Podcast
This Week in Startups
Hosted by Jason Calacanis · EN
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.
165episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The end of Venture Capital? (VC Roundtable) | E2285
May 601:23:37Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:Grasshopper Bank - https://grasshopper.bank/twistPaperOS - https://paperos.com/twistLinkedIn Jobs - https://linkedIn.com/twistPlaud - https://Plaud.ai/twistThe top 5 U.S. venture firms captured 73% of all LP commits in Q1, and three veteran VCs say the math may have officially broken. Aleph's Michael Eisenberg argues we may be witnessing the end of a 60-year run for venture capital as a craft business. Maniv's Mike Granoff and Oxcart's Larry Covert push back, arguing it's merely splitting into two asset classes: "Consensus VC" and traditional VC. Either way, the implications for founders, LPs, and the next decade of innovation are enormous.TWiST is back on the beat with a venture round table discussing investment concentration, the IPO drought, "bullshit ARR" in the AI era, AI gross margins, the U.S.-China chip war, the Iran conflict's impact on defense tech, the death of NATO and the rise of allied supply chains, why Tel Aviv's stock exchange could become the next NASDAQ, and a lightning round on each VC's favorite portfolio company. Let’s go!Timestamps:0:00 Intro + sponsor reads (Grasshopper Bank, PaperOS, LinkedIn Jobs)0:58 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!2:13 Introductions: Eisenberg (Aleph), Granoff (Maniv), Covert (Oxcart)3:57 The impact of rising venture capital concentration6:43 "We may be witnessing the end of venture capital"9:17 Consensus VC vs. Traditional VC10:01 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist11:48 Why mid-size firms beat the behemoths on founder access19:35 Coining "Consensus Colossal Collaborative Capital" (CCCC)20:03 AngelList's USVC retail VC fund — does it help mid-size funds?20:18 PaperOS - Whether you're raising a round, launching a fund, or managing a venture portfolio, PaperOS can unlock simplicity and scale across your empire of capital, contracts, and companies. Claim your $10,000 credit at https://paperos.com/twist23:27 Are there more breakout startups today than 5 years ago?28:36 The "bullshit ARR" problem and AI gross margins30:03 Grasshopper Bank - Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.32:08 Cursor's negative gross margins and the hyperscaler funding flywheel33:06 Are we all electron constrained?35:35 Are we headed for surge pricing on compute?40:22 Will anything replace NVIDIA? NextSilicon, Hailo & Israel's chip stack43:33 Distillation, small models, and Apple's edge advantage46:38 Public trust in AI: should government mandate Waymo & FSD?1:02:58 Defense tech: Saronic, Anduril & the coming defense M&A wave1:06:35 The Iran war timeline & supply chain impact1:18:52 Lightning round: Jiga, Divergent, Volaback, Firehawk, HarbingerSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Summary
Naval's GP, Ankur Nagpal, Breaks Down The Viral “USVC” Fund | E2284
May 501:38:10Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:Render - render.com/twistVanta - vanta.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - northwestregisteredagent.com/twistHave you wanted to invest in venture capital alongside your 401k contributions, but struggled to find a way to place a bet? Search no more, for the AngelList team has created USVC, a new fund that will accept investments of as little as $500 from folks who lack accreditation. USVC’s Ankur Napgal swung by the show to chat about investment strategies, access, fees, and just how illiquid the venture-like vehicle will prove to be.Jason and Alex were then joined by Jon Durbin, core contributor at Chutes, and Yash Goenka, co-founder and CEO of Humwork. Chutes is the most valuable Bittensor subnet, focused on aggregating GPUs to offer trustless AI compute. Humwork wants to help bring a human into your agentic workflow to unstick your agent when it runs into a hitch. The show closes with a news lightning round — enjoy!Timestamps:0:00 Intro + Plaud AI sponsor read (Jason demos the NotePin S)2:06 