power of capitalism to improve lives (50:50) and more!

Social Marketing | Scaling Your Startup S2 E2 with Mehak Vohra and Kate Bradley-Chernis | E1202 Apr 21, 2021

Jason is joined by two outstanding CEOs running marketing companies, Mehak Vohra (Skillbank) & Kate Bradley-Chernis (Lately). Mehak shared the strategies she used to drive signups for Skillbank on TikTok(2:57). Kate shared her top business writing techniques (18:48), how to create engagement for B2B sales on LinkedIn (24:15), and more! To see the deck discussed in this episode go to https://bit.ly/3tA7sVb

Emergency Pod! Jason reacts to the Apple event: M1 iMac & iPad Pro, AirTags, Podcasts & more | E1201 Apr 21, 2021

Jason reacts to all of Apple's most notable product releases from their Spring Loaded event: Apple Podcasts redesign (2:43), AirTags (13:09), M1 iMac (20:08), M1 iPad Pro (25:15) & more!

MetaKovan on financing digital art & buying Beeple’s $69M NFT, plus Clubhouse facing new competition in social audio | E1200 Apr 20, 2021

First Jason discusses Clubhouse's facing new competition in social audio from Reddit and others (2:44). Then, he asks Crypto investor & entrepreneur MetaKovan why he bought Beeple’s "Everydays" NFT at a Christie's auction for $69M (23:30), what crypto assets he is invested in (28:29), and more!

Jason’s EOW (End of Week) | 4/16/20 Apr 17, 2021

New format! Jason's EOW (End of Week): Jason wraps up the week covering some current events he's interested in, explaining things he's been working on (0:00), and answering fan questions live (14:56).

Republic CEO Ken Nguyen on making early-stage investing for everyone | E1199 Apr 16, 2021

Kendrick Nguyen of Republic, an early-stage investing platform, talks about the power of the retail investor crowd, how startups can convert their followers into investors (13:05), Republic's diligence process for deals on their platform (47:46), and more!

Throwback! Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong from November 2017 Apr 15, 2021

Jason reflects on Coinbase's monumental direct listing (0:00), then tosses to a November 2017 interview featuring Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong (6:21). Check out the pod notes here: https://rb.gy/1vlx74

Growth | Scaling Your Startup S2 E1 with Growth University’s Craig Zingerline and Fitbod’s Allen Chen | E1198 Apr 14, 2021

Growth experts Craig Zingerline (Growth University) and Allen Chen (Fitbod) cover how startups can grow their user base, including tactical tips and best practices on building a growth model, acquiring and activating customers, retaining users, measuring performance and more. Check out the deck here: https://rb.gy/fb94ib

Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou on powering NFTs, NBA Top Shot, & CryptoKitties | E1197 Apr 13, 2021

Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou discusses his vision for NFTs and why he created Flow blockchain, how he used CryptoKitties' success to secure the NBA Top Shot partnership (12:26), how building platforms on the blockchain can potentially erode Facebook's power (43:25) and more!

Building a production location marketplace with Hank Leber, Co-Founder of Giggster | E1196 Apr 09, 2021

Hank Leber, co-founder of Giggster, talks about growing their production location marketplace, onboarding 10,000 locations from a totally offline process and building "Airbnb for professional locations" (0:00). He shares Giggster's fundraising history and the impact of raising at Remote Demo Day (17:35), and also dives into common use cases and more (30:05)! Check out the advanced pod notes here: https://bit.ly/twist-notes-giggster FOUNDERS! Apply to pitch 7000+ angel investors at Remote Demo Day here: https://remotedemoday.com

Snack App’s Kim Kaplan PLUS 3 key metrics that matter for consumer, enterprise SaaS & marketplace startups | E1195 Apr 06, 2021

First, Jason answers fan questions on attracting VCs and the 3 key metrics for consumer, enterprise SaaS and marketplace startups (1:32), then Snack App CEO Kim Kaplan joins to talk about her new Tinder-meets-TikTok dating app (15:21). For in-depth podcast notes, click here: https://bit.ly/E1195-TwistNotes

This Week in Startups Australia hosted by Mark Pesce | Season 9 Episode 1 with Jason Calacanis Apr 06, 2021

Season 9 Episode 1: TWISTA Patron Saint Jason Calacanis joins us to kick off series 9 with a deep dive into the post-pandemic startup world – and the virtuous cycle of successful startups.

