2021

2021

Kevin Rose, Tobi Lutke, Jeff Lawson, Dara Khosrowshahi, Jeremy Allaire, Anatoly Yakovenko, Sarah Hum, Bradley Tusk, Michael Dell, Adena Hefets, Taylor Lorenz, MetaKovan, Bred Gerstner, Roham Gharegozlou, Erin Meyer and more!

Jason hosts
December 27, 2021

The 2021 TWISTY Awards: best guest, most awkward moment, best chemistry & more! | E1350

Jason is joined by This Week in Startups' new co-host Molly Wood for a news show. First they cover why Molly joined the TWiST team (1:24), then they dig into the Web3 wars erupting on Twitter (24:00) and break down Rivian's Q3 earnings (51:45). Producer's note: this is our only podcast this week
December 21, 2021

Web3 wars & Rivian Q3 earnings with our new co-host Molly Wood! | E1349

Praying for Exits, the top meme account in Venture Capital joins to discuss being a pseudonymous commentator (01:13), why VCs spend too much time brand building (12:37), entitlement in tech (23:47), assessing founders and companies qualitatively and quantitatively (35:46), crazy VC stories (52:10) plus so much more!
December 17, 2021

Praying For Exits: the satirist of venture capital | E1348

First Jason covers Melania Trump launching an NFT series (02:27) and Reddit just filing to go public(13:10). Then, Twitter's Tony Haile joins (24:14) to talk about selling his startup Scroll to Twitter, helping lead Twitter's product team (37:07), Twitter's roadmap and more.
December 16, 2021

Melania Trump’s NFT, Reddit to go public + Twitter’s Tony Haile: news & product evolution | E1347

First Jason covers the Mayo clinic's promising new signs for mRNA cancer treatment (02:02), Google's firm vaccine policy (07:41) and the Better.com CEO stepping away after last week's meltdown (16:39). Then, Jason brings on three founders he has invested in and chats with them about their company: SupporTrends co-founder Oliver Rowen on customer insights (25:23), Wearwell co-founder and CEO Erin Houston on sustainable fashion (37:11), and PaidBack co-founder Amber Masters on budgeting and paying off debt (50:15).
December 15, 2021

mRNA cancer treatment, Google’s vax policy, Better.com CEO “taking time off” + Founder roundtable: PaidBack, Wearwell, SupporTrends | E1346

All news show! First Jason gives an Elizabeth Holmes trial update and reveals the key point the prosecution missed (2:12). Then he covers, Nike acquires an NFT company (14:17), $USDT becoming an official currency of a shadow government in Myanmar (31:55), how “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips made $150M on the trilogy (36:58) and the Japanese billionaire who delivered UberEats to the international space station (44:55).
December 14, 2021

What Elizabeth Holmes’s prosecution missed, Nike buys NFT studio, Tether, the power of equity, ISS tourism | E1345

First, Jason breaks down the math of why Peloton might be undervalued (3:23). Then, the founder and CEO Rad Power Bikes Mike Radenbaugh joins to discuss building a massive ebike company (15:36), the most innovative features, ebike regulation and cites. Then, *spoiler alert* Jason gives his top takeaways from the Succession season three finale recap (01:05:58) and Producer Nick pitches a storyline to work Jason into season four. At the end of the show Jason and Nick discuss the strategy and behind the scenes of producing All-in (01:32:20).
December 13, 2021

Is Peloton undervalued? + Rad Power Bikes CEO Mike Radenbaugh + Succession recap, All-in | E1344

First, Jason plays
December 10, 2021

Guess the fake startup + Founders of Jenni.AI, Wearloom, Track, Llama Life + How to hire Gen Z | E1343

First, Jason covers the recent crypto hearings (1:25), then offers a brief potential NFT solution for Adele's ticket scalper problem (16:06). After the news, Jason closes out the 100-point Startup Checklist with ten tips for founders including, lean management (23:19), constant product engagement (43:51), monthly updates (46:30) and more!
December 9, 2021

Armstrong & Tether skip crypto hearings, Adele’s NFT resale solution + Startup Checklist E10 | E1342

December 8, 2021

Art Basel recap (Beeple, JUUL, Cathie Wood) + reacting to Better.com’s leaked layoffs clip | E1341

December 7, 2021

What is a Vibe Capitalist? Bedrock’s Geoff Lewis on investing, crypto, city-states, defense & AI | E1340

Crypto is reaching the mainstream, which has major implications for crypto and traditional startups alike. Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn joins to discuss what regulation and taxes actually apply to crypto (3:17), recent improvements in crypto accounting infrastructure (8:24), appropriately documenting crypto holdings (21:25) and more! With crypto market capitalizations rivaling large cap tech companies, the IRS wants its due. This is a great crash course for properly documenting crypto and avoiding future fines.
December 6, 2021

Crypto accounting for startups | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1339

First, Jason covers Square's corporate renaming to Block to reflect their broader ambitions (2:11), breaks down the genius of Spotify wrapped (13:15), and gives a nod to Grab's public debut (16:41). Then, Jason is joined by 3 founders who went through the Launch Accelerator, to extract the lessons from the early days of running a company. First is Paul Bloch of Fathom, an AI-enabled podcast search platform (23:03), then Zach Hudson of Deft, a E-commerce search engine (41:58) and finally Liam Gerada of Krepling, a no-code e-commerce platform (54:19).
December 3, 2021

Square becomes Block, Spotify Wrapped’s genius, $GRAB debut + Founders of Fathom, Deft & Krepling | E1338

David and Ben from Acquired.FM join Jason to talk about their favorite podcast moments from 2021 (1:29), valuations across startups & crypto (35:50), top content recommendations (1:10:00) and so much more!
December 2, 2021

Podcasting, crypto and favorite finds with Acquired’s Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal | E1337

First, Jason covers Twitter's confusing major new privacy policy revision (1:54), reacts to a 1995 clip of Bill Gates talking about the internet on Letterman (12:36). Then, in episode 9 of the Startup Checklist, Jason explains how to raise capital from venture investors (16:47). This includes: finding investors and evaluating if they are the right fit (29:35), nailing cold emails (35:33), pitching your startup, sending investor (47:42) updates and more.
December 1, 2021

Twitter bans sharing “private media” + Startup Checklist: How to raise capital | E1336

First, Jason sums up Jack Dorsey's departure from Twitter's CEO role (1:41). Then he breaks down the stats from Mr. Beast's latest YouTube video (11:05). After the news, Haus CEO and Co-Founder Helena Price Hambrecht joins (16:53) to discuss her DTC alcohol brand, changing habits of American drinkers and more.
November 30, 2021

Twitter’s new CEO, Mr. Beast’s record-breaking Squid Game + Haus’ Helena Price Hambrecht | E1335

Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn shares the seven tasks founders need to complete before years end. Jason and Scott discuss efficiently navigating compliance and tax deadlines, taking advantage of tax incentives for VC-backed startups, financial planning and more.
November 29, 2021

End of year startup accounting checklist | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1334

First Jason covers Zoom's Q3 earnings and reflects on broader tech valuations (01:53). Then, Jason does a Startup Checklist episode on how to get your startup ready for an investment (16:10). The episode covers the basics like making sure you have the right structure (18:06), the ways you can fundraise (39:33) and more.
November 24, 2021

Zoom’s revenue tops $1B, valuation falls + Startup Checklist: how to prepare for fundraising | E1333

Full news show today! First, a quick update on Nikola and Trevor Milton's situation (1:35). Then, Jason reacts to a video of Jordan Peterson getting
November 22, 2021

Nikola Motors update, El Salvador launches $1B bond to build “Bitcoin City” on a volcano | E1331

First, Jason covers ConstitutionDAO attempt to buy one of the remaining 13 copies of the constitution at Sotheby's (01:56). Then, he does 10 points from the Startup Checklist on operational excellence (34:54). To close out the show, Producer Rachel speaks with Meagan Loyst, a VC at Lerer Hippeau who leads a group called Gen Z VCs (01:04:00).
November 19, 2021

A DAO bids $40M on the Constitution, Startup Checklist: Operational best practices, Gen Z VCs | E1330

First Jason explains why Miramax is suing Quentin Tarantino over his Pulp Fiction NFT collection (2:31). Then Twitch Co-Founder & GP at Goat Capital Justin Kan joins (19:19) to discuss lessons from entrepreneurship, what he looks for when investing, his YouTube channel, podcast and more!
November 18, 2021

Tarantino sued over NFTs + Twitch Co-Founder Justin Kan: YouTube, Entrepreneurship, Investing | E1329

