This Week in Startups

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Building for the circular economy and the future of shopping with Poshmark's Manish Chandra | E1805 Sep 09, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

.Tech domains are the go-to namespace to build anything in tech… and home to the world's most innovative startups. Secure your .Tech domain today and lock down a 1-year domain for $10, or a 5-year domain for $50 at https://go.tech/TWIST today!

Plunge. Go to https://plunge.com and use code twist150 for $150 off your cold plunge tub.

Today's show:

Poshmark CEO Manish Chandra joins Jason to discuss the expansion of the "Circular Economy" (2:47), consumer-to-consumer shopping (18:30), building a community with Poshmark (32:59), and much more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Poshmark CEO Manish Chandra joins Jason

(2:47) The expansion of the "Circular Economy" and what drives consumers towards Poshmark

(6:31) The most popular shopping categories and Poshmark's day one vision

(11:51) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(13:20) Impact of the fast fashion movement

(20:56) Global shipping and areas for optimization

(24:38) Poshmark introducing live shows

(27:04) .Tech Domains - Apply to get your startup featured on This Week in Startups at https://startups.tech/jason

(28:12) The social shopping space

(32:59) Important factors in building a community

(37:52) Plunge - Go to https://plunge.com and use code twist150 for $150 off

(39:20) Lessons learned from Manish's entrepreneurial journey

FOLLOW Manish: https://twitter.com/marrc

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Sequoia's Roelof Botha on "Crucible Moments" and the state of VC | E1804 Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Supergut is the easiest and tastiest way clinically-proven to regulate digestion, curb cravings, and boost energy. Get 30% off their delicious shakes, bars, and fiber mix at Supergut.com with code TWIST.

Coda. A new doc that brings words, tables and teams together. All your valuable data, plans, objectives, and strategies in one place. Go to https://coda.io/twist to get a $1,000 credit!

Mercury. 90 percent of startups fail — 90 percent. Just 10 out of every 100 make it. Mercury exists to close that gap — helping companies succeed with banking and credit cards engineered for the startup journey. Join over 100,000 companies banking with Mercury at http://mercury.com

Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

Today's show: Roelof Botha joins Jason to discuss the state of VC (3:35), Sequoia's new series "Crucible Moments" (9:31), and much more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Sequoia Capital's Roelof Botha joins Jason

(3:35) The state of the Silicon Valley ecosystem

(8:00) Supergut - Get 30% off with code TWIST at https://supergut.com

(9:31) "Crucible Moments" and their significance

(14:31) Pre-IPO vs. Post-IPO market values

(18:10) Founder ambition and mistakes made during "Crucible Moments"

(22:25) The importance of founders starting narrow and what makes a great VC in tech

(27:20) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist

(28:49) Commonalities between the AI boom and the crypto boom

(33:31) U.S. frameworks regarding crypto

(37:10) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://mercury.com

(38:23) The milestone-based reward system in venture capital

(43:24) Taking over as head steward at Sequoia Capital

(56:02) "Crucible Moments" at Sequoia

(1:05:57) Maintaining consistency in life and venture

FOLLOW Roelof: https://twitter.com/roelofbotha

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

David Sacks and Ethan Ruby on launching SaaSGrid | E1803 Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

House of Macadamias is the next big health trend! Get 20% off your first purchase and a free box of Namibian Sea Salted Macadamia Nuts at houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code twist20!

Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at vanta.com/twist

Fitbod. Tired of doing the same workouts at the gym? Fitbod will build you personalized workouts that help you progress with every set. Get 25% off your subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up now at fitbod.me/TWIST.

Today's show:

SaaSGrid Co-Founders Ethan Ruby and David Sacks join Jason to demo SaaSGrid and break down the solution it provides for founders (3:12). They also cover the software recession (26;18), AI's impact on SaaS (36:41), and much more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) David Sacks and Ethan Ruby join Jason

(3:12) The solution SaaSGrid provides for founders

(7:02) Ethan demos SaaSGrid

(9:25) House of Macadamias - Get 20% off and a free box of Namibian Sea Salted Macadamia Nuts at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20

(10:45) Burn multiple and startup efficiency

(16:27) Fixed cost of a SaaS business today and major roadblocks in SaaS

(20:40) Determining target customers and when outbound makes sense

(25:10) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(26:18) Headwinds against SaaS and the software recession