Early angel investing blind spots, thoughts on the creator economy PLUS Canny.io’s Sarah Hum | E1194 Apr 02, 2021

Today's show features a throwback format, where Jason answers a fan question about his early blind spots in angel investing (1:54), is joined by Canny.io Founder Sarah Hum (9:08), and then shares his thoughts on the growing "creator economy" (34:22). Check out the advanced pod notes here: https://rb.gy/mqxls8

Common First-Time Founder Mistakes Part 2! with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Apr 02, 2021

Wilson Sonsini Partner Becki DeGraw joins Jason for another discussion around common first-time founder mistakes. Topics include avoiding founder legal disputes, no vesting on shares, IP protection, super-voting shares and more! Check out the full Startup Basics series at https://thisweekinstartups.com/basics

Emergency Pod! SPAC Overload: Understanding 2021’s unprecedented SPAC market | E1193 Apr 01, 2021

Check out Jason's SPAC Deck: https://rb.gy/9txa6c FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis Show notes: 0:00 Jason intros today's Epod: SPAC Overload! 1:29 OurCrowd - Sign up for a free account at https://www.ourcrowd.com/twist 2:55 Current state of SPACs - how did we get here & how do SPACs work? 9:12 Comparing SPACs, IPOs & Direct Listings 13:19 SPAC renaissance starting in 2020, comparison vs. S&P 500, understanding the recent pullback 16:59 Top SPACS by market cap, revenue, speculation & top active & upcoming SPACs 26:22 Wrap up!

Emergency Pod! uBiome: Anatomy of an Alleged Fraud with Wall Street Journal reporter Amy Dockser Marcus | E1192 Mar 31, 2021

Jason and WSJ Reporter Amy Dockser Marcus break down the alleged uBiome fraud! Check out the Pod Notes here: https://rb.gy/tjw046

Startup Bracketology: selecting the world’s best private company with Acquired FM PLUS future of VC | E1191 Mar 26, 2021

Common First-Time Founder Mistakes with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Mar 26, 2021

Emergency Pod! Microsoft in talks to buy Discord for $10B+; breaking down their thesis, Discord’s business & more | E1190 Mar 26, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: Starting your angel career, building marketplaces & more | E1189 Mar 25, 2021

Joanne Wilson on spotting a bubble, NYC’s post-pandemic reset, portfolio management in an unsustainable market & more | Angel S5 E10 Mar 24, 2021

Blogger, businesswoman, angel investor and Gotham Gal Joanne Wilson joins Angel to catch up with Jason. They discuss portfolio management in a peak market, spotting a bubble, funding underestimated founders and more! Check out the full pod notes here: https://rb.gy/dnh55t

Sahil Lavingia on Gumroad’s groundbreaking equity crowdfunding raise, lessons from a decade-long startup journey, insights on rolling funds & more | E1188 Mar 24, 2021

Cade Metz on his controversial Slate Star Codex article, new book “Genius Makers,” dangers of algorithmic moderation, a16z vs. legacy media & more | E1187 Mar 19, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: changing VC landscape, pitch deck punch-ups, Tesla’s future & more | E1186 Mar 19, 2021

Stock option grants deep dive with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Mar 18, 2021

Paul Judge on helping lead SoftBank’s $100M Opportunity Fund, future of fundraising, importance of “building your Olympic Team” & more | Angel S5 E9 Mar 18, 2021

Kevin Rose on his product philosophy, Reddit & Digg’s inverse journeys, Twitter’s recent innovations & more | E1185 Mar 16, 2021

Tobi Lütke on Shopify’s impact on the creator economy, COVID forcing focus, early Internet breakthroughs, evolving as a remote manager & much more | E1184 Mar 14, 2021

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke joins Jason for a conversation covering how software compounds innovation, pandemic lessons, making entrepreneurship trivial on the internet and more! Pod notes here: https://rb.gy/zihcmw

How to run an efficient board meeting with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Mar 12, 2021

Garry Tan on lessons from past startup failures, power of community funnels, Alexis Ohanian’s departure & more | Angel S5 E8 Mar 11, 2021

Harlem Capital’s Henri Pierre-Jacques on funding underrepresented founders, insights from raising first fund & getting Apple as an LP, Black culture’s impact on social apps | E1183 Mar 10, 2021

Keith Rabois on Miami vs. Bay Area, cognitive variety, America’s self-examination & more PLUS Keith’s Best Twitter Dunks | E1182 Mar 05, 2021

Matt Mullenweg on pioneering remote work, investing in open-source, crypto & more | Angel S5 E7 Mar 04, 2021

Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum on the future of healthcare post-COVID, starting a company to SPAC’ing in 36 months | E1181 Mar 03, 2021

Founders from LAUNCH Accelerator’s 20th Cohort join Jason to talk fundraising, growth, pitching & more | E1180 Feb 27, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: early-stage valuations, product roadmaps, startup killers, Twitter gets its groove back & more | E1179 Feb 27, 2021

Reid Hoffman on the Joby Aviation SPAC, lessons from early Airbnb & Facebook bets, passing on Stripe & SpaceX, investment thesis & more | Angel S5 E6 Feb 25, 2021

Emergency Pod! Deconstructing the grift: Clubhouse coaching scams with Coffeezilla | E1178 Feb 25, 2021

“Crisis” Director Nick Jarecki on the opioid problem in America, post-COVID film distribution & more | E1177 Feb 23, 2021

Ask Jason! All-In origins, avoiding common investor mistakes, defining “lifestyle” business vs. venture scale & more! | E1176 Feb 20, 2021

News! Bitcoin hits $50K, monetizing Clubhouse, drafting the Mount Rushmore of Tech CEOs & more with Acquired FM | E1175 Feb 19, 2021

Mark Cuban on the resurgence of retail investors, NBA’s potential entry into wagering & digital assets, DeFi & much more | Angel S5 E5 Feb 18, 2021

Andrew Wilkinson on bringing the Buffett approach to startups, WeCommerce, Slack & more | E1174 Feb 17, 2021

Box CEO Aaron Levie on the developing cloud storage market, Twitter jokes, Clubhouse vices & more | E1173 Feb 12, 2021

Budgets, models & what investors are looking for with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics Feb 12, 2021

Howard Lindzon on public vs. private investing psychology, “great unbundling” of index funds, Robinhood & more | Angel S5 E4 Feb 11, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: is moving to SF still worth it, bubble/recession potential, post-COVID funding & more | E1172 Feb 10, 2021

Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Bob Mumgaard on trying to solve climate change via nuclear fusion technology | E1171 Feb 06, 2021

Five things you need to nail to scale with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics Feb 05, 2021

Emergency Pod! Jeff Bezos steps down as Amazon CEO: Reasons, reactions & more | E1170 Feb 04, 2021

Elad Gil on his product-market driven thesis, importance of market pull, entering the “go public sooner” decade | Angel S5 E3 Feb 04, 2021

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen on “going big” with $1B funding round, insights from scaling globally, lessons from the pandemic | E1169 Feb 03, 2021

No Rules Rules Co-Author Erin Meyer: Netflix’s “keeper test”, comparative turnover, navigating global business cultures – Part 2 | E1168 Jan 30, 2021

Startup taxes deep dive with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics Jan 29, 2021

Emergency Pod! WallStreetBets vs. Suits, breaking down the GameStop fiasco & more | E1167 Jan 28, 2021

Intercom’s Des Traynor on the importance of pricing, product-market fit metrics & more | Angel S5 E2 Jan 28, 2021

No Rules Rules Co-Author Erin Meyer on how Netflix cultivates outlier performance & re-aligns values towards innovation – Part 1 | E1166 Jan 27, 2021

Outer CEO Jiake Liu on standing out in DTC, go-to-market innovations, pitching at Remote Demo Day & more | E1165 Jan 23, 2021

Emergency Pod! Facebook hands off Trump’s indefinite ban to the Oversight Board | E1164 Jan 22, 2021

How to ace diligence & avoid common mistakes with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics Jan 22, 2021

David Tisch shares insights from 350+ early-stage investments in companies like Plaid & Roman, importance of reputation, dealing with sharp-elbowed investors & more | Angel S5 E1 Jan 21, 2021

Frame.io CEO Emery Wells on helping the film industry go remote, how distributed work is changing movie studios & more | E1163 Jan 19, 2021

“Early-stage startups we love right now” with Indie Hackers’ Courtland Allen & Pioneer’s Daniel Gross | E1162 Jan 15, 2021

DocSend CEO Russ Heddleston on pitch deck insights, leaning into criticism & more | E1161 Jan 13, 2021

Coda CEO Shishir Mehrotra on the productivity renaissance, enabling the maker generation, insights from early years of YouTube & more | E1160 Jan 12, 2021

Joel Greenblatt on understanding market factors, improving public education, reducing income inequality & more | E1159 Jan 08, 2021

Andy Rachleff on management theory, Reed Hastings’ genius, lessons from passing on Netflix & more | E1158 Jan 05, 2021

E1157: TWiSTYs 2020 – Jason gives awards for the best, funniest, wettest beak & more! Dec 25, 2020

E1156: Emergency Pod! Ripple sued by SEC over XRP cryptocurrency, breaking down the SEC Complaint Dec 23, 2020

E1155: Daryl Morey on his eventful 2020, adapting to paradigm shifts, taking the Sixers job, building a winning organization & more Dec 22, 2020

E1154: Breaking the low-code stigma amongst developers & adjusting your market with Retool’s David Hsu | Rising Stars of SaaS 10 Dec 16, 2020

E1153: Dave Portnoy on the business of Barstool, talent acquisition, Call Her Daddy controversy & more Dec 15, 2020

E1152: Keith Rabois on leaving Silicon Valley for Miami, Roaring Twenties 2.0, IPO spree & more Dec 15, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of December 7th, 2020 Dec 12, 2020

E1151: Tech stock deep dive with Alex Wilhelm & Beth Kindig: Airbnb & DoorDash IPOs, Zoom’s pricing power, post-pandemic outlook, top picks & more Dec 11, 2020

Employment Agreement deep dive: IP assignment, offer letters, side hustles & more with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Dec 10, 2020

E1150: Creating a better presentation software, competing with PowerPoint, Keynote & Google Slides & achieving great design with Pitch CEO Christian Reber | Rising Stars of SaaS 9 Dec 09, 2020

E1149: Brad Feld on building startup communities, reconciling anxiety as an early-stage investor & remembering Tony Hsieh Dec 08, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of November 30th, 2020 Dec 05, 2020

E1148: Apps Without Code Founder & CEO Tara Reed teaches aspiring entrepreneurs how to bootstrap startups to profitability Dec 04, 2020

Understanding Financing Structures: SAFEs, Convertibles Notes, Priced Rounds & more with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Dec 03, 2020

E1147: “Godfather of SaaS” Jason Lemkin on 2020’s cloud software boom, public CEO mindsets, how Zoom conquered the competition & more | Rising Stars of SaaS 8 Dec 02, 2020

E1146: LAUNCH Accelerator Cohort 19 founders reflect on their journeys thru the program: Blush (custom illustration tool), Palabra (no-code email automation) & Rolebot (AI hiring platform) Dec 02, 2020

E1145: Emergency Pod! Salesforce is reportedly acquiring Slack: winners, losers, ramifications & more! Dec 01, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of November 23rd, 2020 Nov 26, 2020

E1144: How Income Share Agreements (ISAs) are solving education financing & aligning incentives in a broken system with Meratas CEO Darius Goldman | Rising Stars of SaaS 7 Nov 25, 2020

Negotiating a Term Sheet: Deal killers, what terms are worth fighting for & more with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Nov 24, 2020

E1143: Indie Hackers Founder Courtland Allen is creating a community for the next generation of builders to chase the “new American Dream” Nov 23, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of November 16th, 2020 Nov 21, 2020

E1142: Emergency Pod! Jason breaks down & ranks his top 4 IPO candidates: Airbnb, Affirm, Robinhood & Roblox! Nov 21, 2020

E1141: CircleUp’s Ryan Caldbeck on the mental & physical toll of being a founder, why he stepped down as CEO & shared his struggle publicly Nov 20, 2020

Avoiding Co-Founder legal disputes & C-Corp vs. LLC with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics Nov 20, 2020

E1140: Dishcraft Robotics CEO Linda Pouliot on scaling Robots-as-a-Service | Rising Stars of SaaS 6 Nov 19, 2020

E1139: Loop CEO Brian Gannon shares secrets to scaling a hardware startup & launching the Loop 2 + bonus Ask Jason! Nov 18, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of November 9th, 2020 Nov 14, 2020

E1138: Ask Jason! Benefits to growing a company internationally, Apple’s new chip impact, investing in solo founders & more! Nov 13, 2020

E1137: Making coding accessible for all with Repl.it CEO Amjad Masad | Rising Stars of SaaS 5 Nov 11, 2020

E1136: SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on evolving accreditation laws, SPACs, importance of capital markets in wealth creation, spotting fraud & more Nov 10, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of November 2nd, 2020 Nov 07, 2020

E1135: Density CEO Andrew Farah on launching the Open Area sensor, $51M Series C, impact of increasing spatial efficiency, risk-taking & more Nov 06, 2020

E1134: Deep dive on the food delivery wars with ChowNow CEO Chris Webb | Rising Stars of SaaS 4 Nov 05, 2020

