This Week in Startups

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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).

Reacting to Tether's CNBC interview, Netflix earnings + Vincent's Slava Rubin on alt assets | E1250 Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

In the news segment, Jason reacts to the Tether CTO & General Counsel's interview on CNBC (2:22) and digs in to Netflix's latest earnings report (37:35). Then, Vincent founder Slava Rubin joins to discuss all things alternative assets (44:26), his work founding Indiegogo, Launch's investment, trading cards (1:17:19) & more.

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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!

Education's war on excellence, AWS atrophy, France fines Google + AppHarvest's Josh Lessing | E1245 Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

Jason covers the war on excellence in public education (2:05), signs of AWS maturity (19:04), France's $592M antitrust fine for Google (30:28). Then discusses AI Farms with AppHarvest CTO Josh Lessing (47:43) covering building with robots (1:16:03), improved crop yields (1:24:43), climate change & more.

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

Show notes

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.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected