"Request for Startups" with Erik Torenberg Turpentine

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Will Summerlin: Managing Partner at Autopilot, Former Co-Lead at ARK Investment Management LLC, @WSummerlinAI on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, Will Summerlin, managing partner at Autopilot, joins Erik Torenberg to discuss the transformative potential of AI and FinTech. They also share various topics related to venture capital, including non-consensus investing, LP challenges, choosing investments, ideal fund size, opportunities in AI and FinTech sectors, concentrated investment portfolios, and automation in financial services.
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:22) Diving deep into the AI super cycle
(02:45) Startups vs. Incumbents in the AI arena
(06:00) Opportunities and challenges various AI markets
(11:23) Will’s request for startups
(13:53) Sponsor: Brave Ads
(14:55) From commoditization to AI agents
(21:21) Future of job markets with AI and automation
(24:15) Fund strategy and focus in the venture capital landscape
(28:06) Evaluating the venture capital ecosystem and AI's role
(31:31)  Debate around venture capitalists
(38:01) Identifying monopolistic markets for investment
(40:00) Fund size strategy for series A and B investment
(43:25) FinTech opportunities and AI automation
(45:05) Introducing the Autopilot podcast
(46:30) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Nick DeWilde: Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer at Exec. @nick_dewilde on X
* Sean Linehan: CEO at  Exec and Squad. @seanlinehan on X
* Justin Mares: Founder at Truemed, Kettle & Fire, and Surely. A venture Partner at Long Journey Ventures. @jwmares on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this week’s episode, Erik sits down with friends Nick DeWilde, Sean Linehan, and Justin Mares to explore various unique and humorous startup and product ideas, ranging from dating apps, unconventional business concepts and other creative ideas that blend technology with societal and personal needs. They also highlight the launch of the AI spiritual guide app for Catholics called Grace, proposed by Sean and co-developed with Kevin Hartz. 
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:40) Grace: The AI spiritual guide
(03:56) Innovative startup ideas
(14:01) Revolutionizing couples therapy with AI
(15:42) Sponsor: Brave Ad
(16:46) Ashley Madison for Career
(22:37) Silicon Valley's talent wars
(30:32) Rethinking art and decor in the digital age
(34:58) Thousand dollar startup ideas
(40:37) Future of internet authenticity
(44:00) Business potential of reputation aggregation
(48:29) Redefining social media engagement
(53:19) Revolutionizing reality tv with bold concepts
(57:17) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Greg Isenberg: Co-Founder and CEO of Late Checkout, Former Advisor at Reddit and TikTok, @gregisenberg on X
* Sean Linehan: Co-Founder and CEO at Exec, Co-Founder at Squad, @seanlinehan on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this week’s episode, Greg Isenberg, Co-founder and CEO of Late Checkout, joins Erik Torenberg and Sean Linehan to discuss the difference between solopreneur and multipreneur movements, leveraging community-based products, startup ideas and the future of holding companies and their impact on entrepreneurship.
Recommended Podcast: Company Breakdowns Each episode of Company Breakdowns dives into S-1s and series B-and-beyond companies, interviewing founders and investors to break down the companies. First episodes are on Reddit and Rubrik - which just IPO'd.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0epyYBAxLeF0PsNagdDJAJ
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/company-breakdowns/id1743119197

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(02:05) Multipreneurship: Redefining entrepreneurship
(08:46) Strategy behind Late Checkout
(13:55) Power of AI community
(17:55) Sponsor: Turpentine
(18:43) Key to multipreneur success
(21:40) Future of holding companies and entrepreneurship
(29:40) Is Greg Isenberg the Bezos of the future?
(36:08) Challenges and opportunities in the holding company model
(40:57) Greg’s request for startups
(53:53) Wrap



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Joe Fernandez : Co-Founder and CEO of allUP, Former CEO and Co-Founder at Joymode and Klout, @JoeFernandez on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, Joe Fernandez, Co-Founder and CEO of allUP, joins Erik Torenberg as he discusses building in the online reputation space. They explore the ever-increasing importance of trust in the age of AI and the unique challenges of building a startup in this space, potential data businesses that could be built on top of reputation, and more. 
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:27) Klout’s journey
(02:00) Importance of online reputation
(05:13) Navigating the idea maze
(10:43) Professional networks
(12:45) Sponsor: Turpentine
(13:33) Exploring different modalities and data sources
(17:12) Future of reputation data
(22:03) Reflecting on Klout and lessons learned
(23:57) Building first-party data with allUp
(27:35) Wrap—
Request for Startups is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Gagan Biyani : CEO and Co-Founder at Maven, Previously Co-Founder at Udemy @gaganbiyani on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, Erik Torenberg sits down with Gagan Biyani to explore idea formation and the five stages of the ideation process. Gagan also shares his startup ideas, such as 'Quora for people' and 'reference checks as a service,' discussing their potential for scalability and venture backing.
Subscribe to our substack: Requestforstartups.substack.com
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:28) Deep Dive into Idea Generation
(05:20) Five-Step Framework to Startup Ideas
(07:13) Testing and Evaluating Startup Ideas
(13:18) Sponsor: Turpentine
(17:31) Potential startup ideas
(20:23) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features
* Nick DeWilde: Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer at Exec. @nick_dewilde on X
* Sean Linehan: CEO at  Exec and Squad. @seanlinehan on X
* Justin Mares: Founder at Truemed, Kettle & Fire, and Surely. A venture Partner at Long Journey Ventures. @jwmares on X
* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine.co. @eriktorenberg on X
In this conversation, recorded in early 2023, Erik sits down with friends Nick DeWilde, Sean Linehan, and Justin Mares to exchange startup ideas. Please note that this episode contains some humorous and thought-provoking discussions about unconventional business ideas.
—
Request for Startups is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:33) Fake jobs for rich families
(05:29) Ending San Fransisco burglaries
(09:21) Better prenups
(11:42) Brunch x Benihana
(14:12) Sponsors: Turpentine
(14:56) Fit Club
(19:58) Justin's story from being a janitor at LA Fitness
(22:06) Generative AI applications
(32:42) Holistic fertility treatment
(37:49) Combining workspaces with other services
(40:14) Retraining software engineers
(42:31) Quora for people
(45:10) Wrap


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit requestforstartups.substack.com