E1133: Podcast & blogging pioneer Dave Winer on inventing new forms of media, tribalism on social media, tales from Silicon Valley’s Golden Age & more Nov 03, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of October 26th, 2020 Oct 31, 2020

E1132: News! Jack Dorsey vs. Ted Cruz, Google’s antitrust lawsuit, Expensify email, Amazon deep dive & much more with Acquired’s Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal Oct 30, 2020

E1131 Bringing barbershops into the digital age with Squire CEO Songe LaRon | Rising Stars of SaaS 3 Oct 29, 2020

E1130: “Billion Dollar Loser” Author Reeves Wiedeman on WeWork’s epic rise & crazy collapse, Adam Neumann’s unique behavior, hypocrisy, red flags & more Oct 27, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of October 19th, 2020 Oct 24, 2020

E1129: Ring Founder Jamie Siminoff on launching the Always Home Cam – an autonomous indoor drone, taking his company from bad reviews to a billion-dollar acquisition by Amazon & more Oct 23, 2020

E1128: Emergency Pod! A Quibi postmortem – Diving into the numbers, what went wrong, lessons learned & more! Oct 23, 2020

E1127: Data privacy deep dive with Transcend CEO Ben Brook; tracking pixels, GDPR, privacy as a selling point & more | Rising Stars of SaaS 2 Oct 22, 2020

E1126: Capital Allocators Host Ted Seides goes deep on endowments, LP turnover, public/private market insights, ESG investing & more Oct 20, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of October 12th, 2020 Oct 17, 2020

E1125: LAUNCH Accelerator Cohort 18 founders reflect on their journeys thru the program: Fluent Forever (language learning app), SupportPay (child support management solution) & v.one (no-code app building platform) Oct 16, 2020

E1124: Reducing response times for first responders & revolutionizing outdated systems with RapidDeploy CEO Steven Raucher | Rising Stars of SaaS 1 Oct 14, 2020

E1123: Emergency Pod! Jason reacts to the iPhone 12 fail & Apple jumping the shark; theories on the lack of innovation: is something big in the works or has Apple lost its magic? Oct 14, 2020

E1122: Running Tide CEO Marty Odlin is helping solve the Climate crisis by using kelp to sequester carbon in the ocean, shares insights on generational shifts in climate response & more Oct 13, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of October 5th, 2020 Oct 10, 2020

E1121: Mark Suster on investing in human-computer interfaces & sustainability, what he looks for in founders, SPACs impact on early-stage investing & more Oct 09, 2020

E1120: Shift Co-CEO George Arison on going public via SPAC, lessons from building Uber’s predecessor & innovating in the massive used car market Oct 07, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of September 28th, 2020 Oct 03, 2020

E1119: Wonderschool CEO Chris Bennett is creating a marketplace for early childhood education & microschools, giving teachers greater access to entrepreneurship & iterating in education Oct 02, 2020

E1118: Emergency Pod! Two former Apple executives are building the iPhone killer – breaking down the leaks, patents & scoops regarding Humane’s product Oct 01, 2020

E1117 The Next Unicorns E20: Citizen CEO Andrew Frame on creating a safer world through access to public data, reforming policing via transparency & more Sep 30, 2020

E1116: Cabana CEO Scott Kubly is building a fleet of hotels-on-wheels, shares insights on scaling an asset-heavy business, providing unique & flexible experiences to customers & more Sep 29, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of September 21st, 2020 Sep 26, 2020

E1115: Emergency Pod! Collapsing state of media corporations, thoughts on Casey Newton, Andrew Sullivan & Bari Weiss departures, top talent leaving for Substack & more Sep 26, 2020

E1114: #AskJason! Silicon Valley exodus, product vs. branding, expanding into adjacent markets, avoiding burnout & more Sep 25, 2020

E1113 The Next Unicorns E19: Loom CEO Joe Thomas is building video for work, shares insights on creating new behaviors, support as a competitive advantage & more Sep 23, 2020

E1112: Emergency Pod! Nikola fraud allegations, Trevor Milton resigns, Jason reflects on Trevor’s answers Sep 22, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of September 14th, 2020 Sep 18, 2020

E1111: Brewster Kahle on archiving the entire Internet, creating the Wayback Machine, protocols over platforms, microschools & more Sep 18, 2020

E1110 The Next Unicorns E18: Ghost Locomotion CEO John Hayes builds self-driving kits for consumer vehicles, shares insights on cameras vs. Lidar, targeting highways, 5G’s impact on self-driving & more Sep 17, 2020

