This Week in Startups

J+M break down Ye agreeing to acquire Parler and share some thoughts on the artist's current situation. (2:22) Then, they cover CCP President Xi Jinping's recent comments on the current state of China (22:39), and what the world might look like with less globalization. (28:58) They wrap with a social media Startup of the Day (52:29) and a space-themed We Live in the Future! (1:04:40) (0:00) J+M in...

First up, J+M discuss The Wing shutting down, where it went wrong, and avoiding ego-based pitfalls. (1:35) Then, Alan Chang joins Molly to break down his idea behind Tesseract Energy! (22:37) (0:00) J+M tee-up topics for Sunday (1:35) The Wing shuts down: what went wrong (12:44) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist (14:18) Understanding a...

Friday variety! First up J+M cover a wide range of topics, including VC ghostwriters (12:45), firms investing in public tech companies (22:29), and news lightning round! (34:51) Then, Producer Rachel is back with another edition of OK Boomer. (53:30) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:45) J+M talk about happy hour, discuss some All-In topics, geopolitics, markets and more! (11:42) Odoo - Get you...

Vinny Lingham and Sunny Madra are back for another crypto roundtable! The show starts with a discussion on Nvidia's new high-powered graphics cards (2:35) and an AI-generated podcast interview. (15:21) Then, the group breaks down the SEC investigating Yuga Labs over whether or not Bored Apes are securities! (27:07) (0:00) J+M tee up today's crypto roundtable! (2:35) J+M welcome Sunny Madra and Vin...

First up J+M discuss TikTok's apparent plan to build an e-commerce business via US fulfillment centers! (8:57) Then, Molly is joined by Liquid Death CEO Mike Cessario to discuss the genesis of a great brand and more. (17:26) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:13) Starlink, 5G, and the rapid advancement of internet connectivity (8:57) TikTok appears to be hiring for product fulfillment centers...

J+M kick off the show by catching up after Molly's speaking gig yesterday (2:31), before breaking down the US Labor Dept proposing new rules for worker classification (16:23). Then, they discuss self-driving food-running robots (49:11) before discussing potential consolidation in the instant-delivery space! (58:39) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:31) Molly's keynote, Jason teaching the next F...

Acquired's Ben Gilbert fills in for Molly Wood and joins Jason to discuss Amazon's transformation (3:57), AI edge cases (22:02), Peloton's mistakes (32:05), used car prices (59:59), and the current VC market downturn. (1:09:18) (0:00) Jason tees up today's topics! (3:57) Acquired's Ben Gilbert joins Jason to break down the news! First up: Amazon sunsets its "Scout" project, and its transformation...

First, Jason explains why many VCs focus on ownership percentage and maintaining ownership throughout an investment life cycle. (1:40) Then, Molly welcomes Flowcarbon CEO Dana Gibber to break down her blockchain-based carbon credits solution! (23:04) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (1:40) VC Sunday School: Why many VCs obsess over ownership percentage (9:19) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off an...

First up, J+M discuss new developments in the US chip industry, including tighter restrictions on exports and a massive new investment in an upstate NY factory! (4:57) They also cover fixing US education (12:37) and a shocking lawsuit against Amazon. (27:58) Then, Producer Rachel is joined by Verci Co-Founders Ami and An on OK Boomer! (40:03) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (1:57) Molly and Ja...

Jason opens the show by answering listener questions for 20+ minutes! (1:19) Then, Lon Harris joins to break down Netflix's new mega-hit, the death of network TV, and more! (30:22) (0:00) Jason tees up today's topics! (1:19) How founders building hardware and deep tech products can more efficiently raise capital (3:58) Settling Co-Founder disputes (8:28) Jason's thoughts on Seattle as a place to l...

J+M start the show by suggesting some Twitter product ideas (1:59), before ripping through a lightning round of news. (16:26) Then, Molly welcomes Ellevest CEO and Co-Founder Sallie Krawcheck to kick off another season of The Next Unicorns! (31:09) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (1:59) Jason suggests some Twitter product ideas (14:48) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at Linked...

First J+M say as much as they can about the Twitter news (2:03), before breaking down Poshmark being acquired by Naver (6:38). Then, they break down Liquid Death's $700M valuation (34:05) and Selena Gomez raising at a $100M valuation for her pre-revenue mental health startup. (46:05) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:03) Elon Musk proposes closing the Twitter deal at the agreed-upon price of $5...

Monday! First up, J+M go down the rabbit hole on Tesla AI Day, what impact some form of general AI might have on the world, and more! (2:09) Then, the duo covers the SEC charging Kim Kardashian for unlawfully promoting a token (35:29), before wrapping with the SCOTUS announcing they will hear two cases regarding Section 230. (59:05) (0:00) J+M tee up Monday's topics! (2:09) J+M open with some thou...

On VC Sunday School, J+M discuss how and when VCs decide to sell a position. (2:01) Then, Molly is joined by Future's Jean-Louis Warnholz to discuss his startup, Future, which offers a climate-friendly debit card! (21:28) (0:00) J+M tee up topics for Sunday! (2:01) On VC Sunday School, J+M discuss how and when VCs decide to sell a position (9:07) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off i...

First up, J+M discuss the virtuous cycle of tech startups (2:15) before breaking down Mr. Beast turning down a $1B acquisition offer for his media business (24:58). Then, Producer Rachel is joined by content creator Taylor Bell to discuss her lessons from growing a brand to 180K+ subscribers while having a full-time job. (39:02) (0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:15) Demystifying "Friends and...

J+M discuss Meta's new text-to-video tool and what the future of creativity might look like (2:59), then they break down Zuck's grand plan (14:49) before discussing what a recession might mean for startups (27:18) and SoftBank reportedly cutting 30% of its Vision Fund staff. (36:41) (0:00) J+M intro today's segments! (2:59) Meta announces text-to-video tool (13:33) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off...

Sunny Madra and Vinny Lingham are BACK for another crypto roundtable! First up, a full breakdown of the current NFT space: Apple allowing in-app NFT purchases (1:35), best uses cases & platforms for distribution (15:07). Then, they discuss Bitcoin's role during global macroeconomic headwinds. (37:46) (0:00) J+M tee up today's crypto roundtable! (1:35) Apple allows in-app purchases of NFTs (13:33)...

J+M break down Cathie Wood's new VC fund (1:53), Bill Gurley's best insights from his interview with McKinsey (26:13), and Girls Who Code making a banned books list in a Pennsylvania county (0:00) J+M tee up today's venture-heavy topics! (1:53) Cathie Wood's new VC fund: Ark Venture Fund (12:34) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist (13:42) Openi...

J+M break down the British pound dropping below $1.04 (5:15), Interpol issuing a red notice for Do Kwon (27:07), NASA's DART mission (53:52), and TikTok discussing an agreement with the Biden administration! (59:44) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:48) Importance of focus, avoiding the news cycle in the grand scheme of things (5:15) British pound crashes to lowest level ever against the USD (1...

First up, J+M discuss founder ambition and tools vs. platforms on VC Sunday School. (3:06) Then, USV's Albert Wenger joins to break down his firm's $162M climate fund, his book "The World After Capital", and more! (24:16) (0:00) J+M intro today's topics! (3:06) Evaluating founder ambition, tools vs. platforms (11:14) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://open...

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke joins Jason for the third time to break down Shopify's wild ride over the past 2+ years (1:40), $SHOP's new compensation system (14:19), competing with Amazon (45:38), Shop Pay (56:25), and more! Then, Producer Rachel welcomes Jules Terpak back for another segment of OK Boomer! (1:15:58) (0:00) Jason intros today's segments! (1:40) Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke joins to break down...

(0:00) J+M tee up today's segments! (2:57) J+M intro Ben Huh and discuss his background and why he helped start Orange DAO (15:21) OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist (16:51) Understanding how DAOs handle distributions, more DAO mechanics (26:06) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist (27:20) People t...

On today's show, Mojo CEO and Co-Founder Vinit Bharara joins Jason to talk about his new stock market to bet on athletes, Mojo, which just launched in New Jersey. (1:39) Vinit breaks down the thesis (17:07), does a product demo (40:27), and explains how they raised $100M to build a stock market from scratch and provide instant liquidity! (0:00) Jason tees up today's interview! (1:39) Jason intros...

Tuesday SPAC-tacular! J+M cover the biggest on-goings in the world of SPACs, including: the latest in the trial of former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton (1:55), Chamath winding down $IPOD and $IPOF and returning money to investors (30:53), and a breakdown of Rumble's business after completing its SPAC! (42:55) (0:00) J+M tee up today's SPAC-tacular episode! (1:55) More chaos at Nikola, Jason reacts to T...

Jason and Molly kick the week off by breaking down the team's favorite new social media app, BeReal, and its plans to add paid features (15:16). Then, they cover how platforms found fake accounts suspected of being run by the US military (31:12). After, they continue with more tech news, including Apple's iPhone 14 Pro bug (42:25) and Twilio's plans to make "anti-racist" layoffs (49:29). They end...