This Week in Startups - podcast cover

This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanisthisweekinstartups.com
Jason Calacanis covers startups, tech, markets, media, and all the hottest topics in business and technology. He also interviews the world’s greatest founders, operators, investors, and innovators.
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Episodes

Biden targets big corporations + Tether Investigation with Bitfinex’ed | E1243

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!

Jul 09, 20211 hr 16 min

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

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!

Jul 08, 20211 hr 17 min

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

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!

Jul 01, 20211 hr 18 min

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

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

Jun 29, 20211 hr 4 min

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

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!

Jun 15, 20211 hr 27 min

Zymergen CEO Josh Hoffman on Biofacturing PLUS Founder U Startup Math | E1231

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

Jun 11, 20211 hr 12 min

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

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)

Jun 11, 202148 min

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

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)

Jun 09, 202152 min

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

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

Jun 08, 20211 hr 7 min

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

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.

Jun 03, 202157 min

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

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).

May 25, 20211 hr 27 min

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

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!

May 21, 20211 hr 4 min
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