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!3:50 Episode overview: USVC, Chutes, Humwork7:41 USVC structure: $500 min, no accreditation, quarterly redemptions10:28 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist11:39 Fee structure breakdown: 1% mgmt fee, ~2.5% net expense ratio15:41 USVC portfolio: xAI, Anthropic, OpenAI, Crusoe, Vercel16:17 Strategy: 1/3 emerging managers, 1/3 growth, 1/3 secondaries19:00 $1B cap and path to expanding the fund20:33 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 reports fast. Get $1,000 off for a limited time at https://www.vanta.com/twist28:00 What is sovereign compute? Permissionless GPU networks explained30:10 Render - Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.44:53 Usage history: 160B tokens/day peak, free-to-paid transition46:41 GPU pricing: from $0.77/hr to $3.50/hr as shortage bites49:13 DeepSeek censorship demo: Taiwan test on DeepSeek chat57:27 Permissionless supply curves: Uber/Airbnb analogy for induced demand59:20 Yash Goenka, co-founder of Humwork (YC S26)1:00:49 Lightning Round: Ryan Cohen wants to buy eBay — Jason's hot take1:12:36 Lightning Round: Cerebras IPO update ($27–36B valuation range)1:14:05 Lightning Round: Spirit Airlines / JetBlue / M&A regulation debate1:19:10 OFF-DUTY: Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord1:32:57 Alex's OFF-DUTY: Captain of IndustrySubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Summary
Can an AI Agent Legally Own a Company? Christian van der Henst's Wild Experiment| E2283
May 101:10:05Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:Pilot - https://pilot.com/twistShopify - https://shopify.com/twistGrasshopper Bank - https://grasshopper.bank/twistToday’s show:An AI agent named Valerie is running a real vending machine in San Francisco — setting prices, ordering inventory, managing a bank account, and posting to Instagram. And it's not just a stunt. We’re getting an early look at the future of one-agent companies. There’s still work to do to help agents ease into the economy, potentially opening up new startup opportunities.Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm cover a stacked docket: Christian van der Henst demos the Valerie AI vending machine powered by OpenClaw; Robert Myers, CEO of Manifold Labs, breaks down Targon, a confidential GPU compute marketplace running on Bittensor Subnet 4; Jason calls Bitcoin "played out;" Alex is impressed by Anthropic's stunning $900 billion upcoming valuation; and the guys discuss Big Tech's accelerating CapEx spend, Chinese AI models in Congress crosshairs, and the NBA Playoffs.Timestamps:0:00 Intro & sponsor reads (Pilot, Shopify, Grasshopper Bank)1:06 Christian van der Henst: Valerie the AI vending machine demo4:28 Legal structure: Giving an AI agent business ownership via trust7:23 Where agents can and can't operate today10:10 Grasshopper Bank: Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.11:48 AI café in Stockholm running on agents18:21 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!19:05 Robert Myers, Manifold Labs: Targon & Bittensor Subnet 4 interview20:21 What is Bittensor? An "incubator with 128 subnets"21:08 Shopify: Turn those What If's into sales with the ecommerce platform powering millions of businesses. Sign up for your $1-per-month trial today at https://shopify.com/twist25:21 Pricing, utilization caps, and why GPUs are sold out26:38 Who's using Targon? Customers, use cases, and the mom-and-pop data center argument30:06 Pilot: Focus on your product, let Pilot handle your bookkeeping. Pilot provides the most reliable accounting, CFO, and tax services for startups and small businesses. Head to https://pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.35:07 Jason explains the annotated.com vision — 15 years in the making39:11 Polymarket: Will Anthropic flip Bitcoin by Dec 31?40:29 Jason's Bitcoin bear case: "It's played out. No incremental buyers."46:05 MicroStrategy / Strategy updates52:37 AI compute demand vs. the fiber overbuild analogy55:55 Congress pressuring startups over Chinese AI models (DeepSeek, Moonshot)57:11 A16z on the geopolitical risk of Chinese AI models1:00:08 Reflection AI — America's open source AI champion (or lack thereof)1:01:26 Off Duty: Knicks blow out Atlanta Hawks 140–89, Jason goes road-trippingSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Summary