First, Sam Lessin of Slow Ventures joins to discuss how he is applying the venture model to invest in individuals, he just placed a $1.7M bet on a YouTube creator (4:10). Then, Jason brings on Chris Niblett, who is going through Founder University (41:40). They discuss Chris's company Bizzly, which is a
November 17, 2021

Why Sam Lessin is using the VC model to invest in individuals + Jason funds a startup on air | E1328

First, Jason covers the Ohio Attorney General suing Meta (2:05). Then, Tusk Venture's Bradley Tusk joins to discuss the strategy he developed to help Uber overcome cities trying to ban it (17:43), what actually motivates politicians (23:02), mobile voting (31:07) the advice he would give Mark Zuckerberg (48:28) and more!
November 16, 2021

Ohio sues FB + Bradley Tusk “The Fixer,” Uber, startups navigating politics, mobile voting | E1327

Remote work unlocked massive hiring opportunities for startups, but also creates new compliance challenges. In this episode, Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn joins to explain how startups should navigate remote work. They discuss PEOs, sales tax, and tax credits.
November 15, 2021

How to hire anywhere in the world (legally) | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1326

First up, Jason showcases what he calls the greatest CNBC hit of all time (01:46). Then he covers YouTube hiding the downvote counter (18:49). In the interview segment, Ready Games CEO David Bennahum about his new fashion Icon NFT marketplace game (27:31) and the transition from walled gardens to open source. We wrap with another edition of
November 12, 2021

The greatest CNBC hit of all time, YouTube hides dislikes + Ready Games CEO David Bennahum | E1325

First, Jason analyzes Rivian's IPO and gives his thoughts on the current valuation (2:05). Then, Aaron Wright from OpenLaw joins (22:13) to discuss Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). At OpenLaw Aaron has helped launch 9 DAOs by providing legal structure, tooling and infrastructure. They talk digital contracts, why Aaron thinks DAOs are better for investment decisions and more!
November 11, 2021

Breaking down Rivian’s IPO & $100B valuation + DAO deep dive with OpenLaw’s Aaron Wright | E1324

First, Jason breaks down Coinbase's Q3 earnings and takes a look at the broader trends in crypto trading (01:13). Then, Jason runs through 10 points of his
November 10, 2021

Coinbase Q3 earnings breakdown + Startup Checklist: Crafting a brand & knowing your market | E1323

In this hot funding environment, both investors and founders benefit from startups having all the finance basics covered. In this episode, Kruze Consulting COO Scott Orn joins to explain how to prepare for diligence and avoid fraud. They discuss common blockers in diligence (10:19), the benefits of tight financials (23:31) and more!
November 8, 2021

How to simplify diligence & avoid fraud | Finance Basics with Kruze Consulting’s Scott Orn | E1321

First, Jason breaks down three recent earnings reports, Uber (1:57), Airbnb (21:10) and Peloton (26:00). Then, he introduces a new segment
November 5, 2021

Tech Earnings: $UBER, $ABNB, $PTON + OK Boomer: Gen Z joins the workforce | E1320

We continue with episode five of the Startup Checklist, where Jason gives 10 points to build a great team. He covers hiring, compensating the early team (11:31), outsourcing, structuring the company, setting the cadence (39:48), finding advisors and more!
November 4, 2021

Building a Great Team: Startup Checklist E5 | E1319

Jason reacts to Zillow's huge drop after the implosion of their iBuying business (4:33), and breaks down the Biden Administration's stablecoin report (23:35). Then, LeadIQ CEO Mei Siauw joins the show to talk growing a SaaS business with a distributed team, going from $500 to $10M+ in revenue, and more! (43:27)
November 3, 2021

Zillow falls after iBuying collapse, Biden Admin’s stablecoin report + LeadIQ’s Mei Siauw | E1318

First Jason briefly covers TikTok owner Bytedance's restriction on overtime working hours (2:14). Then Multicoin Capital partner Kyle Samani joins (11:07) to discuss how they evaluate products, why they prefer to invest in tokens over equity, the Solana blockchain (19:17), Helium (57:05), Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and much more.
November 2, 2021

Bytedance bans 996 + Multicoin Capital’s Kyle Samani: The 100x fund | E1317

First, Jason covers the reported revenue impacts for FB, SNAP, TWTR & GOOG caused by Apple's App Tracking Transparency policies (1:57). Then, Aimee Yang CEO & Founder of BetterBrand™ joins (16:18) to discuss her first product the
November 1, 2021

Apple privacy updates cost social media giants $10B + BetterBrand’s Aimee Yang | E1316

Facebook changed its name to Meta. In the news segment, Jason shares 10 highlights from the keynote and reacts to the name change (1:57). Then DuckDuckGo founder and CEO Gabriel Weinberg joins (36:22) to discuss his search engine's continued growth, surviving Google's monopoly (41:57), how they differentiate with privacy (48:30), and all the updates they've made since he was last on the show 10 years ago!
October 29, 2021

Facebook’s new name + DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg: the privacy search engine | E1315

First, Jason reacts Conde Nast's union refusing to return to the office on November 1 and takes stock of the big tech WFH policy landscape (1:34). We continue the show with episode four of the Startup Checklist, where Jason covers
October 28, 2021

Media employees battling “back to work” orders + Startup Checklist E4: Building a Great Product | E1314

First, Jason covers Sequoia's VC-redefining transition to an evergreen fund (1:54). He continues Q3 earnings coverage with Robinhood (13:38) and Twitter (21:10). Then, Ryan Breslow from Bolt joins to discuss transitioning to a 4-day work week, open-sourcing their company handbook and running a startup effectively (28:07).
October 27, 2021

Sequoia’s new structure, $HOOD and $TWTR earnings + Bolt’s Ryan Breslow: 4-day work week | E1313

First, Jason breaks down Facebook's Q3 earnings, including: growing revenue and profits, slowing user growth, AR investment and its new reporting structure (2:00). He also covers Facebook's potential rebrand as a metaverse-focused company and its declining usage amongst US teens and young adults. (11:35) Then, Italic's Jeremy Cai joins the show to discuss his innovative new e-commerce concept, ruffling feathers with incumbents, supply chain insights, and more! (25:58)
October 26, 2021

Facebook’s Q3 earnings breakdown: revenue, user growth, rumored rebrand + Italic’s Jeremy Cai | E1312

This Startup Basics is all about growth & retention. Tiffani Bova from Salesforce joins to talk about how startups should measure customer health, the pitfalls of high churn, the best kind of growth, how to earn trust by saying
October 25, 2021

Growth & Retention: Why Subscription is the Holy Grail | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1311

Tech journalist Eric Newcomer joins to talk the Trump SPAC (8:26), WeWork SPAC (15:58), and the behind the scenes funding story of GitLab's IPO (25:41). Then, HNGRY's Matt Newberg joins to talk innovations in the quick commerce space, the growing impact of ghost kitchens, and more! (1:01:10)
October 22, 2021

Trump SPAC, WeWork SPAC, GitLab IPO w/ Eric Newcomer + Quick Commerce w/Matt Newberg | E1310

First, Jason reacts to CNBC's Paul Tudor Jones interview, where PTJ warned about inflation and called Bitcoin (and crypto) a better hedge than gold (2:10). Then, Jason covers the new Bitcoin ETF and Hindenburg putting a bounty out for information on Tether (21:34). We wrap with episode three of the Startup Checklist, where Jason covers
October 21, 2021

Inflation warnings and hedge strategy, Bitcoin ETF, Hindenburg’s Tether bounty + Startup Checklist E3 | E1309

It was great to have Jeff back on the pod! But first, Producer Rachel gives some updates on TWIST Founder Meetups (01:54) and Jason talks a bit about Oculus (14:12). Then, Jeff Lawson from Twilio joins (24:42) to discuss their new mission to build the leading customer engagement platform, the launch of their new product Twilio Engage, lessons from scaling & their big acquisitions, San Francisco and more!
October 20, 2021

Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: the next $60B, Engage, Segment acquisition & more + Who actually uses Oculus? | E1308

First, Jason reacts to the most recent Apple event announcing new M1 chips & Macbooks (1:26). Then, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire (23:85) joins to discuss how USDC, what makes Circle different from Tether, regulation, and more.
October 19, 2021

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire on USDC, Tether & more + Jason reacts to Apple’s new M1 chips & MacBooks | E1307

This Startup Basics is all about managing customer relationships. Tiffani Bova from Salesforce joins to talk about the ways startups can improve customer interactions, transforming one-time transactions to reoccurring relationships. Jason and Tiffani give practical tips better serve customers and keep them coming back.
October 18, 2021

How to manage customer relationships | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1306

First, Jason covers Coinbase's announcement of their new NFT platform (2:06). Then, Bloomberg's Max Chafkin joins to discuss his book,
October 15, 2021

Coinbase chases NFT billions + Peter Thiel “The Contrarian” with author Max Chafkin | E1305

First, Jason covers the blowback Netflix is facing from Dave Chappelle's new special
October 14, 2021

Is Netflix over cancel culture? + Startup Checklist: Choosing a Business Model | E1304

Jason does a short news segment on China’s Bitcoin Mining hash rate falling to 0 and how the U.S. is now the largest mining hub (1:59). Then, Jacob Helberg author of
October 13, 2021

US inherits China’s Bitcoin Mining Dynasty + Jacob Helberg on the “New Cold War” with China | E1303

Anatoly from Solana joins Jason to discuss how they've managed to build the fastest blockchain (0:54). Solana's
October 12, 2021

Solana Founder Anatoly Yakovenko on scaling the blockchain to warp speed | E1302

Startup Basics is BACK! This series focuses on one of the most important aspects of any successful startup: the customer. On episode two, Salesforce's Tiffani Bova joins to break down all things customer engagement: defining it, authenticity, blending automation with a human touch, social media strategies and more!
October 11, 2021

How to understand customer engagement | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1301

First, Jason chats with Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux about his latest investigative piece
October 8, 2021

Tether’s hidden billions with Bloomberg’s Zeke Faux + Startup Checklist E1 | E1300

In a short news segment, Jason talks about a company that tried to sell
October 7, 2021

Fantasy startup investing NFTs + former Tesla CTO JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials | E1299

In this all news show, Jason covers Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen’s Senate testimony and Mark Zuckerberg's response (2:22). We also get into the fraud claims made by Scorpion Capital against Ginkgo Bioworks $DNA (1:01:35), we had Ginkgo CEO Jason Kelly on E1239 https://bit.ly/twiste1239.
October 6, 2021

FB Whistleblower’s Senate testimony + Scorpion Capital shorts Ginkgo Bioworks, claims fraud | E1298

Startup Basics is BACK! This series will focus on one of the most important aspects of any successful startup: the customer. On episode one, Salesforce's Tiffani Bova joins to break down all things customer experience: defining it, what an amazing experience looks like, how startups can beat the incumbents, and more!
October 5, 2021

How to create great customer experience | Customer Basics with Salesforce’s Tiffani Bova | E1297

In this news episode, Jason covers the Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's
October 4, 2021

Facebook’s whistleblower reveal & major outage + reacting to OZY media CEO on Today Show | E1296

First Jason covers Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's reflections on last year's blog
October 1, 2021

Coinbase CEO reflects on “mission” manifesto + Kettle’s Nat Manning on fire insurance | E1295

September 30, 2021

Amazon’s AI driver supervisors, OZY media fallout, rising FEMA flood insurance, OpenScouting | E1294

First, Jason brings on investor, former ad tech exec, and frequent guest Zach Coelius to discuss the strategic implications of Google's new ad attribution policy (01:43). Then Michael Dell joins for for a full interview (21:54) sharing stories from the early days of building Dell, scrappy supply-chain arbitrage, global expansion, negotiations with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, the $67B EMC VMware acquisition (57:40) and more!
September 29, 2021

Google’s game-changing ad policy + Michael Dell on “Play Nice But Win,” stories from building a computing giant | E1293

First, Jason covers OZY media's attempted deception of Goldman Sachs & investors (1:50), then covers Clubhouse's monetization problem with special guest Ashley Carman from the Verge (24:26). To wrap up, he discusses VC retirements (46:30) and Disney's Star Wars Visions (56:29).
September 28, 2021

OZY Media’s deception, VC retirement, Clubhouse’s monetization problem with The Verge’s Ashley Carman & more | E1292

Jason covers Instagram's Adam Mosseri announcing the pause of Instagram Kids (2:09), the recent firing of Bevy employee following a hostile interaction in Brooklyn (21:51). Then, Squarespace Founder and CEO Anthony Casalena joins (35:43) to discuss what marketing channels have been best for growing the company, new products offerings and shares stories from scaling and more!
September 27, 2021

Facebook puts Instagram Kids on pause, Bevy’s high-profile firing + Squarespace’s Anthony Casalena | E1291

Jason covers China's latest crypto mandate (0:59), a TikToker's conspiracy about iBuyers and the Redfin CEO's response (17:17), then takes a bunch of Ask Jason Questions (31:42) & more!
September 24, 2021

News! China bans crypto transactions (again), Zillow & iBuyers impacting Real Estate + Ask Jason | E1290

In this all news show, Jason teases a new podcast dedicated to SaaS (1:46) and covers: the EU's planned USB-C mandate (7:44), China's property glut (13:12), TikTok Investors following congressional trades (20:24), Tim Cook's battle against leakers (25:47), the
September 23, 2021

News! EU Mandates USB-C, Facebook Files, China RE, Apple leaks, Stonkfluencers, SaaS Pod | E1289

First, Jason covers the new Apple Maps and what he speculates it means for their next major product (2:11), then discusses SEC Chair Gary Gensler calling crypto the
September 22, 2021

Apple Maps 3-D update, SEC Chair tips off coming crypto regulation + Pacaso’s Austin Allison | E1288

In a short news segment, Jason describes Apple's new iCloud+ privacy suite (2:18). Then, Framework founder Nirav Patel joins to talk about making laptop customization great again (13:04)! They discuss the difficulty of raising VC for a consumer hardware startup, creating products for the
September 21, 2021

Apple launches iCloud Private Relay + Framework’s Nirav Patel on customizable laptops | E1287

In news, Jason covers Bytedance's decision to institute a 40 minute limit for kids on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok (1:56) and hits on the real estate situation in SF and implications for the startup community (15:02). Then, Orbital Insight's CEO Kevin O'Brien joins for the next installment of our Next Unicorns series (21:38) discussing how to make sense of billions of satellite images and pieces of sensor data to form a comprehensive view of the world.
September 20, 2021

ByteDance limits daily app time for kids in China + Next Unicorns: Orbital Insight’s Kevin O’Brien | E1286

First, Jason reacts to comments from Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri on the impact of Instagram on teen girls and comparing the risks of social media to the automobile industry (1:50). Then, Jason breaks down OpenSea's update on their front-running employee (11:55), and Jay-Z's NFT lawsuit (15:40). Finally, Sourcegraph CEO Quinn Slack joins to discuss growing his universal code search engine, selling a high-ticket SaaS product and more (21:48)!
September 17, 2021

Head of Instagram comments on teen impact, Jay-Z’s NFT lawsuit + Sourcegraph’s Quinn Slack | E1285

Full news show! First up, Jason covers the App Annie fraud (1:59), then he shares thoughts on Facebook's leaked documents showing they knew Instagram was detrimental to teen girls' mental health despite claiming the contrary (13:55). He also touches on Discord's $15B valuation (25:56), Mailchimp selling for $12B (33:40), and answers some livestream questions (40:35)!
September 16, 2021

Rapid Fire News: App Annie fraud, Instagram’s negative impact, Discord valued at $15B & more | E1284

First, Jason breaks down NFT platform OpenSea admitting one of their employees was front-running featured items (2:02). Could this tip off the SEC that NFTs might be securities rather than collectibles (12:01)? Then, Jason talks to Producer Rachel about TWiST Meetups (18:24). Finally, Goldbelly CEO Joe Ariel joins to talk about his high-end food marketplace, being the first mover in a blossoming category, the food e-commerce market & more. (30:15)
September 15, 2021

OpenSea admits employee was front-running featured NFTs + Goldbelly CEO Joe Ariel on food e-commerce | E1283

Brad Stone, the author of
September 14, 2021

“Amazon Unbound” author Brad Stone on the mind of Bezos, the future of Amazon & more | E1282

Rapid fire news episode. First, Jason covers how a fire proofed home survived the Caldor fire, Amazon's plan to provide college for all its employees, Facebook copying Snap's glasses, Notion acquiring Automate.io & more. At the end, Jason takes a few questions from listeners and shares a story from when he ran Silicon Alley Reporter.
September 9, 2021

News! Fireproof homes, Amazon’s college plan, Facebook copies Snap, Notion Acquires Automate.io & more | E1280

Coinbase CEO Brain Armstrong took to Twitter to call out the SEC for what Coinbase considers unclear guidance & hostility around their Lend product, Jason breaks down the situation (1:43). Then, to better understand how DeFi lending works Jason interviews Matt Ballensweig the Head of Institutional Lending at Genesis, a crypto prime brokerage (9:51). We close with three
September 8, 2021

Coinbase battles SEC over Lend + How DeFi interest rates work with Genesis’ Matt Ballensweig | E1279

First Jason covers the $19M Bored Ape Yacht Club bid on Sotheby's & the Loot NFT collection launched by a Vine co-founder (1:42), and briefly covers Tether being banned from Canadian exchanges (11:07). Then serial founder and investor Joe Lonsdale joins (19:53) to discuss his companies (Palantir, Addepar, OpenGov), his new podcast
September 7, 2021

BAYC at Sotheby’s, Loot, Tether Canada ban + 8VC’s Joe Lonsdale: Palantir, China, Cicero | E1278

First, Jason discusses how to balance product vision with customer feedback in a FounderU segment (0:57). Then, actor and investor Adrian Grenier joins to discuss the launch of his new fund DuContra Ventures (20:52), the importance of saying
September 3, 2021

Adrian Grenier: launching a new fund + FounderU: balancing product vision & customer feedback | E1277

Jason chats with Miso Robotics CEO Mike Bell (1:07), about automating food preparation, filling the labor gap, the consequences of robots, growing with crowdfunding and more. Then, TWIST Producer Rachel Braun interviews Dan Toomey about the strategies he uses to run the Morning Brew TikTok account.
September 2, 2021

Next Unicorns: Miso Robotics’ Mike Bell, $3 an hour fry cooks + MorningBrew’s Dan Toomey on TikTok | E1276

The Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs have been going crazy in the secondary market, Jason brings on collector and co-founder of media site
September 1, 2021

Bored Ape Madness with The Infatuation’s Andrew Steinthal + Breaking into VC with Nicole DeTommaso | E1275

First, Jason covers the kickoff of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial (1:48). Then, Blokable Co-CEO & Co-Founder Aaron Holm joins (16:37) to discuss solving the housing crisis, the Phoenix Rising project (27:05), why vertical integration is the key to making modular affordable, green materials (40:53), why LA's homeless housing project went way over budget (46:46) & more.
August 31, 2021

Elizabeth Holmes Theranos fraud trial kickoff + Blokable’s Aaron Holm: how to scale housing | E1274

First Jason covers the CCP banning US IPOs for big tech companies, closing the VIE loophole (1:50), then Audius Co-Founder Roneil Rumburg joins (18:44) to talk about his
August 27, 2021

CCP closes foreign IPO loophole + Audius’ Roneil Rumburg: decentralized project crash course | E1273

In the news segment, Jason covers unicorn SaaS Startup called HeadSpin has been accused of a massive fraud by the SEC and DOJ (2:06), and Pacaso real estate startup offering fractional ownership of vacation homes is causing outrage in wine country (17:35). Then, Jason interviews Not Boring's Packy McCormick (34:41), about his time at WeWork competitor Breather (36:14), turning his newsletter into a venture fund (59:12), and Packy's vision for crypto - it's one of the best explanations we've heard (1:03:17).
August 26, 2021

HeadSpin accused of $80M fraud, housing startup irks NIMBYs + Not Boring’s Packy McCormick | E1272

In today's news show, Jason covers OnlyFans being back to business as usual (1:31), the stablecoin Circle cleaning up commercial paper from their USDC reserves (16:49), and does a break down of Warby Parker's S-1 as the company prepare to go public via direct listing (30:30).
August 25, 2021

Rapid Fire News: OnlyFans reverses course, Circle to clean up USDC reserves, Warby Parker S-1 | E1271

In this news episode Jason covers Facebook finally revealing their Q1 transparency report after they originally shelved the report for PR purposes (2:08), Tyga deleting his OnlyFans account and announcing he will launch a competing platform (23:59), the WSJ's coverage of where Jack Ma is now (36:19) & more!
August 24, 2021

Rapid Fire News: Facebook “cleans up their house,” Tyga takes on OnlyFans, Jack Ma vs. CCP | E1270

Jason breaks down the OnlyFans' pivot away from sexual conduct (1:54), then he covers all the robot highlights from this week, Boston Dynamics robots doing backflips (23:34), Disney creating AI characters (31:25), and Tesla's announcement of
August 20, 2021

Rapid fire news: OnlyFans bans sexual conduct + Boston Dynamics, Disney & Tesla bet big on robots | E1269

Jason breaks down the 2 metrics he uses to to assess Robinhood's Q2 earnings (1:43) and Amazon entering Department Store retail (16:39). Then, Mark Suster from Upfront Ventures joins (24:07) to discuss venture metrics, community as a moat, why high valuations don't necessarily mean a bubble & more.
August 19, 2021

Robinhood earnings breakdown, Amazon launching department stores + Mark Suster deep dives VC | E1268

Jason opens the show with a brief recap of
August 18, 2021

Noodlegate, the end of cancel culture? + Next Unicorns: OpenGov CEO Zac Bookman | E1267

Podcasting from Italy after a 2-week break of news, Jason covers Casey Newton's failed dunk on Superhuman's $75M raise (2:58), the privacy implications of Apple's approach to preventing child porn distribution (23:14), the Helium Networks internet project (35:02), crypto regulation (43:03), and how WhatsApp is handling Afghanistan (49:45).
August 17, 2021

Casey Newton’s Superhuman misfire, Apple’s backdoor, 5G crypto network, WhatsApp’s Taliban problem | E1266

Jason discusses how founders can secure follow on funding (1:57), then is joined by investor Zach Coelius to answer listener questions on technical co-founders (38:21), successful founder traits (40:41), founder red flags (46:07), why startups fail diligence (56:17) and more.
August 12, 2021

How to secure follow-on investment for your startup (FounderU) + Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius | E1264

Jason does a Founder University segment on how to generate startup ideas (1:55), then Zach Coelius joins to take some
August 11, 2021

How to come up with a startup idea (FounderU) + Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius | E1263

Nick Kokonas joins to discuss his his company Tock (10:50), his world-class restaurant group Alinea (0:54), how restaurants can improve their operating leverage (18:05), digital experiences augmenting hospitality (39:41), why tipping needs to be replaced (44:50), the labor supply (56:16), inflation (1:00:27), employee health and more!
August 10, 2021

Nick Kokonas of Tock & Alinea, flipping the low-margin restaurant model | E1262

Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman joins to discuss the current U.S. housing situation (05:05), homebuilding rates, San Francisco (23:43), remote work (28:22), generational work-life balance differences (35:24), Redfin's approach to real estate (46:52), regulation, DOJ & MLS (58:33), & more.
August 6, 2021

Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman on the current state and future of the US housing market | E1261

In a Founder University segment, Jason compares running a bootstrapped vs. venture-backed company (1:17), discusses 'pegasus' companies (11:09), advises what types of businesses should take VC (23:59), and explains what motivates VCs (33:27). Then Zach Coelius joins to take some listener questions (38:48).
August 5, 2021

Bootstrapping vs. taking Venture Capital (FounderU) + Ask An Angel with Zach Coelius | E1260

YT Thumbnail - Episode 1259
August 4, 2021

How to a Grow Consumer SaaS App to 225K Paying Customers – Next Unicorns: Fitbod CEO Allen Chen | E1259

Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal from Acquired join to discuss David's new venture fund Kindergarten Ventures (00:56), how to structure a VC fund (12:16), Jason's super pro-rata strategy (30:17), podcasting (35:50), and they tease the next episode on
August 3, 2021

Creating a new venture fund: formation, follow-on strategies & more with Acquired | E1258

Alex Wilhelm from TechCrunch joins Jason to chop up this week's news. They cover Robinhood & Duolingo's IPOs (3:40), consumer subscription businesses (25:09), Google's growth (28:25), the startup funding landscape (38:51), Amazon (42:46), China's actions against tech (47:35), Apple (1:04:19) & more!
July 30, 2021

News! Robinhood/Duolingo IPOs, Big Tech earnings, China & more with TechCrunch’s Alex Wilhelm | E1257

Jason covers the Grand Jury indictment of Nikola founder Trevor Milton for making false claims to investors (1:50) and gives short recap of Robinhood's IPO (18:55). Then, Brandon Brown joins to discuss his company GRIN (25:40), the influencer economy, shifting advertising trends, social media platforms and more.
July 29, 2021

Nikola’s Trevor Milton indicted for fraud, Robinhood IPO + GRIN CEO Brandon Brown | E1256

Jason breaks down Google's earnings and compares Netflix & Youtube (3:22). Then, in our Next Unicorns series, Devin Finzer (27:01), the Co-Founder and CEO of OpenSea (an NFT marketplace) joins to discuss the innovations that helped NFTs take off (37:58), the future of collectibles & more.
July 28, 2021

Youtube vs. Netflix, Google’s $230B run rate + Next Unicorns: OpenSea’s Devin Finzer on NFTs | E1255

Jason covers China reigning in big tech (2:03), Tesla’s incredible Q2 earnings crossing $1B in profit (25:30), a $300M market movement from Tether to USDC (33:24), and gives a breakdown of a Binance Crypto Pump Telegram group (37:43).
July 27, 2021

