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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

How VCs think about deploying reserves & follow-on funding + Quaise CEO Carlos Araque | E1546

Sunday show! On VC Sunday School, J+M discuss how VCs deploy reserves for follow-on funding. (1:58) Then, Molly interviews Quaise CEO & Co-Founder Carlos Araque about his geothermal drilling business! (24:02) (0:00) J+M tee up segments for Sunday! (1:58) Jason and Molly talk about how VCs deploy reserves for follow-on funding and bankroll management (10:31) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist (11:47) Golden State Warriors impact on...

Aug 28, 202250 min

Twitter adds podcasting, Chatter.dev Founder Pete Oxenham + OK Boomer with Danny Miranda | E1545

Friday Variety Show! First up J+M break down Twitter adding podcasting to the platform and what this means for the product and for the podcasting industry. (2:14) Then, LAUNCH portfolio founder Pete Oxenham joins to discuss his SaaS startup, Chatter.dev, with Molly. (26:48) Finally, Rachel wraps the show with another edition of OK Boomer, featuring Danny Miranda. (38:25) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:14) Twitter adds podcasting to "Spaces" (15:08) Babbel - Save up to 60% off your langua...

Aug 26, 20221 hr 11 min

$PTON & $SNOW earnings divergence + Streaming news with Lon Harris: HBO, MoviePass & more | E1544

Big show! First up J+M break down two pandemic darlings on two totally different paths: $PTON and $SNOW (2:26). Then, Lon Harris joins to talk about HBO's record breaking House of the Dragon premiere (27:12), MoviePass returning (47:16), and more! (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:26) Peloton earnings breakdown: it's getting grim, so J+M brainstormed on where the company can go from here, stock was down over 20% (16:26) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/t...

Aug 26, 20221 hr 3 min

Student loan debate, Zuck copies BeReal, Twitter whistleblower + Blueprint Part 7 | E1543

First up, J+M break down the news, incl: Student loan forgiveness (2:30), Zuck copying BeReal (20:21), the Twitter whistleblower's allegations (36:32), and a climate company's Series A! (1:04:49) Then, Jason wraps the show with another edition of The Blueprint! (1:16:43) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:30) Student loan forgiveness (16:37) Brave - Download today at https://brave.com/twist to browse faster, search privately and so much more (17:57) "Bailout culture" (20:21) Instagram copies...

Aug 25, 20221 hr 47 min

Crypto Roundtable: Shkreli's new web3 project, ETH merge, Gensler goes after DeFi protocols | E1542

J+M are joined by Sunny Madra and Vinny Lingham for another crypto roundtable! They cover the following topics: Shkreli's new web3 project (1:50), distributed computing projects (16:08), ETH merge (38:00), Gensler's comments (44:57), and more! (0:00) Molly tees up today's roundtable guests! (1:50) Martin Shkreli's new web3 project (14:46) Revelo - Get 20% off the first 3 months by mentioning TWIST at https://revelo.io/twist (16:08) Breaking down other distributed computing projects: Helium, File...

Aug 23, 202258 min

FTX's leaked financials, $AMZN ramps up healthcare interest + Swayed Founder Arjun Shokeen | E1541

Back with a big Monday news show: Jason and Molly recap last week's All-In (2:09), before covering FTX's leaked financials (17:19), Amazon potentially going further into healthcare (40:34), and more M&A in the e-commerce space. (58:55) Then, Molly wraps the show by interviewing LAUNCH portfolio founder Arjun Shokeen, Founder and CEO of Swayed (1:11:27). (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:09) All-In recap, Climate Syndicate, and more (16:10) Neo.Tax - Get $500 off R&D tax credit fees at...

Aug 23, 20221 hr 25 min

How VCs evaluate pre-launch startups + Mycocycle's Joanne Rodriguez | E1540

Sunday show! First up, Jason breaks down how VCs evaluate pre-launch startups (1:54) and startups that are going after a market that doesn't exist yet. (15:21) Then, Molly is joined by Mycocycle CEO and Founder Joanne Rodriguez to talk about developing fungi-powered toxic waste removal and raw material generation! (30:36) (0:00) Molly intros today's segments! (1:54) VC Sunday School: How Jason evaluates pre-launch startups (13:46) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months...

Aug 21, 202254 min

Ask Jason + LegalQ founder Zeb Anderson + OK Boomer | E1539

Friday variety show! First up, Jason answers your questions on VCs investing in a downturn, winning founder qualities, and more. (1:24) Then, Molly interviews LAUNCH founder Zeb Anderson about his legal startup LegalQ. (16:36) Producer Rachel wraps the show with another edition of OK Boomer! (26:59) (0:00) Molly intros the Friday variety show! (1:24) Ask Jason: Why VCs slow investment pace in a downturn (7:00) Ask Jason: What qualities make Jason invest in a founder a second time after a failure...

Aug 20, 202259 min

Apple's new feature & potential ads business + more HBO Max layoffs & chaos | E1538

New segment alert! J+M debut "Little Big Things" to highlight a unique new feature from Apple (1:46), before breaking down the company ramping up its ads business and what that means for consumers. (10:49) Then, Lon Harris joins to break down all things streaming. (21:20) (0:00) J+M intro today's segments! (1:46) New segment! Little Big Things: Apple News audio stories (9:42) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (10:49) Apple's potential ads b...

Aug 19, 20221 hr 2 min

Reaction to Adam Neumann's $350M raise, Boom Supersonic's new deal + The Blueprint Part 6 | E1537

J+M kick off the show by discussing the reaction to Adam Neumann's $350M raise (1:40), before covering Boom Supersonic's new deal with American Airlines (24:59), and a Startup of the Day. (41:55) Jason wraps the show solo for part 6 of The Blueprint, where he covers getting ahead of trends! (48:06) (0:00) J+M intro today's segments! (1:40) Thoughts on the reaction to Adam Neumann's $350M raise from a16z, including a NY Post article that Jason was quoted in (12:45) WorkOS - Go to https://workos.c...

Aug 18, 20221 hr 4 min

Debating Apple's return to work & Jason's WFH playbook, $META partners with $DASH & more | E1536

J+M have a big debate over remote work: including covering Apple's return to work policy, Malcolm Gladwell's comments, Jason's WFH playbook, and much more. Then, they cover Meta's new partnership with DoorDash for Facebook Marketplace deliveries, and a Jay Trading update! (1:05:19) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (1:57) Apple will be sending all corporate employees back to the office in September + J+M debate Malcolm Gladwell's comments on remote work (12:45) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST...

Aug 17, 20221 hr 21 min

Adam Neumann raises $350M from a16z for his new startup Flow, Bay Area housing hypocrisy | E1535

Molly is back for a HUGE news days! Adam Neumann has raised $350M from a16z for his new startup Flow (2:14), and his main investor, Marc Andreessen, got into some hot water over housing policy hypocrisy! (22:05) (0:00) Molly is back! J+M intro today's topics! (2:14) Jason and Molly catch up Molly's vacation and the craziness of the past week (12:36) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist (13:56) Adam Neumann's new residential real estate company Flow has raise...

Aug 16, 20221 hr 12 min

Self-destructive traits of VCs & founders + Air Protein CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson | E1534

First up, Molly and Jason break down self-destructive founder and VC traits (1:37). Then, Molly interviews Air Protein CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson on how they turn carbon dioxide into protein and how they are innovating in the booming alternative meat space! (21:42) (0:00) Jason intros the Sunday show! (1:37) VC Sunday School: Self-destructive founder tendencies (9:15) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist (10:45) Self-destructive investor tenden...

Aug 14, 202245 min

Howard Lindzon reviews Jason's portfolio & breaks down public/private investing + OK Boomer | E1533

Howard Lindzon joins to talk about the different mindsets and skillsets of public and private market investors and breaks down what the future of the blockchain might look like. (1:39) Then, Producer Rachel is back with another OK Boomer segment, interviewing Ben Smith of Goal House NYC! (1:20:52) (0:00) Jason tees up today's segments! (1:39) Howard Lindzon joins and breaks down the differences between public and private investing mindsets (12:21) UserTesting - Get real human insights from custo...

Aug 13, 20221 hr 40 min

$DIS earnings, Disney vs Netflix & streaming strategies with Lon Harris + Ephemeral Tattoos | E1532

Lon Harris joins the show for a full streaming industry breakdown, including $DIS earnings, $WBD drama, streaming strategies, and more! (1:59) Then, Molly interviews Ephemeral CEO Jeff Liu on building a high-quality temporary tattoo solution. (1:09:00) (0:00) Jason tees up today's segments! (1:59) Jason welcome Lon Harris to talk misaligned media incentives and Trump coverage (12:45) MicroAcquire - Sell your business with no fees at https://try.microacquire.com/twist (14:05) Hulu's new film Prey...

Aug 12, 20221 hr 30 min

State of the crypto market, Tornado Cash blacklisted, $COIN Q2 + The Blueprint Part 5 | E1531

Sunny Madra and Vinny Lingham join Jason for a fully loaded crypto market breakdown (1:40). Topics covered include: Tornado Cash being blacklisted by the US Treasury Dept, Coinbase Q2 earnings, smart crypto regulation, fixing early-stage crypto governance, and more! Jason wraps the show with Part 5 of The Blueprint: Generalists vs. Specialists. (1:21:44) (0:00) Jason intros today's segments: crypto roundtable and The Blueprint! (1:40) Current state of the crypto market after the massive pullback...

Aug 11, 20221 hr 40 min

VC market overview, Vision Fund impact, Amazon's core businesses & more with Acquired | E1530

Acquired's Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal join the show to discuss how they think about public market investments (1:43), VC token sales (27:25), a VC market overview (45:40), the Vision Fund's impact on Silicon Valley (1:00:33), and Amazon's core pillars! (1:13:21) (0:00) Jason intros today's guests and topics: Crossover Pod with Acquired! (1:43) Private markets overview, Jay Trading, Ben's investment thesis for TSMC and Shopify (13:44) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insuran...

Aug 10, 20221 hr 25 min

SoftBank's Vision Fund loses $21B+, DTC brands struggle + NutriSense CEO Alex Skryl | E1529

Jason breaks down SoftBank's Vision Fund losing $21B+ last quarter and reflects on how founders should approach raising capital from megafunds. (2:11) Then, Jason reflects on lessons learned from the tough DTC space (27:05) and gives a quick Jay Trading update! (36:17). To wrap, NutriSense CEO Alex Skryl joins J+M to break down the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring! (47:37) (0:00) Jason tees up today's solo news + founder interview! (2:11) Jason breaks down SoftBank's Vision Fund losing ...

Aug 09, 20221 hr 14 min

Why some VCs won't invest in first-time founders + $369B carve-out for climate/energy | E1528

First up on VC Sunday School, J+M cover the stigma around investing in first-time founders: Is it a myth? What are the pros and cons? What really matters when evaluating a founder? (3:01) Then, Molly interviews Jay Koh of The Lightsmith Group to break down the Inflation Reduction Act's $369B climate/energy allocation. (29:08) (0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's segments! (3:01) why is there a bias against investing in first-time founders? (15:04) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for y...

Aug 07, 20221 hr 3 min

$COIN partners with $BLK, $AMZN acquires iRobot for $1.7B, Jay Trading update + OK Boomer | E1527

Solo Jason news day! First up, Jason breaks down Coinbase's performance as a public company and its recent partnership with BlackRock (2:18), then he covers Amazon acquiring Roomba-maker iRobot (18:08), before wrapping the news with a Jay Trading update. (24:53) Producer Rachel wraps the show by interviewing Minted's Marcus Milione for OK Boomer! (52:35) (0:00) Jason intros today's topics! (2:18) Jason analyzes $COIN's performance as a public company and its volatile price fluctuations (14:52) L...

Aug 06, 20221 hr 18 min

$WBD shakeup, streaming earnings, Locket raises $12.5M, Lina Khan/FTC sues Meta | E1526

Lon Harris joins the show to break down the chaotic shakeup going on at Warners Bros. Discovery, what's happening with HBO Max, potential new roadmaps for the DCEU, and more. (2:46) Then, J+M break down a new intimate social app called Locket raising $12.5M (44:02) and Lina Khan taking action against Meta. (51:39) (0:00) J+M intro today's topics! (2:46) Lon Harris joins to break down what is going on at Warner Bros. Discovery (14:05) Grammarly - Sign up for a free and get 20% Grammarly Premium a...

Aug 05, 20221 hr 13 min

YC reduces S22 batch by 40%, $HOOD RIF, $MSTR CEO change, $ABNB earnings + Blueprint Part 4 | E1525

BIG show! First up, our co-hosts break down why YC cut its summer cohort size by 40% (2:13), Robinhood letting go 23% of its employees (12:40), Michael Saylor out as MicroStrategy CEO (32:09), and Airbnb earnings. (42:07) Then, Jason is back with another edition of The Blueprint, where he covers the benefits of having a bias for action! (48:52) (0:00) Jason and Molly intro today's topics! (2:13) Y Combinator cuts its Summer 2022 batch size by 40%: what does this mean for the early-stage market? ...

Aug 04, 20221 hr 6 min

$UBER & $PINS Q2 earnings + customer-centric primary care with The Lanby's Chloe Harrouche | E1524

J+M break down Uber and Pinterest's Q2 earnings (2:42), and Jason makes a Jay Trade live on air (18:51). Then, The Lanby CEO Chloe Harrouche joins to break down approaching primary care from a customer-centric perspective. (49:40) (0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today's show! Big news day + a great early-stage founder interview (2:42) $UBER Q2 earnings: doubled revenue y/y, FCF positive, rides business is back to pre-pandemic levels (13:12) Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at https://v...