Mastering AI Video Marketing w/ Magnific CEO Joaquín Cuenca Abela | AI Basics
Apr 3000:22:34Summary readyThe TWiST AI Basics series is made possible by Google Cloud!Check out Google Cloud’s new report, “Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups,” Featuring thoughts from today’s guest, Joaquín Cuenca AbelaVisit: goo.gle/futureofgenmedia to check it out!Today’s show:In today’s edition of TWiST AI Basics, J-Cal is joined by Joaquin Cuenca Abela, co-founder and CEO of Magnific (formerly known as Freepik). We’re discussing how generative AI is transforming the creative landscape for startups.In watching today’s show you’ll have-consider your expectations of what AI video can actually do for you and your business. What used to take a high end production team months and tens of thousands of dollars now takes 24 hours and one person with patience to learn the right tools. This conversation explores how founders can use these tools to scale their creative output better, cheaper, and faster.Timestamps:0:00 Google Cloud - Check out Google Cloud's new report, "Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups," Featuring thoughts from today's guest, Joaquín Cuenca Abela at https://goo.gle/futureofgenmedia1:10 Welcome to AI Basics, presented by Google Cloud!2:11 Meet Joaquín Cuenca Abela, CEO of Magnific (formerly Freepik)3:12 Building a post-apocalyptic SF ad for TWiST in 24 hours4:25 Storyboarding characters, blending images, and text-prompting scenes6:39 The finished product: post-apocalyptic Jason!7:56 How much cheaper is this than traditional advertising?9:34 The tech stack: Magnific's upscaler and 3rd party frontier models11:02 Which Hollywood productions are actually using AI?13:14 Hollywood's 180 from "F these tools" to enthusiastic adoption14:38 One director's 600-person AI-enabled production15:23 Why Magnific built in Málaga, Spain and how they recruit AI talent16:40 Can AI ever match human creative vision?18:43 The future: 100 versions of the same ad, hyper-localized by city21:35 Where to find Magnific + Google Cloud's Future of AI reportConnect with Joaquín and Magnific!Magnific (formerly Freepik) — Joaquín's AI creative platform, 150M+ MAU, $230M ARR → https://magnific.comJoaquín Cuenca Abela on X → https://x.com/cuencaJoaquín Cuenca Abela on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaquin-cuenca-abela-905717a/Magnific on X → https://x.com/magnificPanoramio — Joaquín's prior startup, acquired by Google in 2007 → https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PanoramioFortune feature on Magnific's $230M ARR rebrand (April 2026) → https://fortune.com/2026/04/28/freepik-magnific-joaquin-cuenca-abela-230-million-arr-video-generation-ai-pivot/Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partner!Google Cloud - Check out Google Cloud’s new report, “Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups,” Featuring thoughts from today’s guest, Joaquín Cuenca Abela at goo.gle/futureofgenmediaCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Summary
The $10M+ Bet on a Beanie That Reads Your Brain | Sabi & the Future of BCI | E2282
Apr 2900:55:43Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:Render - https://Render.com/TWISTNorthwest Registered Agent - https://NorthwestRegisteredAgent.com/TWISTLinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/TWISTToday’s show:A beanie that reads your thoughts and turns them into text — no surgery required? Jason grills the Sabi co-founders on their noninvasive brain-computer interface, backed by Vinod Khosla, and calls a cap on the whole thing (until he doesn't).This episode of This Week in Startups covers a lot of ground: Jason's tactical tip of the day on making everyone the CEO of their domain, a deep dive into Sabi's thought-to-text beanie, a live demo of AI-powered podcast sidebars built by the TWiST audience, the announcement of a new $5K bounty for an annotation tool, and Jason's big five wellness framework.Guests:Sabi: Website, Wired articleCo-founder and CEO Rahul