Rapid Fire News: China’s techlash continues, Tesla’s incredible Q2 earnings, Tether holders move to USDC & more | E1254

Tether executives are reportedly facing a DOJ criminal probe for bank fraud! Jason breaks down Bloomberg's report (1:31), Tether's response (10:34) and assesses potential implications for the wider crypto ecosystem, including if this had anything to do with Sunday night's Bitcoin surge. (16:29)
July 26, 2021

Emergency Pod! Tether executives facing DOJ bank fraud probe (via Bloomberg) | E1253

In this rapid fire news episode, Jason covers a16z-backed Dfinity's crypto class action complaint (02:46), Snapchat and Twitter's massive earnings (19:33), the CCP considering turning it's ed-tech sector non-profit (34:15), Alphabet's new company (40:23), San Francisco's 17M sq. ft. of vacant office space (47:22), and then reflects on some old Disney+ predictions (58:28).
July 23, 2021

Dfinity’s ICP crypto complaint, Snap/Twitter earnings, China’s e-learning crackdown & more | E1252

Jason covers China's increasing penalties for Didi (2:52), Twitter's test of a downvote feature (12:13), and how the UAE was able to induce rain with electricity (17:32). Then Do Kwon, the founder of Terraform labs joins (22:38) to discuss his stable coin project TerraUSD (31:18), the underlying cryptocurrency LUNA, and shed light on Tether as crypto insider (59:56).
July 22, 2021

China punishes Didi, Twitter’s new feature, UAE makes it rain + Do Kwon of Terraform Labs | E1251

In the news segment, Jason reacts to the Tether CTO & General Counsel's interview on CNBC (2:22) and digs in to Netflix's latest earnings report (37:35). Then, Vincent founder Slava Rubin joins to discuss all things alternative assets (44:26), his work founding Indiegogo, Launch’s investment, trading cards (1:17:19) & more.
July 21, 2021

Reacting to Tether’s CNBC interview, Netflix earnings + Vincent’s Slava Rubin on alt assets | E1250

In news Jason covers Bezos reaching space (2:32), Robinhood's S-1/A (13:28), Circle's new USDC attestation (22:25), crypto crackdown in Asia (36:06), Zoom buying Five9 for almost $15B (46:00) Keith Rabois' OpenStore (47:11). Then for our Next Unicorns series, Jason interviews Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langely, about reducing crime in American cities and neighborhoods (50:18).
July 20, 2021

Bezos goes to space, Robinhood IPO, USDC attestation + Flock Safety’s Garrett Langley | E1249

Jason covers Anthony Bourdain's amazing AI deepfake voice in
July 16, 2021

Rapid Fire News: AI voices after death, DOJ investigates Lordstown Motors, COVID adaptation | E1248

To kick off this season of
July 14, 2021

The Next Unicorns: Adena Hefets CEO of Divvy Homes, forging a new path to home ownership | E1246

Jason covers the war on excellence in public education (2:05), signs of AWS maturity (19:04), France's $592M antitrust fine for Google (30:28). Then discusses AI Farms with AppHarvest CTO Josh Lessing (47:43) covering building with robots (1:16:03), improved crop yields (1:24:43), climate change & more.
July 13, 2021

Education’s war on excellence, AWS atrophy, France fines Google + AppHarvest’s Josh Lessing | E1245

Jason covers the CCP crackdown on Chinese tech companies listing in the US, shares how he spots winning founders (14:02), then answers Ask Jason questions: finding a technical co-founder (36:47), signals for startup success (39:29), advice for new angel investors (45:18), and more.
July 12, 2021

China cracks down on US IPOs, winning founder qualities, Ask Jason: accelerators, investing | E1244

Jason covers Biden's executive order seeking to increase competition and weaken the power of Big Tech (2:21). Then, we continue our Tether Investigation with @Bitfinex'ed (18:16), covering how Tether works (36:09), and why he believes there is massive risk to the crypto markets (48:55) & more!
July 9, 2021

Biden targets big corporations + Tether Investigation with Bitfinex’ed | E1243

First, Jason breaks down the highlights from Nextdoor's SPAC announcement (1:48) and covers the profits made by politicians trading tech company options (16:26). Then, Alex Lieberman, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, joins to talk about growing a newsletter business (45:34), expanding as a media company (49:51), angel investing (57:19) & more!
July 8, 2021

Nextdoor SPAC breakdown, Pelosi trading options + Morning Brew’s Alex Lieberman | E1242

Jason covers the red flags emerging around Binance (2:34), the Chinese government's swift action against Didi relating to data privacy (16:40). Then Steezy Founder & CEO Evan Zhou joins to discuss how simple an MVP can be (27:44), growing & monetizing a consumer SaaS company (32:56) & more.
July 6, 2021

Barclays blocks Binance, China pauses Didi downloads + Steezy CEO Evan Zhou | E1241

Robinhood is going public! Jason breaks down their recently filed S-1 and covers the most important metrics (1:56), comparisons against other major brokerages (8:45) and more!
July 1, 2021

Emergency Pod! Robinhood files to go public: S-1 breakdown | E1240

First Jason explains how to deliver great investor updates & the benefits of doing them well (1:36). Then, Ginkgo Bioworks CEO Jason Kelly joins to discuss the expanding capabilities of synthetic biology (24:48), how Ginkgo is currently helping customers make products more effectively (35:58), the ethics & risks of editing DNA (51:53) & more!
July 1, 2021

How to nail Monthly Investor Updates (FounderU) + Ginkgo Bioworks CEO Jason Kelly | E1239

In the opening News segment Jason covers Sam Altman launching a new cryptocurrency
June 29, 2021

Sam Altman’s “Worldcoin,” Facebook hits $1T + Alchemy’s Nikil Viswanathan on “AWS for Blockchain” | E1238

News episode Jason talks about Peter Thiel’s multi-billion dollar Roth IRA (1:27), Black creators striking on TikTok (13:32), BuzzFeed's SPAC (24:15), Microsoft's dig at Apple (31:28), and two Ask Jason questions (41:59)!
June 25, 2021

News! Peter Thiel’s $5B Roth IRA, Black creators strike on TikTok, BuzzFeed SPAC, Microsoft goes anti-Apple PLUS Ask Jason | E1237

First, Jason does a
June 24, 2021

The power of the SOD/EOD plus Bill Maris on early Google stories, origins of GV, bioterrorism & more | E1236

June 22, 2021

China moves crypto mining to US + Overtime’s Dan Porter on GenZ basketball league & network | E1235

Intercom CEO Des Traynor discusses why startups need to grow fast (7:44), how to execute at speed (10:48), build an effective culture (33:35) & more!
June 18, 2021

What startups need to succeed | Scaling Your Startup S2 E10 with Intercom’s Des Traynor | E1234

Jason kicks off the episode with the news: an update on the Tether (02:02), how Gamestop poached Amazon talent (06:17), and the first-ever decline in the average number of streaming accounts per household (19:04). Then, Akash Nigam joins to discuss his company Genies, why everyone will have an avatar, the metaverse, NTFs & more (25:10).
June 16, 2021

GameStop poaches Amazon execs, Streaming stalls + Genies CEO Akash Nigam on Avatars & NFTs | E1233

Jason kicks off the episode with research into the claims against Tether Limited, the company behind USDT, the world's largest
June 15, 2021

Tether: Crypto’s Black Swan? Plus Alternative Asset Roundtable featuring the founders of Masterworks, Fundrise & Rally Rd | E1232

Jason opens with a Founder University segment on
June 11, 2021

Zymergen CEO Josh Hoffman on Biofacturing PLUS Founder U Startup Math | E1231

First up, Jason covers
June 11, 2021

News! The cult of Bitcoin maximalists, Bezos is going to space, & Facebook’s smartwatch | E1230

Customer success is key to startup success. First, Statusphere CEO Kristen Wiley shares strategies from managing two customer success teams in B2B and B2C. (1:00) Then, find out why customers churn from Techmate COO Nicole Beals, who also shares how Techmate increased their customer retention rate from 70% to 98%. (27:07) To wrap, Jason leads a Q&A covering compensation, productizing customer moments, and more. (40:41)
June 9, 2021

Customer Success | Scaling Your Startup S2E9 with Statusphere’s Kristen Wiley & Techmate’s Nicole Beals | E1229

Jason gives his take on the letter from a group of employees to Tim Cook about Apple's return to work (1:00), then Fatima Dicko the CEO and Founder of Sugar discusses pivoting in the pandemic (25:54), what amenities apartments will offer in the future (45:39), and more. Then Jason wraps with a
June 7, 2021