Aug 03, 20221 hr 22 min

TikTok takes on Spotify, startup advice + US housing market w/ Redfin & Divvy Homes CEOs | E1523

First up, Jason and Molly cover TikTok's recent patents that indicate it might be going after Spotify (2:23). Then, the duo breaks down a recent WSJ report about VCs giving conflicting advice to founders. (18:05) After the news, J+M are joined by Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman and Divvy Homes CEO Adena Hefets for an in-depth break down of the current US housing market. (33:36) WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/silicon-valley-lurches-between-deep-cuts-and-bold-spending-11659268801 (0:00) Jason a...

Aug 02, 20221 hr 25 min

How VC diligence works at different stages + Fion's Sudarshan Sridharan on wildfire tech | E1522

First up on the Sunday show, Jason breaks down the different levels of diligence at different company stages for VC Sunday School (2:02). Then, Fion Technologies CEO Sudarshan Sridharan joins to talk helping firefighters fight wildfires with mapping technology. (21:31) (0:00) Jason tees up today's Sunday edition of This Week in Startups! (2:02) Molly recaps her first half year of investing, then asks Jason about diligence at different stages of investing in different verticals (10:23) UserTestin...

Jul 31, 202253 min

$AMZN & $AAPL earnings, $META investors losing faith, Jay Trading + OK Boomer with Nate O'Brien | E1521

Jason is BACK and he's ready to Jay Trade! Jason and Molly wrap up big tech earnings week with a major deep dive on $AMZN's impressive quarter (1:53), $AAPL's slowing revenue growth/growing subscriber base (26:04), and the lack of faith in $META's big bet. (31:44) Producer Rachel wraps the show with another great edition of OK Boomer, featuring popular YouTube and investor Nate O'Brien! (40:18) (0:00) Jason is BACK for a huge news day! (1:53) $AMZN Q2 was highlighted by two insane business segme...

Jul 30, 20221 hr 9 min

Revolutionizing podcasting + standards vs. innovation with Anchor Co-Founder Mike Mignano | E1520

Today's show is a CLASSIC TWiST founder interview. Anchor Co-Founder Mike Mignano joins to tell Anchor's founding story (1:40), break down what it's like getting acquired by Spotify (15:32), and talk about how RSS standards might be stunting innovation in the podcasting space. (33:17) 0:00 Jason intros today's guest: Anchor Co-Founder Mike Mignano 1:40 Mike explains why he started Anchor, the original inspiration and first versions, finding PMF, building the nuts and bolts of a great podcast pub...

Jul 28, 202254 min

How to supercharge your network + $GOOG & $MSFT earnings & $SHOP layoffs with Deirdre Bosa | E1519

BIG variety show today! Jason kicks off the show with Part 3 of "The Blueprint" series (1:43), then, CNBC's Deirdre Bosa joins to break down $GOOG and $MSFT earnings, $SHOP layoffs, and $COIN's SEC probe (17:23), and we wrap with Producer Rachel joining to break down the Kylie/Kim vs. Instagram feud! (45:42) (0:00) Molly tees up today's variety show: The Blueprint Part 3, big tech earnings with Deirdre Bosa, and Kylie/Kim vs. Instagram with Producer Rachel! (1:43) The Blueprint Part 3: Jason exp...

Jul 27, 20221 hr 3 min

Solving prescription drug pricing in the US with Cost Plus Drugs & Capital RX CEOs | E1518

Today, we have two interviews with founders innovating in the US prescription drug market to bring prices down for consumers. First up, Molly talks with Alex Oshmyansky, CEO of The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, about building a "parallel supply chain", the importance of transparency, and a breakdown of the "financial engineering" in the industry. (3:22) Then, she talks to Capital RX CEO AJ Loiacono for a full breakdown on PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers) and the opaque pharmaceutical supply...

Jul 26, 20221 hr 26 min

$NFLX stops sharing, $SNAP Q2 earnings, $COIN alleged insider trading with Alex Wilhelm | E1517

We have a big news show with a very special guest! TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm fills in for Jason to break down the news with Molly. They cover Netflix cracking down on password sharing (2:12), Snap's rough Q2 earnings (6:45), Coinbase's alleged insider trading (21:28), the 3AC Bloomberg interview (36:37), and more! (0:00) Molly tees up today's news with Alex Wilhelm, who is filling in for Jason! (2:12) Molly and Alex share thoughts on Netflix cutting password sharing in some Central/South America...

Jul 25, 202251 min
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