Apply to pitch thousands of angel investors at Remote Demo Day – Coming September 30th Sep 16, 2020

E1109: Ritual CEO Katerina Schneider on creating pure & effective vitamins, standing out in a crowded DTC market, utilizing subscriptions & more Sep 16, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of September 7th, 2020 Sep 12, 2020

E1108: SurveyMonkey CEO Zander Lurie on leading a public company through COVID, championing diversity from the top down, role of a modern CEO & more Sep 12, 2020

E1107 The Next Unicorns E17: Caffeine CEO Ben Keighran on reimagining live TV for younger generations, what makes Apple’s design team so special, remembering Steve Jobs & more Sep 09, 2020

E1106: Desktop Metal CEO Ric Fulop shares insights from taking two companies public, traditional IPO vs. SPAC, future of Computer-aided design & more Sep 08, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of August 31st, 2020 Sep 05, 2020

E1105: Unpacking the US/China Relationship with Foreign Policy & Technology Expert Jacob Helberg Sep 04, 2020

E1104 The Next Unicorns E16: Degreed’s David Blake on reimagining lifelong education, ending credentialism, benefits of early apprenticeship & more Sep 03, 2020

E1103: Domm Holland on launching Fast to the public, creating a one-click checkout for the entire Internet, taking on Apple Pay & more Sep 02, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of August 24th, 2020 Sep 01, 2020

E1102 The Next Unicorns E15: Zero Mass Water CEO Cody Friesen is perfecting drinking water with hydropanels, aiming to create essential resource UBI for the world Aug 29, 2020

E1101: News! Apple vs. Epic Games, TikTok CEO resigns, SPACs, Unicorn IPOs & more with Acquired’s Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal Aug 28, 2020

E1100: Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That on facial recognition advancements, balancing privacy & security, engaging with controversy & more Aug 25, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: Week of August 17th, 2020 Aug 22, 2020

E1099: Basecamp Co-Founder Jason Fried on building Hey, making email exciting again, Hey vs. Apple & more Aug 21, 2020

E1098 The Next Unicorns E14: Cockroach Labs CEO Spencer Kimball on the coming paradigm shifts in tech, competing against AWS & more Aug 19, 2020

E1097: Understanding the travel collapse & how media can thrive going forward with Skift CEO & Founder Rafat Ali Aug 18, 2020

Best of This Week in Startups: August 10th-August 14th, 2020 Aug 15, 2020

E1096: Podcasting State of the Union featuring Overcast’s Marco Arment & Oxford Road’s Dan Granger Aug 14, 2020

E1095 The Next Unicorns E13: Roofstock CEO Gary Beasley is creating the real estate cloud, opening residential investing to millennials & more Aug 12, 2020

E1094: Thrasio Co-CEO Josh Silberstein acquires & operates 60+ Amazon brands, shares insights on mastering the marketplace, competing with AmazonBasics & more Aug 11, 2020

E1093: Keith Rabois on China’s grand plan, TikTok, Taiwan, Big Tech & more Aug 07, 2020

E1092 The Next Unicorns E12: Homebound CEO & Co-Founder Nikki Pechet is solving the home building process by increasing customer experience, helping victims of natural disasters rebuild efficiently Aug 05, 2020

E1091: LAUNCH Accelerator Cohort 17 founders reflect on their journeys throughout the program: Nude Barre (DTC hosiery made for women of all shades), Techmate (On-demand tech support for remote & satellite employees) & Solo (Trucking-as-a-Service) Aug 04, 2020

E1090: Nikola Founder Trevor Milton on competing with Tesla, hydrogen over battery, going public as a pre-revenue company & more Jul 31, 2020

Emergency Pod! Jason Calacanis reacts to Big Tech hearings: Grades for Bezos, Cook, Pichai & Zuckerberg Jul 30, 2020

E1089 The Next Unicorns E11: insitro CEO Daphne Koller is revolutionizing drug discovery via machine learning & data, shares insights on remote education from time at Coursera & more Jul 29, 2020

E1088: Building Zero Fasting with Kevin Rose, properly pricing consumer apps, benefits of fasting & more with Big Sky Health CEO Mike Maser Jul 28, 2020

E1087: Democratizing art as an asset class, indicators of a rapidly appreciating piece of art & more with Masterworks CEO & Founder Scott Lynn Jul 24, 2020

E1086: Supporting founder mental health at Freestyle Capital with Josh Felser, Caren Maio & Mani Kulasooriya Jul 21, 2020

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