Chhabra: LinkedIn, XCompanies and people discussed:Matt Coffin, founder of LowerMyBills.comVinod Khosla, founder of Khosla VenturesNeuralink, a leading BCI companyElevenLabs, a leading voice AI startupCalm, the popular meditation appTimestamps:0:00 Intro & tactical tip: Make everyone the CEO of their domain1:49 Matt Coffin's "CEO of X" management philosophy3:04 Community ownership: Deputizing Ricky, Lawn, Bianca, Maddie, Kabir4:02 Building the Noti Gang: X group chats and community flywheels5:08 Founder takeaways: Activate your top 1%, make someone the CEO of it6:18 The streamer trick, parasocial dynamics, and creator ethics7:59 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!9:34 Guest intro: Rahul Chhabra of Sabi10:01 What is Sabi? Noninvasive BCI in a beanie with 100,000 sensors10:13 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/TWIST11:02 How it works: From fMRI to EEG, from hospital to hat13:46 The brain foundation model and thought-to-text decoding15:55 Vetting the founders: BITS Pilani, Stanford, athlete fatigue AI17:22 Vinod Khosla's investment thesis: BCI must be noninvasive19:30 Jason's challenge: Say "Calacanis," or it doesn't count20:11 Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist21:30 Sabi.com: Reserve your device, release by end of 202622:26 Privacy concerns: Does the beanie read everything?25:41 Bounty #1: AI live sidebar contest — demos from the TWiST audience27:04 Oliver's breakdown: What's easy vs. hard about live AI commentary28:40 Demo #1: Armchair (by Mark Colebrook) — fact-checker + troll personas, live30:59 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.35:30 Live political violence test: The sidebar in real time on the WHCD shooting38:45 Demo #2: Pod Commentators / SideCast — browser-based, Gemini-powered40:35 Jason's revised Bounty #1 spec: Fact-checker + cynic, public stream or Zoom42:41 Timeline: check-ins May 1, May 8; final winner May 1544:51 Demo #3: BMD Pat (by Patrick Hughes) — instant URL, all-snarky personas46:52 Bounty #2 announced: Annotated.com — a fair-use multimedia annotation tool49:31 Annotated: the delicious.com of media commentary51:11 Contest rules: Jason owns the domain, winner gets $5K + potential ongoing work53:13 Wrap-up: Bounty 1 = AI sidebar, Bounty 2 = AnnotatedSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Summary
China Kills Meta / Manus Deal (Story Of The Year) | E2281
Apr 2800:53:03Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:IM8 Health - IM8health.com/twistSentry - Sentry.io/twistDeel - Deel.com/twistPlaud - https://Plaud.ai/twistWhat’s the technology story of the year? No, it’s not Anthropic’s Mythos model, nor any other AI model. Upcoming IPOs? Wrong again. Jason thinks it’s China’s government’s decision to block Meta's acquisition of Manus. The multi-billion-dollar deal was heralded as evidence that AI companies founded in China could sidestep onerous government meddling by moving their operations to Singapore. That loophole now appears closed.Jason and Lon then dug into the newly-reforged OpenAI-Microsoft partnership. The two companies have had a mutually beneficial, if fractious, operating relationship to date; that they had to rework their agreement is not a shock.Then, your hosts watched and digested a video from China purportedly showing a self-driving car hitting a child at speed. What would happen in the United States if such a tragedy struck? And is that fait accompli?Closing the show, Jason and Lon reacted to the latest Russell Brand implosion, discussed Lon’s new favorite show ‘Criminal Record,’ and shared recommended foot pedals (for AI dictation) and headphones for the road warriors tuning in.Key Links: OpenAI and MicrosoftOpenAI’s announcement of its new Microsoft dealMicrosoft’s announcement of its new OpenAI dealOpenAI announces its deal with AWSNews that Microsoft was considering legal action against OpenAIMicrosoft-OpenAI negotiations late 2025 edition, and terms announced in early 2026Amazon announces that OpenAI models are coming to AWSTimestamps:0:00 Show starts1:24 OpenAI and Microsoft have a new deal3:22 Why would Microsoft cede exclusive access to OpenAI models?5:36 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!8:09 