This Week in Startups

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 * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

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 * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

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 OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/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 * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

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 * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

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/ * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This podcast discusses Instacart and Klaviyo's IPO filings, the exit market for LPs, and writers suing OpenAI and Meta. It also explores the impact of regulatory environment on acquisitions and IPOs, the state of the LP market and its impact on founders, Instacart's revenue and advertising model, the shift in entrepreneurship, and introduces Roots, a unique real estate investing platform. Lastly, it delves into Klaviyo, a marketing automation platform for businesses.

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 OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.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: 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” * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

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 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 LinkedIn Marketing. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com/nextunicorn * Today’s show: Covariant CEO Peter Chen joins Jason to discuss the future of AI in robotics (1:33), the key concepts of reinforcement learning (13:50), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Covariant CEO Peter Chen joins Jason (1:33) AI’s role in robotics and its value in e-commerce warehouses (7:38) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (8:59) Reinforcement learning today and the AlphaGo moment (13:50) The 2 key concepts of reinforcement learning (17:35) Approaches to accessing data for AI in robotics (20:35) Robotics hardware (22:50) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist (23:57) Covariant's hardware and software in use (27:32) The importance of adaptability (32:40) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/nextunicorn (34:08) The Tesla Optimus and humanoid robots (39:58) Overcoming hardware constraints (44:38) Boomerang investors and customers * Follow Peter: https://twitter.com/peterxichen Check out Covariant : https://covariant.ai/ * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Embroker. The Embroker Startup Insurance Program helps startups secure the most important types of insurance at a lower cost and with less hassle. Save up to 20% off of traditional insurance today at Embroker.com/twist. While you’re there, get an extra 10% off using offer code TWIST. MasterClass. Learn from the world’s best minds - anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace. Get 15% off an annual membership to MasterClass at masterclass.com/startups Roots. Invest in the only real estate investment trust that creates wealth for you and its residents at investwithroots.com/twist * Today’s show: Sunny Madra joins Jason to discuss Nvidia’s upcoming earnings and if the company is overvalued (1:08). Then, Sunny demos more AI tools, including an incredible AI dubbing product (16:43)! * Time stamps:(00:00) Sunny Madra joins Jason (1:08) Is Nvidia overvalued? (6:05) Leveraging hardware gains (9:46) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (11:02) Nvidia’s price targets and why Jason would not Jay Trade it (16:43) Sunny demos rask.ai (18:50) AI voice dubbing (26:18) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups (27:51) Sunny demos a reconstructed Pink Floyd song from brain recordings (33:28) Sunny demos GodMode (37:43) Roots - Head to investwithroots.com/TWIST to sign up and start investing today! (39:20) Sunny demos Pluto.fi (46:34) Content theft and Sunny demos PlayHT (55:47) Sunny’s X experiment * Follow Sunny: https://twitter.com/sundeep Check out : https://app.rask.ai/ Check out GodMode: https://github.com/smol-ai/GodMode/releases/tag/v1.0.0-beta.2 Check out the Pink Floyd brain recording: https://news.berkeley.edu/2023/08/15/releases-20230811 Check out Pluto.fi: https://www.pluto.fi/ Check out PlayHT: https://play.ht/ * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist 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 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. * Today’s show: Inflection AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman joins Jason to discuss DeepMind’s influence on AI (1:17), the hardware revolution (26:27), the foundation of Inflection AI (49:45), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Inflection’s CEO Mustafa Suleyman joins Jason (1:17) Life before DeepMind (8:34) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist (10:05) DeepMind’s origin story (15:58) The pitch to Peter Thiel and feedback from early investors (19:34) DeepMind’s first project (24:59) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist (26:27) The hardware revolution and growth in computing (30:15) DeepMind’s acquisition by Google and strategy for building an elite team (34:14) Major achievements at Google (37:49) Carta - Get 10% off your first SPV at https://carta.com/twist with promo code TWIST (39:22) Google’s cautious approach to releasing an AI product (44:59) Regulatory issues and fair compensation (49:45) The foundation of Inflection AI (59:50) The downsides of AI and Mustafa’s book, The Coming Wave (1:08:58) Complacency in tech and Mustafa’s thoughts on remote work * Follow Mustafa: https://twitter.com/mustafasuleyman Check out Inflection AI: https://inflection.ai * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.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: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast