This Week in Startups Jason Calacanis

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

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Intercom. Intercom’s AI-first service is the best thing to happen to your customers since you. TWIST listeners can get 90% off Intercom’s platform at https://www.intercom.com/twist

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Todays show:

Etsy’s Josh Silverman joins Jason to discuss the marketplace business model (2:54), UX challenges (4:58), company operations during the pandemic (36:57), AI’s impact on team size (50:56), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Etsy’s Josh Silverman joins Jason

(2:54) The marketplace business model and Etsy's growth

(4:58) Maintaining Etsy's unique marketplace and UX challenges

(10:34) Defining handmade and GenAI art on Etsy

(11:53) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist

(13:18) Preventing inauthentic sellers and the seller approval process

(20:14) Etsy's star seller program and the importance of artisanal items

(26:26) Intercom - TWIST listeners can get 90% off Intercom’s platform at https://www.intercom.com/twist

(27:55) Durable products, warranties, and customer loyalty

(35:47) Micro1 - Visit https://www.micro1.ai/twist to open a talent search and get a 2 week free trial per hire.

(36:57) Company operations during the pandemic and efficiency era

(44:11) Global talent, remote work, and productivity at Etsy

(50:56) AI's impact on team size, productivity, and customer support

(55:10) SEO strategies, organic traffic, and handling IP issues

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Follow Josh:

X: https://x.com/jgsilverman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuasilverman

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X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Thank you to our partners:

(11:53) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist

(26:26) Intercom - TWIST listeners can get 90% off Intercom’s platform at https://www.intercom.com/twist

(35:47) Micro1 - Visit https://www.micro1.ai/twist to open a talent search and get a 2 week free trial per hire.

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Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Follow TWiST:

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This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

AssemblyAI. Get maximum value from voice data with AssemblyAI. Build powerful products and features for your end users on the industry’s leading speech-to-text models. Get 100 free hours to start building at https://www.assemblyai.com/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 ⁠https://www.vanta.com/twist⁠

Eight Sleep. Good sleep is the ultimate game changer. The newest generation of the pod, the Pod 4 ultra has arrived. Head to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist and use code TWIST to get $350 off the Pod 4 Ultra.

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Todays show:

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss the end of the Wiz-Google deal (5:37), Spotify's performance (13:36), Universal Basic Income (UBI) (27:49), Meta's AI strategy (53:05), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show

(5:37) The end of the Wiz-Google deal

(12:24) AssemblyAI - Get 100 free hours to start building at https://www.assemblyai.com/twist

(13:36) Spotify's successful quarter

(21:41) Daniel Ek's strategy and Spotify's future risks

(26:57) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at ⁠https://www.vanta.com/twist⁠

(27:49) Universal basic income (UBI)

(38:05) Eight Sleep - Head to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist and use code TWIST to get $350 off the Pod 4 Ultra.

(39:34) Findings and implications from a recent UBI study backed by Sam Altman

(48:22) The efficiency and impact of welfare programs

(53:05) Meta's AI developments

(59:58) Mark Zuckerberg's thoughts on Apple and open source AI

(1:06:50) Predictions for Meta's competitive moves

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Mentioned on the show:

https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/22/wiz-walks-away-from-googles-23b-acquisition-offer-read-the-ceos-note-to-employees

https://news.crunchbase.com/cybersecurity/cybersecurity-funding-venture-wiz-ai-cyera/#:~:text=In%20the%20second%20quarter%2C%20cyber,to%20startups%20in%20173%20deals

https://ai.meta.com/blog/meta-llama-3-1

https://x.com/rowancheung/status/1815763595197616155?t=1204

https://x.com/eldsjal/status/1815691024473166268?s=12

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/23/spotify-profit-q2-2024-earnings

https://x.com/smilleralert/status/1815372032621879628/photo/1

https://www.openresearchlab.org/findings/entrepreneurship

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/SPOT

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-22/ubi-study-backed-by-openai-s-sam-altman-bolsters-support-for-basic-income

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Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/

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Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Thank you to our partners:

(12:24) AssemblyAI - Get 100 free hours to start building at https://www.assemblyai.com/twist

(26:57) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(38:05) Eight Sleep - Head to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist and use code TWIST to get $350 off the Pod 4 Ultra.

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Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Follow TWiST:

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to http://www.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.

LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to https://www.linkedin.com/twist to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

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 https://www.openphone.com/twist

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Todays show:

Benchmark’s Sarah Tavel joins Jason to discuss strategies for competing in a changing venture landscape (9:12), the critical role of governance and accountability in startups (19:39), the relationship between hype, investment decisions, and startup promotion (55:20). and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Sarah Tavel joins Jason.

(1:38) Sarah Tavel, Benchmark Partner, on disciplined fund size and efficiency
(5:06) Benchmark's commitment to founders and investment strategy
(9:12) Strategies for competing in a changing venture landscape

(10:00) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(15:50) Valuations, ownership, and building deep relationships with founders

(18:30) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist
(19:39) The critical role of governance and accountability in startups
(28:36) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist

(30:16) The power of incremental improvements and executive limitations
(34:32) Vanity metrics vs. building enduring value in startups
(43:12) The consequences of choosing status over results in startup success
(46:22) Building trust in leadership and the pressures of maintaining success
(49:03) The importance of non-consensus bets and independent thinking
(55:20) The relationship between hype, investment decisions, and startup promotion
(58:19) In-person work vs. remote work: Impact on startup productivity
(1:02:58) SaaS market challenges: Pricing, AI impact, and future models
(1:07:33) Exciting AI investments and the transformative potential of new technologies
(1:13:01) AI advancements, new use cases, and the competitive landscape
(1:17:16) How incumbents and consumers are benefiting from AI advancements
(1:19:15) Embracing AI in daily tasks and business operations
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Check out Benchmark: https://www.benchmark.com/
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Follow Sarah:

X: https://x.com/sarahtavel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtavel/
Sarah’s Substack: https://www.sarahtavel.com/

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Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:00) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(18:30) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist
(28:36) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist

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Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@fou

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

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 https://vanta.com/twist

.Tech Domains. Don’t miss our “Jam with JCal” contest! To apply and get more details go to https://www.jamwithjcal.tech brought to you by .tech domains.

DevSquad. DevSquad helps startups design better products.

If you need UI and UX expertise and don’t want to hire an entire design team, head to https://www.devsquad.com/startups and book a call.

Mention that you are coming from TWiST to get 10% off.

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Todays show:

True Anomaly’s Even Rogers joins Jason to discuss US competitiveness and innovation space and defense tech (8:53). They also dive into True Anomaly’s innovations (26:41), securing government contracts (31:41), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) True Anomaly’s Even Rogers joins Jason

(4:35) Space innovations and True Anomaly's tech

(8:01) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(8:53) Space defense, treaties, and infrastructure resilience

(17:01) Space warfare challenges and scenarios

(22:24) .Tech Domains - Apply for the Jam Session with JCal contest today at https://www.jamwithjcal.tech

(23:41) Securing government contracts for space and defense startups

(26:41) True Anomaly’s Jackal deployment

(31:41) Defense contracting: cost-plus vs. fixed price models

(34:19) International sales of defense technology and regulations on defense tech exports

(36:28) DevSquad - Visit https://www.devsquad.com/startups, book a call, and mention TWIST for 10% off!

(37:57) Defense industry's role in capitalism and global politics

(43:19) Taiwan-China conflict and its global impact

(46:49) The major concern with new weapons technology

(50:29) Jam With JCal contest winner Ana Malhotra from Rome joins Jason

(54:24) Jason’s feedback for Rome

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Follow Even:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanst-aafl

Check out: https://www.trueanomaly.space

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Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Thank you to our partners:

(8:01) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(22:24) .Tech Domains - Apply for the Jam Session with JCal contest today at https://www.jamwithjcal.tech

(36:28) DevSquad - Visit https://www.devsquad.com/startups, book a call, and mention TWIST for 10% off!

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Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Follow TWiST:

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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 https://www.openphone.com/twist

AssemblyAI. Get maximum value from voice data with AssemblyAI. Build powerful products and features for your end users on the industry’s leading speech-to-text models. Get 100 free hours to start building at https://www.assemblyai.com/twist

CommandBar. Seamlessly integrate an AI-powered guide into your software, making navigation intuitive and interactive. Visit https://commandbar.com/twist⁠ to get a custom live demo.

