808 episodes

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.

Join our community on Twitter to discuss the show: https://twitter.com/i/communities/1496977694747209728

This Week in Startups Jason Calacanis

    • Technology
    • 4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

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.

Join our community on Twitter to discuss the show: https://twitter.com/i/communities/1496977694747209728

    Acquired’s Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal on private markets, ZIRP impact, future of Amazon | E1706

    Acquired’s Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal on private markets, ZIRP impact, future of Amazon | E1706

    Acquired co-hosts Ben and David are BACK to discuss the state of the VC market and YC shutting down its Continuity Fund (6:20) before diving into industries that benefitted from ZIRP (26:35). They also break down which social apps they want to own and why (45:29). Then, Ben and Jason wrap up the show by discussing the future of Amazon and Starfish Space, a new space startup (1:11:48)

    (0:00) Nick tees up today’s topics

    (1:36) David’s time at Stanford

    (6:20) Ben’s private market snapshot

    (8:49) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

    (10:19) David’s private market snapshot

    (16:19) Reacting to YC closing down its Continuity Fund

    (25:35) QuickNode - Go to http://quicknode.com/ and use the code TWIST for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan

    (26:35) Industries that benefitted from ZIRP

    (35:08) House of Macadamias - Get 20% off at https://houseofmacadamias.com/twist by using code TWIST20

    (36:36) How compelling is AI? 

    (45:29) Owning either Instagram, Linked In, or YouTube

    (48:15) Rational and Wildcard: Who is likely to acquire TikTok? 

    (53:44) Twitter product development

    (1:00:51) Reclaiming lost time 

    (1:11:48) The future of Amazon 

    (1:19:57) Apple to spend $1B on producing theatrical releases + Project Titan

    (1:25:21) SOTD: Keeping satellites on course with Starfish Space  



    FOLLOW Ben: https://twitter.com/gilbert

    FOLLOW David: https://twitter.com/djrosent

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    FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

    • 1 hr 31 min
    TikTok CEO grilled in front of Congress, Coinbase's Wells Notice & Do Kwon arrested | E1705

    TikTok CEO grilled in front of Congress, Coinbase's Wells Notice & Do Kwon arrested | E1705

    Jason kicks off today's episode by reacting to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's testimony in front of Congress (1:41) before delving into the news that Coinbase was served a Wells notice by the SEC (22:57). Then, he discusses the reports that Do Kwon has been arrested in Montenegro (32:35) before wrapping up with more information on China and TikTok (35:44).

    (0:00) Jason kicks off the show 

    (1:41) Jason reacts to Shou Zi Chew's testimony in front of Congress

    (6:14) China's use of private companies to manipulate its population

    (11:02) Linode - Apply to Linode's Rise program for up to six figures in discounts at https://linode.com/twist

    (12:29) TikTok's ability to influence our youth 

    (16:48) Chinese espionage

    (21:27) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

    (22:57) SEC serves Coinbase a Wells Notice

    (31:19) Clumio - Visit https://clumio.com/twist to start a free backup or sign up for a demo

    (32:35) Do Kwon arrested in Montenegro

    (35:44) More information on China and TikTok



    FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

    Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

    FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast: 

    https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

    • 41 min
    ANGEL: Freestyle’s Jenny Lefcourt on nailing non-consensus bets and avoiding hype | E1704

    ANGEL: Freestyle’s Jenny Lefcourt on nailing non-consensus bets and avoiding hype | E1704

    Jenny Lefcourt of Freestyle VC joins Jason for an insightful conversation. They delve into the mission of All Raise and the importance of diversity in venture capital (2:04). Jenny shares her thoughts on embracing non-consensus bets and her experiences investing in Narvar and Discord (20:04). Additionally, they discuss the value of strategy meetings in comparison to traditional board meetings (59:10).

    (0:00) Jason kicks off the show

    (2:04) Co-Founding All Raise: Promoting Diversity in Venture Capital

    (9:53) Prenuvo - Save $300 on Full Body Scans at http://prenuvo.com/twist

    (11:23) Biases Towards Certain Business Models

    (15:05) Identifying and Avoiding Unsuccessful Business Models

    (18:54) LinkedIn Jobs - Post Your First Job for Free at https://linkedIn.com/angel

    (20:04) Embracing Non-Consensus Bets

    (22:53) Jenny’s Investment in Narvar

    (28:16) Understanding the Economics of a Seed Fund

    (35:14) Comparing Hype: Generative AI versus Web 3.0

    (40:47) Miro - Collaborate with Unlimited Team Members for Free at https://miro.com/startups/

    (42:28) Insights from Jenny's Investment in Discord

    (47:05) Attaining Product-Market Fit and Making a Significant Impact

    (56:56) Exiting Deals: When to Move On

    (59:10) Strategy Meetings Compared to Board Meetings

    (1:04:04) Jenny's Ideal Timeline for Committing to Investments



    FOLLOW Jenny: https://twitter.com/jennylefcourt

    FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

    Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

    FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

    • 1 hr 11 min
    Startup pitch competition! Jason invests $25K into one of four founders | E1703

    Startup pitch competition! Jason invests $25K into one of four founders | E1703

    Today on the podcast, we have a new format for you! Jason will hear four pitches from Founder University participants and choose ONE startup to invest $25K in! (1:45)



    (0:00) Jason kicks off the show and explains the pitch format!

    (1:45) Jason brings on Presh and Kelly to explain the fundamentals of Founder University and introduces today's pitches!

    (13:44) ⁠Squarespace - Use code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

    (16:18) George Lam pitches Fantastic Funding

    (21:18) Naman Dwivedi pitches Promptify

    (25:59) Pilot - Go to https://pilot.com/twist for 20% off your first 6 months

    (27:30) Phil Boucher pitches OpenSpot

    (34:00) Matt Edminster pitches Renegade Labs

    (39:22) ⁠Fennel - Join the waitlist and get your first month free at http://fennel.com/twist

    (40:35) Kelly and Presh's pick for best return for LPs

    (45:33) The live audience votes!

    (50:22) What Founder University meant to these Founders

    (53:39) Jason makes his decision on who will receive $25K



    Check out the startups!:

    https://fantasticfunding.com

    https://www.promptify.ai

    https://www.findopenspot.com

    https://www.renegadelabs.io



    FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

    FOLLOW Presh: https://twitter.com/preshdkumar

    FOLLOW Kelly: https://twitter.com/KSchricks

    • 56 min
    Balaji’s $1M Bitcoin bet, banking crisis update, OpenAI launches GPT-4, and Jay Trading! | E1702

    Balaji’s $1M Bitcoin bet, banking crisis update, OpenAI launches GPT-4, and Jay Trading! | E1702

    Rachel Reporting joins Jason to read the news! First, they give an update on the banking crisis and how it’s impacting startups (1:34). Then, they cover Balaji’s huge Bitcoin bet and his predictions for the future (14:17) before breaking down OpenAI’s launch of GPT-4 (35:07). Finally, Jason wraps up with some Jay Trading updates (57:28)!

    (0:00) Jason kicks off the show

    (1:34) Banking crisis update & how it affects startups

    (10:11) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

    (11:14) Best practices for banking

    (14:17) Balaji’s huge Bitcoin bet

    (22:18) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist 

    (23:42) Balaji’s predictions for the future

    (32:41) Ray Dalio’s The Changing World Order

    (33:46) CacheFly - Get 10 Terabyte free forever if you signup at http://twist.cachefly.com

    (35:07) A breakdown of OpenAI’s launch of GPT-4

    (57:28) Jay Trade update



    FOLLOW Rachel: https://twitter.com/_rachelbraun

    FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

    Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkhmBWfS7pILYIk0izkc3A?sub_confirmation=1

    FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

    • 1 hr 7 min
    ANGEL: Laurie Yoler on investing early in Tesla, strategic partnerships, and her VC career | E1701

    ANGEL: Laurie Yoler on investing early in Tesla, strategic partnerships, and her VC career | E1701

    Molly is joined by Laurie Yoler as they dive into her early experiences in VC before discussing how she became the first investor in Tesla (1:45). Next, Laurie talks about her time at Qualcomm and Playground then they wrap with a discussion about AI and how Laurie’s investments were impacted by the pandemic (30:31).

    (0:00) Jason kicks off the show

    (1:45) Arriving in Venture

    (7:36) Laurie’s first investments

    (13:39) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free.

    (14:49) Investing in Tesla

    (21:21) Prenuvo - Get $300 off at http://prenuvo.com/twist

    (22:51) Raising money for a car company

    (26:22) Finding strategic partners

    (30:31) Laurie’s time at Qualcomm and autonomous vehicles

    (37:11) Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub - Apply in 5 minutes for six figures in discounts at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups

    (38:42) Joining Playground

    (41:29) Leaf Logistics

    (45:44) Benefitting from the pandemic

    (48:54) Investing in AI



    FOLLOW Laurie: https://twitter.com/laurieyoler

    FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

    FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

    FOUNDERS! Subscribe to the Founder University podcast:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/founder-university/id1648407190

    • 58 min

Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5
1.1K Ratings

1.1K Ratings

7cb15 ,

More 1:1 interviews with Jason and guests

More 1:1 interviews with Jason and accomplished guests, less surface level gossip from Molly.

brklngurl ,

Bros. bros. bros.

turn off the cap key. self important. hysterical.

RWS2250 ,

Ad free?

I now remember why I stopped listening to this podcast… The conversation is constantly interrupted by ads. I get that you have to oay for the show. Other content creators seem to be managing this requirement a less intrusive manner

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