This Week in Startups

Latest Episodes:

Andy Jassy's lobbying efforts, small US cities enticing remote workers, Phaidra Series A | E1511 Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Today, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is celebrating his one-year anniversary, and the NYT published an interesting profile that has a lot to do with regulatory scrutiny (3:01). Then we cover the boom of remote work incentive programs all over the US to attract remote tech workers (27:00). And, we get into an awesome new company called Phaidra in our Series A segment… some former DeepMind engineers started an awesome machine learning company (40:16). And we wrap with a great story about retail investors who have the same thesis as Jason (47:51).

(0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's show

(3:01) NYT published a profile of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on his one-year anniversary of becoming CEO, and it had some interesting tidbits

(12:28) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedIn.com/twist 13:44 More on the legislation discussed in the NYT article

(21:37) Microsoft for Startups Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(22:54) Bezos is running for president (prediction)

(27:00) WSJ reported 71 cities and towns in the US are now offering remote work incentive programs

(37:19) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist

(38:33) Producer Nick chimes in on remote workers in Manhattan

(40:16) Series A: Phaidra s a startup selling machine learning software that regulates temperatures at power plants and industrial factories

(47:51) WSJ reported some amateur investors see the declining state of the stock market as a chance to double down

(56:08) Over the weekend Jason tweeted, "Terrify your investors in 5 words." These were the best replies

Taking the leap on valuation, strategic retreats (VC School), + more | E1510 Jul 17, 2022

Show notes

On today's episode of VC Sunday School, Molly asks Jason about taking the leap on valuation (2:10) and best practices for strategic retreats (11:41). Then, Molly speaks with Meiling Gao and David Lu of Clarity Movement, to talk about their hardware for measuring air quality (33:25).

(0:00) Jason and Molly intro today's show!

(2:10) VCSS: Taking the leap on valuation

(10:28) Embroker - Get an extra 10% off insurance for your business at https://Embroker.com/twist

(11:41) VCSS: strategic retreats

(27:44) Microacquire - Sell your business with no fees at https://try.microacquire.com/twist

(29:01) VCSS Bonus Round: Does age matter in founders?

(32:15) Molly tees up This Week in Climate Startups

(33:25) TWiCS: David Lu + Meiling Gao of Clarity Movement

(38:00) Brave - download Brave today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more.

(39:17) TWiCS: More on Clarity Movement's air pollution measurement hardware

(57:49) Outro + Plugs

$AMZN considers dropping "Basics", FCC Commissioner Carr on banning TikTok + more | E1509 Jul 16, 2022

Show notes

Today, we cover the WSJ reporting on Amazon thinking of exiting the private-label business entirely (2:26). Then, Jason talks to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr about banning TikTok in the US (15:23). And of course, we wrap with another episode of OK Boomer from Producer Rachel (56:17).

Check out BuzzFeed's report on TikTok: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-tapes-us-user-data-china-bytedance-access

(0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's show

(2:26) WSJ spoke to anonymous sources who told them Amazon is talking about exiting the private-label business entirely

(14:09) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(15:23) Jason speaks with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr about potentially banning TikTok in the US

(21:56) Prometheus - Go to Prometheusalts.com or download it on the App Store and use the access code TWIST to sign up!

(24:14) Reciprocity with a potential TikTok ban

(31:55) UserTesting - Get real human insights from customers, try for free today at https://usertesting.com/twist

(33:06) Should the military ban on TikTok mean it should be banned by Google and Apple?

(44:40) Concerns over DJI drones

(56:17) Producer Rachel tees up this week's OK Boomer segment

(1:01:10) OKB: Producer Rachel speaks with Eric Button, co-founder of Contrast

(1:20:42) Outro + Plugs

Jay Trading, Stripe valuation cut, $NFLX ads, $PTON outsourcing, + more | E1508 Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

Today, Jason makes his first investment in our new Jay Trading segment (which is not investing advice), and Jason and Molly break it down (3:22). Then, we do a little segment called "Series A & M&A" (24:40)! We also cover Stripe's 409A valuation (37:52). And of course, we have to cover the Netflix + Microsoft partnership (45:50). Finally, we wrap with Peloton outsourcing their hardware manufacturing (57:00).