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Todays show:

David Weisburd hosts Jamie Rhode, Matthew Mulvey, and Jason Calacanis to discuss DPI coming to Silicon Valley (2:11), demographic data on the backgrounds of Unicorn founders (26:55), and trends for limited partners (36:10), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) David Weisburd intros Jamie Rhode, Matthew Mulvey, and Jason Calacanis

(2:11) DPI, Wiz acquisition, and economic impacts on distributions

(5:48) Consistent vintage exposure and proactive DPI management strategies

(8:55) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist

(10:22) Sequoia's liquidity approach and LP needs in venture capital

(17:13) The role of emerging managers and secondary markets in VC

(25:44) AssemblyAI - Get 100 free hours to start building at https://www.assemblyai.com/twist

(26:55) Unicorn founder demographics and underdog success

(35:05) CommandBar. Visit https://commandbar.com/twist⁠ to get a custom live demo.

(36:10) LP preferences, the challenges for emerging managers, and democratizing venture investments

(50:54) The decline of first-time funds, motivations for fund creation, and innovations in fundraising

(51:56) Venture portfolio management with AI and technology adoption parallels

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Mentioned on the show:

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/15/sequoia-capital-stripe

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/27/unicorn-founders

https://x.com/Samirkaji/status/1801351637895942243?utm_campaign=OpenLP+newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8j6WSVjgGUZXegAo58QYJgSmqd90ozahWmHQWU0Qsnyk_KaXsIldVB7mrcruCafZe_JukeEs-r0fC78VCzJ0kOU7Ppog&_hsmi=313664446&utm_content=313664446&utm_source=hs_email&mx=2

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Follow Jamie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrcfa

Check out: https://www.screendoor.co/

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Follow Matthew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattmulvey/

Check out: https://www.liquid2.vc/

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Follow David:

X: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/DWeisburd⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd⁠⁠

Check out: ⁠⁠https://10xcapital.com

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Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Thank you to our partners:

(8:55) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist

(25:44) AssemblyAI - Get 100 free hours to start building at https://www.assemblyai.com/twist

(35:05) CommandBar. Visit https://commandbar.com/twist to get a custom live demo.

*

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Todays show:

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss the role of social media and rhetoric in spreading conspiracy theories in the wake of the attempt on Trump (5:43), Silicon Valley's political landscape and views on Biden and Trump’s policies (20:14), Sequoia's strategy with Stripe shares, secondary markets, and private investments (50:00), and more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show

(1:57) Reflections on the assassination attempt on Trump and media cycles

(5:43) The role of social media and rhetoric in spreading conspiracy theories

(10:02) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(11:19) Political implications of post-shooting events and allure of conspiracy theories

(20:14) Silicon Valley's political landscape and views on Biden's policies

(22:31) Intercom - TWIST listeners can get 90% off Intercom’s platform at https://www.intercom.com/twist

(25:03) Trump's policies and their impact on Silicon Valley and startups

(33:31) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://www.Lemon.io/twist

(35:00) Market conditions, Google's potential acquisition of Wizz, and cybersecurity

(47:02) State-sponsored hacking and the complexity of cybersecurity

(50:00) Sequoia's strategy with Stripe shares, secondary markets, and private investments

(1:01:02) The evolving role of secondary markets in venture capital and problem-solving in capitalism

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Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/

Check out the TWIST500: twist500.com

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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

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Mentioned on the show:

Check out Polymarket trading data:

https://polymarket.com/event/will-biden-drop-out-of-presidential-race?tid=1721076355768

Don’t miss the WSJ’s big Wiz scoop:

https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/google-near-23-billion-deal-for-cybersecurity-startup-wiz-6

Alex’s take on the deal

https://www.cautiousoptimism.news/p/why-google-may-spend-23b-buying-wiz

The Axios piece on what Sequoia is cooking up for Stripe shares:

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/15/sequoia-capital-stripe

And you can find the OneStream IPO docs here:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1889956/000095017024083395/onestream_s-1a.htm

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Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/

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Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:02) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at http://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(22:31) Intercom - TWIST listeners can get 90% off Intercom’s platform at https://www.intercom.com/twist

(33:31) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://www.Lemon.io/twist

*

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

*

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

*

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916