Why Jason thinks Microsoft and Apple should work together on AI9:45 China will block the Meta-Manus deal12:12 Deel - Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, get visas handled fast, and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.12:23 Golden Shares and what they provide14:57 How do you unravel a multi-billion-dollar deal?22:08 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST24:42 The Huawei ADC crash29:49 What happens when something similar happens in the United States?31:55 IM8 Health: Start feeling like your best self every day. Go to https://IM8health.com/twist and use the code TWiST to get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order.36:15 Russell Brand's public humiliation41:22 Don't trust palm reading!43:59 Lon's Off Duty streaming pick: Criminal Record46:25 Jason's Pick: Which foot pedal for AI dictation is right for you?48:43 Jason's Pick: In the market for new headphones?Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
Summary
Naval’s $500 VC fund, the Maduro Polymarket scandal, and NYT defends theft and murder | E2280
Apr 2500:50:20Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:Northwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist LinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/twistToday’s show:It’s a News and Off-Duty weekend roundup!AngelList’s USVC fund is open to anyone with $500, but it’s getting pushback on social media. Do the critics have a point?A Special Forces soldier made $409K betting on the military’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Is the world just a big casino now?And a NYT podcast defends shoplifting and explores “social murder.” Find out why Jason says they crossed the line.Plus: Why you should teach your kids about investment and more, Off-Duty streaming and book recommendations.Related LinksUSVC: https://usvc.com/AngelList: https://www.angellist.com/Naval Ravikant on X: https://x.com/naval“Don’t Listen to the Peanut Gallery; USVC is a Watershed Moment” by Hari Raghavan: https://x.com/haridigresses/status/2047503944839016681@Covered_Call USVC tweet: https://x.com/covered_call/status/2047020060900733306Forge Global: https://forgeglobal.com/Calm: https://www.calm.com/Full DOJ indictment of Gannon Ken Van Dyke: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-soldier-charged-using-classified-information-profit-prediction-market-betsNYT “The Opinions” podcast: “The Rich Don’t Play by the Rules. So Why Should I?” https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000010849055/the-rich-dont-play-by-the-rules-so-why-should-i.htmlHasn Piker on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hasanabiNew Yorker: Jia Tolentino: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jia-tolentinoNYT: Nadja Spiegelman: https://www.nytimes.com/by/nadja-spiegelmanJia Tolentino on X: https://x.com/jiatolentinoGarry Kasparov on X: https://x.com/kasparov63Prof G Media: https://www.profgmedia.com/Kids Investment Club: https://www.kidsinvestmentclub.com/Time stamps:0:00 Intro1:18 Naval's $500 VC Fund Explained5:54 Should You Trust Critics With 2K Followers?7:21 Learn By Betting — Jason's Philosophy10:10 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist12:30 The Maduro Polymarket Scandal13:28 Should the Military Bet on Missions?19:55 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist29:32 NYT Defends Theft & "Social Murder"30:28 There Is No Moral Equivalence33:41 The Nepo Baby Behind the Article35:42 Prof G's "Resist & Unsubscribe" Movement37:54 Walk The Walk — Hasan, Bernie & Performative Outrage44:49 Teaching Kids About Money48:21 The Rich Get Richer & The Poor Stay PoorOff Duty Recommendations“The Complete Maus” by Art Spiegelman: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Maus-Art-Spiegelman/dp/0679406417“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Bets-Making-Smarter-Decisions/dp/0735216355“Queen of Chess” trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pmJgtLKBXgGreenlight app: https://greenlight.com/Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisvCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
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The Defense Tech Startup YC Kicked Out of a Meeting is Now Arming America | E2280
Apr 2500:59:15Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:Northwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist Render - https://render.com/twist Agree - https://agree.com Ro - https://Ro.co/Twist Plaud - https://Plaud.ai/twistToday’s show:The US military is running low on missiles, but now, Firehawk Aerospace is using 3D-printed solid rocket propellant to cut production costs in half and 5x U.S. output.Plus: PhD researcher Maruchi Kim just built camera-equipped earbuds that perform on par with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and could be the next wearable AI platform hiding in plain sight.GuestsWill Edwards: https://x.com/williewocketsFirehawk Aerospace: https://firehawkdefense.com/Maruchi Kim: https://x.com/maruchikimVueBuds project: https://vuebuds.cs.washington.edu/Related LinksThis Week in AI: https://www.thisweekinai.ai/“Ghost Murmur: The Heartbeat-Tracking Tech That Has Experts Questioning the Laws of Physics”: https://www.military.com/feature/2026/04/18/ghost-murmur-heartbeat-tracking-tech-has-experts-questioning-laws-of-physics.htmlNeurometric: https://www.neurometric.ai/Meta Ray-Bans: https://www.meta.com/ai-glasses/Hanwha Defense USA: https://www.hanwhadefenseusa.com/Raytheon: https://www.rtx.com/Pilatus PC-24 corporate jet: https://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/en/pc-24PlaneSense: https://www.planesense.com/Slopes app: https://slopesapp.com/Speechify: https://speechify.com/Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org/Timestamps:0:00 Are all these layoffs really AI's fault?8:51 Why laid off people should start their own companies9:27 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist13:18 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!15:25 Will Edwards of Firehawk joins the show15:46 What are Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs)?20:06 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.23:10 Who are Firehawk's customers?24:25 Reimagining and reinventing the US military28:35 How do missiles fit into the military's operations?29:34 Agree - Stop chasing invoices at https://agree.com and tell them Jason sent you to get 50% off for life!31:01 What's next on the roadmap for Firehawk?31:49 How to make propellant (with easy to find ingredients)33:13 A cheaper way to fly private38:03 Ro.co: Ro's insurance checker will let you know if your coverage includes GLP-1s for FREE. Go to https://Ro.co/Twist for your free insurance check.40:48 Maruchi Kim of Vuebuds joins the show!44:35 Why are VueBuds better than meta glasses?46:23 The biggest VueBud use cases48:09 Jason wants to use VueBuds on the slopes55:38 Jason's advice for angel investors: never underestimate anyone!Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
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SpaceX and Cursor team up to topple Claude Code | E2279
Apr 2201:13:29Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:LinkedIn Jobs - linkedIn.com/twistGrasshopper Bank - grasshopper.bank/twistNotion - notion.comToday’s show:This week, SpaceX announced that it was partnering with AI coding startup Cursor on new AI models. xAI’s parent company is bringing compute, while Cursor brings developer market share and recent successes, training its own coding models.The deal, while interesting, comes with a steep price tag. SpaceX will pay Cursor $10 billion for their shared work, with an option to buy the entire company for $60 billion later this year.After poking our way through the deal, Chris Zacharia and Brian McRindle of Bitstarter joined Lon and Alex. Bitstarter is a ‘Kickstarter for Bittensor,’ helping founders get their subnet up and running without tripping over their shoelaces. The Bitstarter crew also broke some news on the show, telling TWIST that they have a new accelerator-ish program kicking off.Next, Ning Ren from Trajectory RL joined the program to explain how Bittensor subnet 11 is using decentralized competitions to design and release better skills. Skills — markdown files with words — have become a critical building tool in the agentic era; how Trajectory will monetize is an open, interesting question.Timestamps:2:27 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!4:07 SpaceX/ xAI "partners" with Cursor!9:35 Will the Cursor deal help pump a future SpaceX IPO?9:57 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist.12:14 How AI coding models like Cursor help xAI grow recursively.17:24 Chris Zacharia and Brian McRindle of Bitstarter join the show.20:23 Grasshopper Bank: Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.29:59 Notion - Notion brings all your notes, docs, and projects into one connected space that just works with AI built right in. Try Notion, with Notion Agent, at https://www.notion.com/twist33:03 How Bittensor subnets monetize and how it compares to VC funds.37:04 Is Bittensor hard-capped at 128 subnets?42:37 Bittensor's biggest weakness.46:10 Ning Ren of TrajectoryRL joins the show.47:34 Skills now need entire agents just to write them!48:26 Back up… What are skills?1:07:38 Amazon and Anthropic's 5 BILLION deal1:08:48 Google has 2 new chips!1:09:50 Apple CEO, Tim is COOKED! John Ternus is in!1:11:37 Alex is bullish on MacBook Neo!Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
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Why Your Company Should Own Its AI Model | E2278
Apr 2101:16:59Summary readyThis Week In Startups is made possible by:Quo - https://quo.com/TWiST Vanta - https://vanta.com/twist Pilot - https://pilot.com/twist Plaud - https://Plaud.ai/twistToday’s show:*Eragon CEO Josh Sirota believes that you should “own your intelligence.” He demos a live enterprise AI operating system connecting email, Slack, calendar, and financial data into a single agentic layer that’s pre-trained to understand any business inside and out.PLUS we’ve got IONA Drones founder Etienne Louvet, a first look at Moonshot’s Kimi K2.6, and a brand new Off Duty with JCal and Lon.FULL SHOW NOTES ON NOTION: https://thisweekinstartups-docket.notion.site/TWiST-2278-SHOW-NOTES-34872ca918e380bd9c71e684ce2db7c9?source=copy_linkGuests :Eragon: https://eragon.aiJosh Sirota on X: https://x.com/joshua_sirotaIONA: https://ionadrones.com/Etienne Louvet on X: https://x.com/etienneldvaRelevant LinksEragon Seed Round coverage: https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/18/this-startup-wants-to-make-enterprise-software-look-more-like-a-prompt/Neurometric: https://www.neurometric.ai/Ollama model: https://ollama.com/Orange Slice: https://www.orangeslice.ai/Corgi Insurance: https://www.corgi.insure/Slash Financial: https://www.slash.com/The Syndicate: https://thesyndicate.com/FAA Part 108 Explained: https://pilotinstitute.com/part-108-explained/Zipline: https://www.zipline.com/Google Wing: https://wing.com/Joby Aviation: https://www.jobyaviation.com/Enterprise Ireland: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/Éire Composites: https://www.eirecomposites.com/Kimi K2.6 blog post: https://www.kimi.com/blog/kimi-k2-6Kimi K2 series on GitHub: https://github.com/moonshotai/Kimi-K2NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 work station: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/gb300-nvl72/Timestamps:0:00 Josh from Eragon AI joins the show2:01 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!5:07 Why founders should own and control their data sets8:33 What is a "company world model?"9:48 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) - Quo gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at https://quo.com/TWiST11:32 Eragon demo15:55 Giving agents their own bank accounts19:07 Inside Eragon's first partnerships20:14 Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist25:50 How does Eragon make money?29:11 Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.39:33 Etienne Louvet of Iona Drones joins the show42:37 What is FAA's Part 108?47:13 How innovation in drones impacts the aviation industry50:26 Working with Enterprise Ireland58:28 Jason attended the Breakthrough Awards1:04:10 Doug Liman's AI-powered "Bitcoin" movie1:09:09 "Love Story" on FX and "Dust Bunny" on HBO Max1:13:10 Jason's love of tinned fishSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
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