(30:12) The MRR chart and analyzing contraction and churn

(35:13) Fitbod - Get 25% off at https://fitbod.me/twist

(36:41) AI's impact on SaaS companies

(41:47) The ZIRP/COVID-19 bubble and founders skipping funding rounds

(44:37) The 3 MOST important things for SaaS companies to pay attention to

Check out SaaSGrid: https://www.saasgrid.com/

FOLLOW Ethan: https://twitter.com/ethanjruby

FOLLOW David: https://twitter.com/DavidSacks

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Next Unicorns: Preventing future fraud using AI with Sardine CEO Soups Ranjan | E1802 Sep 05, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

LinkSquares. Life for in-house legal just got a whole lot easier. From contract creation to execution and more, LinkSquares is the go-to for all your legal needs. Learn more at https://linksquares.com/twist

LinkedIn Marketing. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to https://LinkedIn.com/nextunicorn

Roots. Invest in the only real estate investment trust that creates wealth for you and its residents at https://investwithroots.com/twist

Today's show:

Sardine CEO and Co-Founder Soups Ranjan joins Jason to discuss the potential harms of generative AI re: fraud (9:53), the value of intrinsic AI (29:48), Sardine's fraud-prevention solution (26:02), and much more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Sardine CEO Soups Ranjan joins Jason

(6:11) What Soups learned from his time as Coinbase's director of risk management and data science

(8:36) LinkSquares - The go-to for all your legal needs. Learn more at https://⁠linksquares.com/twist

(9:53) Fraud in finance and spotting bad actors

(15:03) "Pig Butchering" scams and Kitboga's crackdown

(24:35) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/nextunicorn

(26:02) Using machine learning to prevent future fraud

(29:48) Extrinsic AI vs. intrinsic AI and doomsday scenarios

(33:53) What sets Sardine apart from other companies

(35:19) Roots - Head to https://investwithroots.com/TWIST to sign up and start investing today!

(36:53) Overlap in techniques, actors, etc. in fraud protection

Check out Sardine: https://www.sardine.ai/

FOLLOW Soups: https://twitter.com/soupsranjan

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Building a blood-testing startup in 2023 with Vital CEO Vasu Nadella | E1801 Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Lemon.io - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to LinkedIn.com/TWIST to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

Today's show:

Vital Biosciences CEO Vasu Nadella joins Jason to discuss exactly how Vital's "VitalOne" conducts 50+ blood tests with a small sample of blood (9:16), building investor trust in the wake of past industry failures (18:45), creating accessible care (40:35), and much more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Vital Biosciences CEO and Co-Founder Vasu Nadella joins Jason

(1:18) Theranos' background and what prompted Vasu to pursuit

(7:56) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(9:16) Vasu demos how the VitalOne works, lessons learned on Vital's journey

(18:45) Scaling the company, raising a war chest, building trust in the product, benchmarking and governance for labs

(27:36) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist

(29:07) State of lab robotics, paths for incorporating AI into Vital's technology, benefits of converging technologies

(39:16) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist

(40:35) Creating accessible modern lab testing

(45:38) Consumer behavior and the outcome of consumers controlling spend

Check out Vital Bio: https://vitalbio.com

FOLLOW Vasu: https://twitter.com/vasunadella

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Bootstrapping to IPO, product-led growth, & scaling SaaS with Atlassian's Scott Farquhar | E1800 Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Supergut is the only nutrition brand clinically-proven to improve digestion, balance blood sugar, sustain energy, and manage weight. Save 25% on their delicious shakes, bars, and prebiotic mix at Supergut.com with code TWIST.

Miro. Working remotely doesn't mean you need to feel disconnected from your team. Miro is an online whiteboard that brings teams together - anytime, anywhere. Go to https://miro.com/startups to sign up for a FREE account with unlimited team members.

Today's show:

Atlassian Co-CEO Scott Farquhar joins Jason to break down how he and his Co-Founder bootstrapped Atlassian to an IPO (1:34), his lessons from acquiring, growing and eventually selling HipChat (13:43), thoughts on product-led growth (29:27), generative AI tools for the enterprise (39:43), and more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Atlassian Co-CEO Scott Farquhar joins Jason!

(1:34) Atlassian origins, bootstrapping to IPO

(12:22) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

(13:43) Lessons from HipChat: Acquiring and growing the service, selling to Slack, what Scott would do differently

(19:39) Atlassian's two playbooks: bootstrapping and aggressive growth

(27:57) Supergut - Get 25% off with code TWIST at https://supergut.com

(29:27) How product-led growth leads to a sharper product team, how Atlassian is thinking about LLMs and generative AI

(38:20) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://miro.com/startups

(39:43) Remaining flexible re: AI tools, utilizing customer data, when to expect major knowledge work breakthroughs in AI

(47:27) How Scott thinks about AI, remote work, and efficiency

(1:01:39) Staying motivated in Atlassian's third decade

Check out Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com

FOLLOW Scott: https://twitter.com/scottfarkas

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Next Unicorns: Developing drugs to extend dog lifespans with Loyal CEO Celine Halioua | E1799 Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Fount. Do you want access to the performance protocols that pro athletes and special ops use? With Fount, an elite military operator supercharges your focus, sleep, recovery, and longevity, all powered by your unique data. Want a true edge in work and life? Go to fount.bio/TWIST for $500 off.

LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to http://linkedin.com/unicorn to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

Catalog. Stop wasting time and money with expensive design firms and unreliable freelancers! Get fast, 3-day turnarounds for a flat monthly fee with Catalog! Get $1200 off right now at https://trycatalog.com/twist

Today's show:

Loyal CEO and Founder Celine Halioua joins Jason to discuss developing drugs that delay dog aging (10:19), lessons learned as a solo founder (49:34), and much more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Loyal CEO Celine Halioua joins Jason

(1:43) The human dream of achieving life extension

(4:37) Celine's background

(8:48) Fount - Get $500 off at https://fount.bio/twist

(10:19) Why Celine decided to start with a focus on dogs

(16:43) Wegovy, Ozempic, and the category of drugs that Loyal is developing

(20:44) Breaking down how the drugs work and the consequences of selective breeding

(24:21) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/unicorn

(25:36) Stem cell therapy and the placebo effect

(33:29) Environmental factors to consider in drug development

(37:05) The path to commercialization

(39:27) Catalog - Get $1200 off right now at https://trycatalog.com/twist

(40:56) Staying intellectually curious and the path to commercialization continued

(46:11) Hitting Series A milestones with less than $500K of the original $5M raised in seed round

(49:34) Lessons learned as a solo founder

Follow Celine: https://twitter.com/celinehalioua

Check out Loyal: https://loyalfordogs.com/

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

NEWS: Instacart and Klaviyo file for IPO, State of VC distributions, AI lawsuits | E1798 Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Carta now lets you launch and administer SPVs for your syndicate. Share your knowledge, capital, and network to launch your syndicate SPVs through Carta. Get 10% off your first SPV at carta.com/twist with promo code TWIST.

Roots. Invest in the only real estate investment trust that creates wealth for you and its residents at investwithroots.com/twist

Today's show:

Jason breaks down the exit market for LPs (8:57), Instacart and Klaviyo's IPOs (22:13), writers suing OpenAI and Meta (50:15), and more!

Time stamps:

(0:00) Producer Nick joins Jason

(2:27) The significance of Instacart and Klaviyo's IPO filings

(5:41) The VC exit market

(7:50) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(8:57) The exit market for LPs and over-indexing in venture

(13:57) VC bloat and current state of the market

(20:39) Carta - Get 10% off your first SPV at https://carta.com/twist with promo code TWIST

(22:13) Breaking down Instacart's S-1

(28:56) Ad dollars moving to new platforms and the importance of being close to the sale

(33:26) Instacart GTV tail off

(36:30) Roots - Head to investwithroots.com/TWIST to sign up and start investing today!

(38:03) Breaking down Klaviyo's S-1

(44:09) Why it is crucial for founders to retain ownership early on

(50:15) Writers suing OpenAI; are broad-based LLMs trained on tons of data becoming a liability?

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

NEWS: Nvidia's insane earnings beat, Arm's IPO filing, and more! | E1797 Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Crowdbotics. Great ideas can change the world, and Crowdbotics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code. Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist

Today's show:

Jason breaks down Nvidia smashing its quarterly earnings (3:58), Arm filing its F-1 (26:38), how founders should vet accelerators (56:10), and more! (1:03:53)

Time stamps:

(0:00) Producer Nick joins Jason

(3:58) Nvidia obliterating their Q2 earnings

(8:33) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist

(10:01) The earnings report's effects on stock, induced traffic, and the "sell the news" strategy

(16:02) Breaking down the numbers and the market cap chart

(21:31) Overcorrection in big tech companies, the rolling recession, and Nvidia as a momentum stock

(25:07) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist

(26:38)Arm filing its F-1 and SoftBank's deal with Vision Fund

(34:39) Arm's business model and the risks of whale customers

(37:53) Fitbod - Get 25% off at https://fitbod.me/twist

(39:22) Arm China's risk to Arm

(46:17) The role of startup accelerators

(49:36) The constant complaints about YC valuations on YC demo day

(53:40) How raising at too high a valuation can lead to getting caught in a valuation trap

(56:10) The Fulcrum venture accelerator "scam" and how founders should vet accelerators

(1:03:53) The greatest bag securer of all time!

(1:13:41) Ryan Breslow's "corporate wrongdoing"

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST: