This Week in Startups

Latest Episodes:

Building brands and community + influencer marketing that actually works with Dee Murthy | E1740 May 11, 2023

Show notes

Dee Murthy joins Jason to discuss the origin of the Group Chat podcast before talking about his new startup, Ghost (1:44). They then delve into fostering a community, staying true to your brand, and more! (30:12)

(0:00) Dee Murthy joins Jason

(1:44) The Origin of Group Chat podcast

(11:32) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(13:06) The impact of the Group Chat podcast

(18:49) The premise of Ghost

(22:57) QuickNode - Get one month free by using code TWIST at https://go.quicknode.com/twist

(24:15) Focusing on your customers and raising capital

(30:12) Fostering a community

(37:26) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist

(39:00) Understanding your brand's voice

(46:09) Effective influencer marketing

(52:01) More on Ghost

FOLLOW Dee: https://twitter.com/deemurthy

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

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https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Reid Hoffman on AI's "crescendo moment," regulation and real-world applications | E1739 May 10, 2023

Show notes

Reid Hoffman joins Jason to discuss AI's current "crescendo moment," and its ability to amplify human capabilities (1:50). Then, they discuss AI regulation, real-world use cases, and much more! (25:55)

(0:00) Reid Hoffman joins Jason

(1:50) AI's "crescendo moment,"

(12:48) Release - Get your first month free at https://release.com/twist

(14:20) AI's ability to amplify human capability

(24:21) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(25:55) Regulating AI

(35:35) Veed - Head to https://www.veed.io/pricing?utm_campaign=TWIS&utm_medium=Marketing&utm_source=YouTube and start creating professional-quality videos in minutes!

(36:45) The future of AI startups and Inflection AI's mission

(44:01) AI's real-world applications

(48:20) Compensating creators and real-world uses for AI

(57:27) Google's ability to compete in the AI race

FOLLOW Reid: https://twitter.com/reidhoffman

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Box CEO Aaron Levie breaks down Box AI and generative AI's impact on business | E1738 May 09, 2023

Show notes

Aaron Levie joins Jason to discuss the launch of Box AI (19:13), AI as a platform shift, its potential effects on employment dynamics (25:53), and much more!

(00:00) Aaron Levie joins Jason

(4:12) Thoughts on the impact and pace of AI

(6:54) Aaron's "Aha!" moment

(10:02) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

(11:33) Getting consent to use data from customers

(13:50) Creating an AI model for early adopters

(19:13) Aaron demos Box AI

(24:33) MasterClass - Get up to 35% off for Mother's Day at https://masterclass.com/startups

(25:53) AI making the workforce more efficient

(33:29) How AI technology affects morale

(36:45) The non-obvious uses of AI

(38:24) Hampton - Join the Hampton community today at http://joinhampton.com/twist

(39:44) The Writers Guild strike in Hollywood

(46:57) Copyright and citations

(53:49) The challenges with Crypto

FOLLOW Aaron: ⁠⁠https://twitter.co/levie

FOLLOW Jason: ⁠https://linktr.ee/calacanis⁠

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

GPT-4 web browsing, plugin demos, AI layoffs + more with Sunny Madra & Vinny Lingham | E1737 May 09, 2023

Show notes

Vinny and Sunny join Jason for another AI roundtable to demo ChatGPT's web browsing capabilities (1:44), discuss AI's effect on productivity and the workforce (13:53), demo Opus Clip and ChatGPT's Zillow plugin (33:44), and more!

(0:00) Vinny and Sunny join Jason

(1:44) GPT-4 web browsing demo

(9:10) Inside.com's AI strategy

(12:22) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(13:53) AI's effect on productivity and the workforce

(23:36) Hyperice - Get $50 off your order of $150 or more with code TWIST50 at http://hyperice.com/

(25:04) Personal use cases for ChatGPT

(30:56) Market Pull

(33:44) Opus Clip demo

(39:55) Trovata - Use code TWIST at https://trovata.io/twist for 30% off one year of premium features, like AI forecasting

(41:08) Synthesia

(43:11) Zillow plugin demo

(49:51) The future of ChatGPT Plugins

FOLLOW Sunny: https://twitter.com/sundeep

FOLLOW Vinny: https://twitter.com/vinnylingham

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

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Mining asteroids with AstroForge CEO Matthew Gialich | E1736 May 05, 2023

Show notes

AstroForge CEO Matthew Gialich joins Jason to discuss his startup's lofty goal of mining Platinum Group Metals from asteroids (1:11). They discuss the recent launch of their Brokkr-1 space vehicle, the company's road map to gather PGMs successfully from space, and SpaceX's impact on the space industry (5:42). Then, Founder University's Kelly Schricker gives a presentation on how to set up a fundraising process for your startup (31:51).

(0:00) AstroForge's Matthew Gialich joins Jason

(1:11) The purpose of mining asteroids

(5:42) Brokkr-1 mission

(10:38) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

(12:09) AstroForge's roadmap

(16:07) Unit economics of hardware-based businesses

(17:38) Scaling Virgin Orbit and Virgin Galactic

(20:51) Pilot - Get 20% off the first 6 months at https://pilot.com/twist

(22:20) The evolution of the space economy

(30:43) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at http://crowdbotics.com/twist

(31:51) How to set up a fundraising process

FOLLOW Matt: https://twitter.com/MattGialich

FOLLOW Kelly: https://twitter.com/KSchricks

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on early rejection, customer focus & AI's future in hospitality | E1735 May 04, 2023

Show notes

Airbnb CEO and Co-Founder Brian Chesky joins Jason to tell the story of Airbnb's early startup struggles (1:29) and discuss how the company has restructured operations to heighten focus on the product and its customers (16:05). They dive into addressing customer complaints, hyper-focused marketing, the AI opportunity for Airbnb, and much more (40:26).

(0:00) Airbnb's Brain Chesky joins Jason

(1:29) Brian's experience with early rejection

(14:48) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(16:05) Airbnb's company structure and focusing on product first

(25:26) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://miro.com/startups

(26:42) Staying focused, getting permission from your customers, and Airbnb's new updates

(38:53) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(40:26) Addressing customer complaints and Brian's philosophy on remote work

(49:23) AI's future in hospitality and Brian's personal experience with ChatGPT

FOLLOW Brian: https://twitter.com/bchesky

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Uber earnings + using AI to revolutionize clinical trials w/ Unlearn.AI's Charles Fisher | E1734 May 03, 2023

Show notes

First up, Jason breaks down Uber's huge Q1 results! (1:21) Then, Unlearn.AI CEO Charles Fisher joins to discuss the advancements his company is making in fast-tracking clinical trials (9:49), how machine learning is used in drug development (16:24), Unlearn's business model (35:24), and more!

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:21) Uber's Q1 earnings

(8:31) QuickNode - Get one month free by using code TWIST at https://go.quicknode.com/twist

(9:49) The foundation of Unlearn.AI

(12:42) Unlearn.AI's impact on the clinical trial process

(14:24) Criticisms of the current clinical trial model

(16:24) ML's Impact on drug discovery

(24:16) CacheFly - Get 10 terabytes free by signing up at https://twist.cachefly.com

(25:42) The data used in the medical system today

(34:05) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(35:24) Unlearn.AI's business model

(40:22) Building a foundational model for health

(44:06) The pace of AI today vs. the previous decade

(46:35) More on Unlearn.AI's business model

(48:15) Creating foundational datasets in health

FOLLOW Charles: https://twitter.com/charleskfisher

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

BuzzFeed vs Gawker, AI's impact on the future of media, and more with Semafor's Ben Smith | E1733 May 02, 2023

Show notes

Jason is joined by Semafor Co-Founder and EIC Ben Smith to dive into his new book and explore the current state of media. They break down BuzzFeed vs Gawker, why media unions might not work (29:35), the future of journalism (36:54), and much more!

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:55) Semafor's Ben Smith joins Jason

(4:27) Ben's career in media

(6:19) The previous era of publishing

(9:13) The significance of BuzzFeed and Gawker

(13:49) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist

(14:53) Gawker's ethos

(19:31) The bet on companies like Facebook for media

(23:25) BuzzFeed's future

(24:51) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at ⁠https://vanta.com/twist

(26:07) Vice and Vox

(29:35) Unions in media

(35:34) iConnections - Get 20% off iConnections Miami 2024 event at https://iConnections.io/twist

(36:54) The clash between journalism and business

(45:34) Broadcast TV and going direct

(46:19) What is happening with Fox and CNN

(52:48) SBF and Semafor

FOLLOW Ben: https://twitter.com/semaforben

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

Demoing the most innovative new ChatGPT features with Sunny Madra and Vinny Lingham | E1732 May 01, 2023

Show notes

Sunny and Vinny are back to break down ChatGPT's latest innovation: the Code Interpreter. They demonstrate its capabilities with two separate datasets on EVs in America and US Bank Failures (10:58) before discussing how platforms like ChatGPT will revolutionize organizational efficiency (31:19).

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(2:06) ChatGPT's new code interpreter

(9:24) OpenPhone - Start your free trial and get 20% off at https://openphone.com/twist

(10:58) ChatGPT's Code Interpreter example with EV data

(23:50) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist

(25:13) The global GPU shortage

(28:10) ChatGPT's Code Interpreter example with US Bank Failures

(31:19) How ChatGPT will change the modern-day organization

(38:55) Release - Get your first month free at https://release.com/twist

(40:27) Getting more efficient with ChatGPTs new updates

(47:53) Web browsing with ChatGPT

(56:11) How this technology will enable people