(0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's show!

(3:22) Jay Trading: Bill Gurley bought ~1M shares of Stitch Fix yesterday for a total of $5.4M and the stock popped as much as 15% on the news

(14:17) Liquid I.V. - Feel better faster. Get 25% off at https://liquid-iv.com using promo code TWIST

(15:30) Talking revenue and profit

(23:18) Wealthfront - Get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life at https://wealthfront.com/TWIST

(24:40) Series A and M&A: You.com

(35:59) Harmonic - Get $4000 off at harmonic.ai/twist

(37:52) WSJ reports that Stripe just cut its internal valuation by 28%

(45:50) Netflix named Microsoft as its global advertising technology and sales partner

(57:00) Peloton is going to stop making its own bikes and tread machines, opting to outsource all manufacturing to Taiwan

(1:06:00) M&A: Battery Ventures announced a $3.8 billion raise

(1:15:07) Outro + Plugs

The Blueprint E1: Branding yourself, + Jeffrey Pfeffer on the 7 Rules of Power | E1507 Jul 14, 2022

Show notes

Today we kick off our new series, "The Blueprint." Jason gives practical advice on how to brand yourself (1:33). Then, Jason sits down with Stanford professor and author Jeffrey Pfeffer to talk about his new book, "7 Rules of Power: Surprising--but True--Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career" (14:36).

(0:00) Jason tees up today's show!

(1:33) The Blueprint E1: branding yourself

(13:39) Visa. Learn more about Visa's online Small Business Hub at Visa.com/smallbusinesshub.

(14:36) Jeffrey Pfeffer speaks about his book "7 rules of Power"

(28:26) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups

(29:56) Break the rules: Why are people so uncomfortable breaking the rules?

(37:41) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist

(38:58) Show up in a powerful fashion: body language

(41:45) Building a brand

(50:12) Use your power

(53:53) Trump using his power

(56:46) Once you have power, what you did will be forgiven forgotten or both

(1:01:42) Q&A: how do introverts exert power?

(1:02:46) Best networking tips

3AC liquidation chaos, Taibbi's USDC deep dive, startup employee advice + more | E1506 Jul 13, 2022

Show notes

First, we break down the 3AC situation where the founders were reportedly MIA for about 12 hours (1:52). It's a complex situation, and we try and make sense of it. Then, we cover Matt Taibbi's deep-dive article on Circle (8:10). Jason also gives his thoughts on a recent Twitter thread about how to succeed as a low-level startup employee (33:27). And we wrap with a little M&A story from Spotify (40:50)!

(0:00) Jason tees up today's topics!

(1:52) Bloomberg reported that liquidators in charge of handling Three Arrow Capitals bankruptcy have NOT been able to locate the founders

(8:10) Investigative reporter Matt Taibbi spent time researching the Crypto Crash, and warns against investing in Circle's stablecoin USDC

(11:51) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(13:08) Red flags Taibbi found

(24:11) Embroker - Get an extra 10% off insurance for your business at https://Embroker.com/twist

(25:25) Making sense of the crypto crash

(32:16) Assure - To get 20% off your first Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) visit https://Assure.co/twist

(33:27) Zach Weinberg had an interesting thread about how to stand out as a low or mid-level startup employee

(40:50) Spotify has acquired a Wordle-like daily game for your ears called: Heardle!

(46:56) Previewing the week ahead

(53:17) Outro + Plugs!

Twitter deal called off, Uber leaks, + Apple Car setbacks | E1505 Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Today we talk about the Elon Musk & Twitter deal-or-no-deal (2:14). Then we get into two big pieces of Uber news today: first, over a hundred thousand leaked documents about Uber's aggressive expansion efforts back in the early days (20:47), and second, present-day Uber under Dara is testing out geo-located ads (33:18). Finally, we've also got some insider dirt from Apple's autonomous car efforts (49:20).

(0:00) Jason and Molly intro today's show

(2:14) Elon Musk calls off the Twitter deal

(12:49) Dell For Startups - Apply for Dell for Startups and get an additional 10% off of all Dell Latitude products at http://dell.com/twist

(13:58) Is Twitter a niche product?

(19:28) This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp - Get 10% off your first month at https://betterhelp.com/twist

(20:47) The Guardian obtained 124,000 leaked internal documents from Uber's global expansion phase under Travis

(32:04) Thorne - Personalized, science-back wellness. Get 10% off your first order at thorne.com/u/TWIST

(33:18) Uber is testing its ad business

(49:20) Apple Car project has faced repeated setbacks

(58:39) Outro + Plugs

Molly's first 6 months as an investor (VC School), + EV battery recycling | E1504 Jul 10, 2022

Show notes

For today's VC Sunday School, Jason asks Molly what she's learned in her first six months as a venture capitalist (1:59). Then, on This Week in Climate Startups, Molly speaks with siblings Steven and Zora Chung of ReJoule about EV battery recycling (18:52).

(0:00) Jason and Molly intro the show

(1:59) VCSS: Molly's first 6 months as an investor recap

(14:06) Bubbles - Get your point across with unlimited screen and video recordings for free at https://usebubbles.com/twist

(15:24) Toss to TWiCS

(18:52) TWiCS: Zora and Steven Chung, co-founders of ReJoule

(22:51) Brave - Download Brave today at http://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more

(24:08) Explaining the ReJoule technology like we're 10

(30:03) iTrust Capital - Visit https://itrust.capital/twist to create your Crypto IRA today

(31:06) What's ReJoule's business model?

(44:18) Outro + Plugs

Frost Giant CEO Tim Morten on gaming business models, Esports & more | E1503 Jul 09, 2022

Show notes

Today, Jason sits down with Frost Giant CEO Tim Morten to discuss the gaming business models, Esports, and more (1:50). Then, on this week's OK Boomer segment, Producer Rachel speaks with Richard Mensah, co-founder of Salley, about being an international founder (1:09:45).

(0:00) Jason and Molly introduce today's show

(1:50) Jason speaks with Production Director & CEO of Frost Giant, Tim Morten

(11:15) PolicyGenius - Head to https://www.policygenius.com to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save

(12:25) Running a game studio as a startup

(21:54) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(23:09) Business model changes in the gaming industry

(30:40) Intercom - Get advanced Intercom features and Early Stage Academy at a 95% discount https://www.intercom.com/early-stage

(32:56) Raising money as a gaming startup

(1:09:45) Producer Rachel tees up this week's OK Boomer

(1:12:37) OKB: Richard Mensah, Co-Founder of Salley, on being an international founder

(1:36:51) Outro + Plugs

Balwani found guilty, Crypto crash updates, + Turkey's rare earth discovery | E1502 Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

First, we cover some breaking news: Theranos ex-president Sunny Balwani has been found guilty of fraud (2:27). Then we dive into crypto: those responsible for the lack of crypto regulation in the US might also have significant crypto investments themselves, and the US is currently trying to change that (13:42). Then a big class-action lawsuit hits Solana and takes aim at VCs (23:09). But it's not all bad news, we cover the Turkish government claiming it just discovered almost 700M metric tons of rare earth materials (39:29). And finally, our startup of the day is a job board for warehouse workers (49:27)!

(0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's topics!

(2:27) Sunny Balwani found guilty of fraud

(12:26) Microsoft for Startups Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

(13:42) US officials that invest in crypto can't work on crypto-related policies and regulation that could affect the value of their assets

(21:42) Masterworks - Skip the waitlist to invest in art using promo code TWIST at https://Masterworks.io/twist

(23:09) Key players in the Solana ecosystem are being accused of illegally profiting off the blockchain's token SOL

(36:05) Crypto firm Uprise lost 99% of customer funds trying to short LUNA tokens during the Terra/Luna collapse last month

(38:12) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(39:29) The Turkish government is claiming it just discovered almost 700M metric tons of rare earth materials

(49:27) SotD: Traba has a job board that helps entry-level workers find shifts at fulfillment centers and event venues

(53:41) Outro + Plugs!

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