Apple’s WFH blowback, navigating current startup valuations PLUS Sugar’s Fatima Dicko | 1227

Jason covers the bankruptcy of the Softbank-backed construction startup Katerra, Bill Ackman's Universal Music SPAC, then interviews Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi about portable benefits for independent contractors, the expanding UberEats business, local commerce and more!
June 4, 2021

Katerra’s collapse, Bill Ackman’s SPAC merger plus Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi | E1226

Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter's Head of Product shares the strategy behind Twitter's recent feature releases, what structural changes enabled Twitter to increase product velocity, how they segment composers & consumers, the Twitter blue launch & more!
June 3, 2021

Launching Twitter Blue with Twitter’s Head of Product Kayvon Beykpour | E1225

A low-burn rate gives startups the agility they need to succeed and weather unforeseen challenges. Two CEOs join Jason to discuss how founders can make the most of their limited capital. Ben Seidl of Neyborly covers managing burn rate (2:58), Lil Roberts of Xendoo shares the steps needed to maintain financial health, then Jason joins for a Q&A on how to create a slingshot business(48:48), the appropriate level of runway (55:02) & more.
June 2, 2021

Low-Burn | Scaling Your Startup S2 E8 with Neyborly’s Ben Seidl & Xendoo’s Lil Roberts | E1224

Jason breaks down the Citizen App's recent mistake of putting a $30,000 bounty on an incorrect arson suspect (01:39), assesses the merits of an
May 28, 2021

Citizen App’s bounty blunder, “digital bodyguard” service + Coinbase launches “Fact Check” | E1223

Two CEOs join to talk about intentionally creating and maintaining a workplace culture that delivers high performance. First, 15five's David Hassel shares how to build culture at scale (1:49), then Balloon's Amanda Greenberg shares a process to help leaders navigate hybrid work (26:00). To wrap, Jason joins for a Q&A session covering workplace political speech, compensation, remote work, and negotiations (42:00).
May 25, 2021

Culture | Scaling Your Startup S2 E7: 15five’s David Hassell & Balloon’s Amanda Greenberg | E1221

Jason hits the recent restrictions on crypto from the U.S. and China, Robinhood allowing users to get in at IPO prices, and Antonio García Martínez's chat with Kara Swisher (1:15). Then in the main segment, Magic Soon Cereal Co-Founder Gabi Lewis discusses the difference between a good product and product-market fit (25:47), how Magic Spoon does influencer marketing (45:25), classic cereal flavors & more!
May 21, 2021

US initiates crypto regulation, Robinhood IPO access, Slack as a Trojan Horse PLUS Magic Spoon CEO Gabi Lewis | E1220

Emergency pod! Bitcoin sees a major correction due to China's crack down (1:46). What are the chances it could it go to zero, and could China banning crypto be a blessing in disguise? Robinhood is rumored to be going public next month (14:14), what will their market cap be at IPO? Plus Squarespace goes public via direct listing (26:10)!
May 19, 2021

Emergency Pod! Huge Bitcoin correction, Robinhood IPO rumors, Squarespace direct listing | E1219

This episode is full of tactical advice for improving your marketing operations. Gravitr's Doriane Mouret explains how to improve your conversion funnels (3:28), Outlaw's Danielle Vincent shares how to improve your SEO (33:45), then Jason joins for a Q&A covering the right cadence, location, and quality of content to publish (47:21).
May 19, 2021

Marketing SEO & Conversion Funnels | Scaling Your Startup S2 E6: Gravitr’s Doriane Mouret & Outlaw’s Danielle Vincent | E1218

Jason covers Amazon's talks to acquire MGM, AT&T's spin-off of WarnerMedia to Discovery, and Dapper Labs lawsuit about the nature of NFTs (1:00). Then, NYT journalist Taylor Lorenz joins to discuss the implications of social media & its more reckless influencers (15:21), why she prefers to write for the New York Times instead of a lucrative Substack offer (48:50), and more!
May 18, 2021

Amazon in talks to acquire MGM, AT&T offloading Warner Media, Dapper Labs lawsuit plus NYT’s Taylor Lorenz on creator economy, Clubhouse & Jake Paul’s venture fund | E1217

Jason shares insights on the Twitter Blue leak (1:40) then breaks down recent product innovations, Twitter's 2021 acquisition spree, and what it all means (15:05). Check out the pod notes: https://bitly.com/e1216notes
May 17, 2021

Emergency Pod! Twitter is reportedly building a paid subscription called “Twitter Blue” | E1216

Zach Coelius joins Jason to answer live listener questions (1:09), and then the pair discuss Apple's recent debacle in firing Antonio Garcia Martinez after being pressured by employees (42:43). Check out the pod notes here: https://bitly.com/e1215notes
May 15, 2021

Ask an Angel PLUS Antonio Garcia Martinez vs. Apple with Zach Coelius | E1215

This episode reveals the product strategies of two of Jason's high-performing portfolio companies, Superhuman & Fitbod. First, Superhuman's Founder & CEO Rahul Vohra shares his 7 principles for improving products with game design (01:40), then Fitbod's CO-founder and Product Head Jesse Venticique describes how to optimize your product hook (20:08), and to wrap up, Jason brings the two together for a Q&A session (36:44). Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/e1214tnotes
May 14, 2021

Product | Scaling Your Startup S2 E5 with Superhuman’s Rahul Vohra & Fitbod’s Jesse Venticique | E1214

Jason gives his take on Facebook's Instagram Kids initiative (0:53), then, Ōura's CEO Harpreet Rai discusses how sleep & recovery scores are calculated (25:09), how Oura works with the NBA & enterprise to keep organizations healthy (50:49), and more! Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/e1213tnotes
May 13, 2021

Oura CEO Harpreet Rai on improving sleep, NBA partnerships, hardware & more PLUS the Instagram Kids debacle | E1213

Jason & Charles Hudson from Precursor Ventures take 8 pitches from founders and give feedback on how the pitches were structured (13:10) and their business models (38:48). Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/twist1212
May 11, 2021

Precursor Ventures’ Charles Hudson & Jason give candid feedback on startup pitches at Founder University | E1212

Jason covers the Facebook Oversight Board's decision on Trump (15:49), gives a potential solution for bad actors on social media that are of public consequence (39:25), provides a concrete way to reverse engineer TAM (55:00), and more!
May 7, 2021

Facebook’s Oversight Board rules on Trump ban plus how to reverse engineer TAM & more | E1211

Two startup CEOs share their approach to fundraising, Andrew Farah explains the strategy he used to raise $100M for Density (03:58), Dejan simplifies his community-forming principles for SoleSavy (38:27), and both give tactical lessons from the mistakes they made along the way (46:23)! Deck: https://bit.ly/3b8gz8g
May 6, 2021

Fundraising | Scaling Your Startup S2 E4 with Density’s Andrew Farah and SoleSavy’s Dejan Pralica | E1210

Morgan Spenla shares why her company Crafter delivers a wonderful experience to makers (01:06), how they monetize (15:04), why she hires customer support from Starbucks (48:07), and more!
May 5, 2021

Crafter’s Morgan Spenla on delighting makers with memberships, materials, and a marketplace | E1209

Jason weighs in on Basecamp's ban of political discussion at work (10:57), the ensuing employee exodus (22:40), shares his policy for his companies (26:32), answers a listener's question about how to surround yourself with great people (40:09), and more! Pod Notes: http://bit.ly/e1208Tnotes
May 4, 2021

Breaking down Basecamp’s tumultuous week, politics at work & more | E1208

A high-functioning sales machine is a way to predictably scale revenue quickly. Two 8-figure B2B SaaS CEOs share the lessons they've learned from building effective sales teams including how to create an effective sales motion (2:49), structure a sales pod (12:00), hire a great VP of sales (15:10), train SDRs into AEs (28:55), deal with average performers (47:54), and more! Slide Deck Slide Deck: http://bit.ly/SYS-S2E3-Deck
April 29, 2021

Sales | Scaling Your Startup S2 E3 with GRIN’s Brandon Brown and LeadIQ’s Mei Siauw | E1206

Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital discusses her $5M crowdfunding raise on Republic (04:16​), what's
April 27, 2021

Arlan Hamilton on raising $5M in crowdfunding, empowering & educating underestimated founders | E1205

Jason dives deep on Apple vs. Facebook: the numbers, the philosophical differences, the potential outcomes & more! (5:05) Check out the full pod notes here: http://bit.ly/e1204podnotes
April 26, 2021

Emergency Pod! Tim Cook vs. Mark Zuckerberg: Apple and Facebook go to war over privacy updates | E1204

Crossover technology investor Brad Gerstner discussed Altimeter Capital taking Grab public in the largest SPAC ever (38:55), why the IPO process is broken and how to fix it (12:55), and the responsibility of people with platforms to encourage responsible retail investing (22:12). As well as, how $2000 for every American invested in the public markets at birth would display the power of capitalism to improve lives (50:50) and more!
April 23, 2021

Altimeter’s Brad Gerstner on taking Grab public in largest SPAC ever, fixing broken IPOs | E1203

Jason is joined by two outstanding CEOs running marketing companies, Mehak Vohra (Skillbank) & Kate Bradley-Chernis (Lately). Mehak shared the strategies she used to drive signups for Skillbank on TikTok(2:57). Kate shared her top business writing techniques (18:48), how to create engagement for B2B sales on LinkedIn (24:15), and more! To see the deck discussed in this episode go to https://bit.ly/3tA7sVb
April 21, 2021

Social Marketing | Scaling Your Startup S2 E2 with Mehak Vohra and Kate Bradley-Chernis | E1202

Jason reacts to all of Apple's most notable product releases from their Spring Loaded event: Apple Podcasts redesign (2:43), AirTags (13:09), M1 iMac (20:08), M1 iPad Pro (25:15) & more!
April 21, 2021

Emergency Pod! Jason reacts to the Apple event: M1 iMac & iPad Pro, AirTags, Podcasts & more | E1201

First Jason discusses Clubhouse's facing new competition in social audio from Reddit and others (2:44). Then, he asks Crypto investor & entrepreneur MetaKovan why he bought Beeple’s
April 20, 2021

MetaKovan on financing digital art & buying Beeple’s $69M NFT, plus Clubhouse facing new competition in social audio | E1200

New format! Jason's EOW (End of Week): Jason wraps up the week covering some current events he's interested in, explaining things he's been working on (0:00), and answering fan questions live (14:56).
April 17, 2021

Jason’s EOW (End of Week) | 4/16/20

Kendrick Nguyen of Republic, an early-stage investing platform, talks about the power of the retail investor crowd, how startups can convert their followers into investors (13:05), Republic's diligence process for deals on their platform (47:46), and more!
April 16, 2021

Republic CEO Ken Nguyen on making early-stage investing for everyone | E1199

Jason reflects on Coinbase's monumental direct listing (0:00), then tosses to a November 2017 interview featuring Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong (6:21). Check out the pod notes here: https://rb.gy/1vlx74
April 14, 2021

Throwback! Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong from November 2017

Growth experts Craig Zingerline (Growth University) and Allen Chen (Fitbod) cover how startups can grow their user base, including tactical tips and best practices on building a growth model, acquiring and activating customers, retaining users, measuring performance and more. Check out the deck here: https://rb.gy/fb94ib
April 14, 2021

Growth | Scaling Your Startup S2 E1 with Growth University’s Craig Zingerline and Fitbod’s Allen Chen | E1198

Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou discusses his vision for NFTs and why he created Flow blockchain, how he used CryptoKitties' success to secure the NBA Top Shot partnership (12:26), how building platforms on the blockchain can potentially erode Facebook's power (43:25) and more!
April 13, 2021

Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou on powering NFTs, NBA Top Shot, & CryptoKitties | E1197

Hank Leber, co-founder of Giggster, talks about growing their production location marketplace, onboarding 10,000 locations from a totally offline process and building
April 9, 2021

Building a production location marketplace with Hank Leber, Co-Founder of Giggster | E1196

First, Jason answers fan questions on attracting VCs and the 3 key metrics for consumer, enterprise SaaS and marketplace startups (1:32), then Snack App CEO Kim Kaplan joins to talk about her new Tinder-meets-TikTok dating app (15:21). For in-depth podcast notes, click here: https://bit.ly/E1195-TwistNotes
April 6, 2021

Snack App’s Kim Kaplan PLUS 3 key metrics that matter for consumer, enterprise SaaS & marketplace startups | E1195

Season 9 Episode 1: TWISTA Patron Saint Jason Calacanis joins us to kick off series 9 with a deep dive into the post-pandemic startup world – and the virtuous cycle of successful startups.
April 5, 2021

This Week in Startups Australia hosted by Mark Pesce | Season 9 Episode 1 with Jason Calacanis

Today's show features a throwback format, where Jason answers a fan question about his early blind spots in angel investing (1:54), is joined by Canny.io Founder Sarah Hum (9:08), and then shares his thoughts on the growing
April 2, 2021

Early angel investing blind spots, thoughts on the creator economy PLUS Canny.io’s Sarah Hum | E1194

Wilson Sonsini Partner Becki DeGraw joins Jason for another discussion around common first-time founder mistakes. Topics include avoiding founder legal disputes, no vesting on shares, IP protection, super-voting shares and more! Check out the full Startup Basics series at https://thisweekinstartups.com/basics
April 1, 2021

Common First-Time Founder Mistakes Part 2! with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics

Check out Jason's SPAC Deck: https://rb.gy/9txa6c FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis Show notes: 0:00 Jason intros today's Epod: SPAC Overload! 1:29 OurCrowd - Sign up for a free account at https://www.ourcrowd.com/twist 2:55 Current state of SPACs - how did we get here & how do SPACs work? 9:12 Comparing SPACs, IPOs & Direct Listings 13:19 SPAC renaissance starting in 2020, comparison vs. S&P 500, understanding the recent pullback 16:59 Top SPACS by market cap, revenue, speculation & top active & upcoming SPACs 26:22 Wrap up!
April 1, 2021

Emergency Pod! SPAC Overload: Understanding 2021’s unprecedented SPAC market | E1193

Jason and WSJ Reporter Amy Dockser Marcus break down the alleged uBiome fraud! Check out the Pod Notes here: https://rb.gy/tjw046
March 30, 2021

Emergency Pod! uBiome: Anatomy of an Alleged Fraud with Wall Street Journal reporter Amy Dockser Marcus | E1192

Startup Bracketology: selecting the world's best private company with Acquired FM PLUS future of VC | E1191
March 26, 2021

Startup Bracketology: selecting the world’s best private company with Acquired FM PLUS future of VC | E1191

Common First-Time Founder Mistakes with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics
March 26, 2021

Common First-Time Founder Mistakes with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics

Emergency Pod! Microsoft in talks to buy Discord for $10B+; breaking down their thesis, Discord's business & more | E1190
March 25, 2021

Emergency Pod! Microsoft in talks to buy Discord for $10B+; breaking down their thesis, Discord’s business & more | E1190

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: Starting your angel career, building marketplaces & more | E1189
March 25, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: Starting your angel career, building marketplaces & more | E1189

Blogger, businesswoman, angel investor and Gotham Gal Joanne Wilson joins Angel to catch up with Jason. They discuss portfolio management in a peak market, spotting a bubble, funding underestimated founders and more! Check out the full pod notes here: https://rb.gy/dnh55t
March 24, 2021

Joanne Wilson on spotting a bubble, NYC’s post-pandemic reset, portfolio management in an unsustainable market & more | Angel S5 E10

Sahil Lavingia on Gumroad's groundbreaking equity crowdfunding raise, lessons from a decade-long startup journey, insights on rolling funds & more | E1188
March 23, 2021

Sahil Lavingia on Gumroad’s groundbreaking equity crowdfunding raise, lessons from a decade-long startup journey, insights on rolling funds & more | E1188

Cade Metz on his controversial Slate Star Codex article, new book
March 19, 2021

Cade Metz on his controversial Slate Star Codex article, new book “Genius Makers,” dangers of algorithmic moderation, a16z vs. legacy media & more | E1187

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: changing VC landscape, pitch deck punch-ups, Tesla's future & more | E1186
March 18, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: changing VC landscape, pitch deck punch-ups, Tesla’s future & more | E1186

Stock option grants deep dive with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics
March 18, 2021

Stock option grants deep dive with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics

Paul Judge on helping lead SoftBank's $100M Opportunity Fund, future of fundraising, importance of
March 18, 2021

Paul Judge on helping lead SoftBank’s $100M Opportunity Fund, future of fundraising, importance of “building your Olympic Team” & more | Angel S5 E9

Kevin Rose on his product philosophy, Reddit & Digg's inverse journeys, Twitter's recent innovations & more | E1185
March 16, 2021

Kevin Rose on his product philosophy, Reddit & Digg’s inverse journeys, Twitter’s recent innovations & more | E1185

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke joins Jason for a conversation covering how software compounds innovation, pandemic lessons, making entrepreneurship trivial on the internet and more! Pod notes here: https://rb.gy/zihcmw
March 13, 2021

Tobi Lütke on Shopify’s impact on the creator economy, COVID forcing focus, early Internet breakthroughs, evolving as a remote manager & much more | E1184

How to run an efficient board meeting with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics
March 12, 2021

How to run an efficient board meeting with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics

Garry Tan on lessons from past startup failures, power of community funnels, Alexis Ohanian's departure & more | Angel S5 E8
March 11, 2021

Garry Tan on lessons from past startup failures, power of community funnels, Alexis Ohanian’s departure & more | Angel S5 E8

Harlem Capital’s Henri Pierre-Jacques on funding underrepresented founders, insights from raising first fund & getting Apple as an LP, Black culture’s impact on social apps | E1183
March 10, 2021

Harlem Capital’s Henri Pierre-Jacques on funding underrepresented founders, insights from raising first fund & getting Apple as an LP, Black culture’s impact on social apps | E1183

Keith Rabois on Miami vs. Bay Area, cognitive variety, America's self-examination & more PLUS Keith's Best Twitter Dunks | E1182
March 5, 2021

Keith Rabois on Miami vs. Bay Area, cognitive variety, America’s self-examination & more PLUS Keith’s Best Twitter Dunks | E1182

Matt Mullenweg on pioneering remote work, investing in open-source, crypto & more | Angel S5 E7
March 4, 2021

Matt Mullenweg on pioneering remote work, investing in open-source, crypto & more | Angel S5 E7

Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum on the future of healthcare post-COVID, starting a company to SPAC'ing in 36 months | E1181
March 2, 2021

Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum on the future of healthcare post-COVID, starting a company to SPAC’ing in 36 months | E1181

Founders from LAUNCH Accelerator's 20th Cohort join Jason to talk fundraising, growth, pitching & more | E1180
February 27, 2021

Founders from LAUNCH Accelerator’s 20th Cohort join Jason to talk fundraising, growth, pitching & more | E1180

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: early-stage valuations, product roadmaps, startup killers, Twitter gets its groove back & more | E1179
February 26, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: early-stage valuations, product roadmaps, startup killers, Twitter gets its groove back & more | E1179

Reid Hoffman on the Joby Aviation SPAC, lessons from early Airbnb & Facebook bets, passing on Stripe & SpaceX, investment thesis & more | Angel S5 E6
February 25, 2021

Reid Hoffman on the Joby Aviation SPAC, lessons from early Airbnb & Facebook bets, passing on Stripe & SpaceX, investment thesis & more | Angel S5 E6

Emergency Pod! Deconstructing the grift: Clubhouse coaching scams with Coffeezilla | E1178
February 25, 2021

Emergency Pod! Deconstructing the grift: Clubhouse coaching scams with Coffeezilla | E1178

February 23, 2021

“Crisis” Director Nick Jarecki on the opioid problem in America, post-COVID film distribution & more | E1177

Ask Jason! All-In origins, avoiding common investor mistakes, defining
February 20, 2021

Ask Jason! All-In origins, avoiding common investor mistakes, defining “lifestyle” business vs. venture scale & more! | E1176

News! Bitcoin hits $50K, monetizing Clubhouse, drafting the Mount Rushmore of Tech CEOs & more with Acquired FM | E1175
February 19, 2021

News! Bitcoin hits $50K, monetizing Clubhouse, drafting the Mount Rushmore of Tech CEOs & more with Acquired FM | E1175

Mark Cuban on the resurgence of retail investors, NBA's potential entry into wagering & digital assets, DeFi & much more | Angel S5 E5
February 17, 2021

Mark Cuban on the resurgence of retail investors, NBA’s potential entry into wagering & digital assets, DeFi & much more | Angel S5 E5

Andrew Wilkinson on bringing the Buffett approach to startups, WeCommerce, Slack & more | E1174
February 16, 2021

Andrew Wilkinson on bringing the Buffett approach to startups, WeCommerce, Slack & more | E1174

Box CEO Aaron Levie on the developing cloud storage market, Twitter jokes, Clubhouse vices & more | E1173
February 12, 2021

Box CEO Aaron Levie on the developing cloud storage market, Twitter jokes, Clubhouse vices & more | E1173

Budgets, models & what investors are looking for with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics
February 11, 2021

Budgets, models & what investors are looking for with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics

Howard Lindzon on public vs. private investing psychology,
February 10, 2021

Howard Lindzon on public vs. private investing psychology, “great unbundling” of index funds, Robinhood & more | Angel S5 E4

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: is moving to SF still worth it, bubble/recession potential, post-COVID funding & more | E1172
February 10, 2021

Ask an Angel with Zach Coelius: is moving to SF still worth it, bubble/recession potential, post-COVID funding & more | E1172

Commonwealth Fusion Systems' Bob Mumgaard on trying to solve climate change via nuclear fusion technology | E1171
February 5, 2021

Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Bob Mumgaard on trying to solve climate change via nuclear fusion technology | E1171

Five things you need to nail to scale with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics
February 4, 2021

Five things you need to nail to scale with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics

Emergency Pod! Jeff Bezos steps down as Amazon CEO: Reasons, reactions & more | E1170
February 4, 2021

Emergency Pod! Jeff Bezos steps down as Amazon CEO: Reasons, reactions & more | E1170

Elad Gil on his product-market driven thesis, importance of market pull, entering the
February 3, 2021

Elad Gil on his product-market driven thesis, importance of market pull, entering the “go public sooner” decade | Angel S5 E3

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen on
February 3, 2021

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen on “going big” with $1B funding round, insights from scaling globally, lessons from the pandemic | E1169

No Rules Rules Co-Author Erin Meyer: Netflix's
January 29, 2021

No Rules Rules Co-Author Erin Meyer: Netflix’s “keeper test”, comparative turnover, navigating global business cultures – Part 2 | E1168

Startup taxes deep dive with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics
January 28, 2021

Startup taxes deep dive with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics

Emergency Pod! WallStreetBets vs. Suits, breaking down the GameStop fiasco & more | E1167
January 28, 2021

Emergency Pod! WallStreetBets vs. Suits, breaking down the GameStop fiasco & more | E1167

Intercom's Des Traynor on the importance of pricing, product-market fit metrics & more | Angel S5 E2
January 28, 2021

Intercom’s Des Traynor on the importance of pricing, product-market fit metrics & more | Angel S5 E2

No Rules Rules Co-Author Erin Meyer on how Netflix cultivates outlier performance & re-aligns values towards innovation - Part 1 | E1166
January 27, 2021

No Rules Rules Co-Author Erin Meyer on how Netflix cultivates outlier performance & re-aligns values towards innovation – Part 1 | E1166

Outer CEO Jiake Liu on standing out in DTC, go-to-market innovations, pitching at Remote Demo Day & more | E1165
January 22, 2021

Outer CEO Jiake Liu on standing out in DTC, go-to-market innovations, pitching at Remote Demo Day & more | E1165

Emergency Pod! Facebook hands off Trump's indefinite ban to the Oversight Board | E1164
January 22, 2021

Emergency Pod! Facebook hands off Trump’s indefinite ban to the Oversight Board | E1164

How to ace diligence & avoid common mistakes with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics
January 21, 2021

How to ace diligence & avoid common mistakes with Scott Orn | Kruze Consulting Startup Finance Basics

David Tisch shares insights from 350+ early-stage investments in companies like Plaid & Roman, importance of reputation, dealing with sharp-elbowed investors & more | Angel S5 E1
January 20, 2021

David Tisch shares insights from 350+ early-stage investments in companies like Plaid & Roman, importance of reputation, dealing with sharp-elbowed investors & more | Angel S5 E1

Frame.io CEO Emery Wells on helping the film industry go remote, how distributed work is changing movie studios & more | E1163
January 19, 2021

Frame.io CEO Emery Wells on helping the film industry go remote, how distributed work is changing movie studios & more | E1163

January 15, 2021

“Early-stage startups we love right now” with Indie Hackers’ Courtland Allen & Pioneer’s Daniel Gross | E1162

DocSend CEO Russ Heddleston on pitch deck insights, leaning into criticism & more | E1161
January 13, 2021

DocSend CEO Russ Heddleston on pitch deck insights, leaning into criticism & more | E1161

Coda CEO Shishir Mehrotra on the productivity renaissance, enabling the maker generation, insights from early years of YouTube & more | E1160
January 12, 2021

Coda CEO Shishir Mehrotra on the productivity renaissance, enabling the maker generation, insights from early years of YouTube & more | E1160

Joel Greenblatt on understanding market factors, improving public education, reducing income inequality & more | E1159
January 8, 2021

Joel Greenblatt on understanding market factors, improving public education, reducing income inequality & more | E1159

Andy Rachleff on management theory, Reed Hastings’ genius, lessons from passing on Netflix & more | E1158
January 5, 2021

Andy Rachleff on management theory, Reed Hastings’ genius, lessons from passing on Netflix & more | E1158

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