TWiST News: Serve Robotics, High Skill Immigration, and the Trump Trade | E2042

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss Serve Robotics’ self-driving robots, delivery economics, and building while public with CEO Ali Kashani. Then, the pair dug into high-skill immigration under the upcoming administration and massive price gains in stocks and crypto assets. Alex wondered if the stock market isn't overvalued, full-stop, but both hosts agreed that enthusiasm is hot heading into the new year.

TWiST News: Reddit Earnings, Apple Intelligence, and more AI money | E2041

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss Apple’s on-device AI and its privacy implications, Reddit’s earnings, and Amazon’s multi-billion dollar investment interest in Anthropic with strategic chip conditions. They also discuss economic indicators like inflation’s impact on voter sentiment and what metrics will define success for the next administration. Finally, they explore how product velocity has been key to Toast’s SaaS success and share valuable lessons for startup growth.

TWiST News: Skydio's Drones, High-Skill immigration, and M&A Unleashed | E2040

This episode delves into the post-election landscape, examining economic and policy concerns. Adam Bry, CEO of Skydio, discusses the role of autonomous drones in public safety and defense, highlighting Skydio's position as a leading US drone manufacturer amid Chinese sanctions. The conversation addresses the future of drone technology, cybersecurity, and geopolitical impacts on American companies. The episode also analyzes Trump's political victory, exploring its implications for entrepreneurship, high-skilled immigration, and antitrust policies. Additionally, it covers startup liquidity, secondary markets, and the future of search engines under Trump's presidency.

Insane Demands of AI & Datacenters: Exowatt’s Mission for Affordable, Sustainable Power| E2039

In this episode, host Alex sits down with Exowatt’s Hannan Parvizian to explore how the company is addressing the massive energy demands of AI and datacenters. They discuss Exowatt's mission to deliver affordable, sustainable power solutions that meet the needs of a rapidly expanding tech landscape. Together, they dive into the challenges and innovations shaping the future of clean energy for data-heavy applications.

AI in Gaming, Nvidia and GPU Clouds, Nuclear Energy Challenges, and Waymo Updates E2038

The episode explores AI's role in gaming with Descartes' AI-generated video game and its potential impact. Jason discusses viral growth strategies for startups and Runway AI's video creation innovations. Financial topics include NVIDIA's market value and Amazon's nuclear power ambitions.

Grape-picking robots, startup investing for all, and the earnings numbers you need to know | E2037

The episode begins with a look at election prediction markets. Jason and Dr. Chang Liu from Extend Robotics discuss the challenges of real-world automation, focusing on robotic grape picking and human-in-the-loop AI. They explore teleoperation and the future of robotic harvesting. The conversation then shifts to AI's impact on global remote work, salary standards, and UK tech dynamics. The episode also covers OpenAI's latest announcements, Google's financials, and AI's role in democratizing education. A lively audience Q&A wraps up the discussion, exploring sectors where AI could have a significant impact.

Fast growth, big capital, and how Moniepoint is building a fintech unicorn in Africa | E2036

Moniepoint made waves this week by raising a massive $110 million Series C. For a startup in a category (fintech) that has seen its venture fortunes falter and a company building for the African market (which has seen its venture inflows slow), Moniepoint is an outlier – twice. Three times if you consider how quickly the company has grown in recent years. How did its round come together? How was it priced? And why aren’t more investors putting capital to work in Africa? Tune in, we have answers.

AI-Driven Auto Shops with Mastertech.ai and Data Observability with Monte Carlo | E2035

Alex Wilhelm interviews leaders from Monte Carlo and Mastertech.ai, exploring their roles in data observability and AI applications. Linda Gray shares her journey founding Mastertech.ai and highlighting AI's transformative role in auto shops. Monte Carlo's Lior Gavish discusses the importance of data downtime and AI's influence on data monitoring.

TWiST News: The Startup Redefining Sonos, Influencers, Elections and Google's next AI push | E2034

Sonos director Mattias Scheek joins Jason & Alex to discuss his journey in audio technology and Sonos acquisition. Then, Jason and Alex dive into election security (34:57), influencer marketing, Google’s upcoming AI release, and more!

Merge's Unified API Bet in the AI Era | E2033

Alex is joined by Shensi Ding from Merge to discuss her transition from finance to tech, focusing on the critical role of integrations in today's business landscape. They explore the challenges of building and maintaining integrations, identifying market gaps, and the advantages of standardized data models. The conversation delves into partnership building, particularly with Salesforce, and overcoming resistance. They also discuss enhancing integration observability, customer support, and expanding Merge's integration list alongside AI applications. The episode concludes with insights on financial efficiency, growth strategies, pricing, and Merge's future plans beyond its API focus.

AI for Investors, Publisher Rewards, Sleep Tech & More – 2024 Jam with JCal Recap | E2032

In this episode we look back at all the Jam with JCal sessions from 2024. This is where startups pitch their groundbreaking ideas to Jason, covering everything from AI-driven investor tools and gamified publisher rewards to sleep tech and architecture compliance software. Watch as these innovative founders get unfiltered feedback and game-changing advice! Don’t miss these exciting pitches that could be the next big thing.

TWiST News: Headphones.com, How Sound Takes Down Drones, TollBit Secures Series A | E2031

Jason and Alex dive into the latest updates from Claude AI, exploring the new “Use Computer” feature and its implications. Next, Andrew Lissimore of headphones.com shares the journey of turning a side hustle into a thriving business, highlighting the advantages of owning a premium domain and leveraging YouTube for customer acquisition. The team from Prandtl Dynamics then joins to showcase their handcrafted, anti-drone technology. Finally, the episode concludes with an in-depth discussion on TollBit’s Series A funding and their strategies for scaling in the competitive marketplace space.

TWiST News: F1 on Apple Vision Pro, Self-Driving, Solar and Stablecoins | E2029

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss the GPU market insights and the discovery of a new prime number. John LePore from BlackBox Infinite joins to discuss bridging science fiction with real-world tech, focusing on VisionPRO and Hollywood VFX. The discussion shifts to autonomous driving, Tesla's safety improvements, and Stripe's acquisition of Bridge.

The Anatomy of a Startup Acquisition with Cacheflow's Sarika Garg | E2028

Cacheflow’s Sarika Garg joins Alex Wilhelm to discuss the challenges of B2B software sales, finding product-market fit, HubSpot's acquisition of Cacheflow, and more!

The Best Financial Advice VCs Give Startups | Startup Finance Basics w/ Kruze's Scott Orn

Kruze’s Scott Orn joins Jason on the latest edition of Startup Finance Basics! In this episode, they break down the best financial advice that VCs give founders including, managing cash flow, accounting methods, building an effective financial plan, and more!

TWiST News: Subscription Economics, Density's Waffle, and The Cost of AV Fleets | E2027

Join Jason Calacanis, Alex Wilhelm, and guest Andrew Farah as they explore the latest in tech and startups. They discuss the FTC's new subscription rules and their impact on businesses. Andrew introduces Density's "Waffle" product, focusing on real-time wayfinding, utilization tracking, environmental benefits, cost savings, and privacy concerns. The conversation also covers the adoption of sensing technology and offers advice for hardware startup founders. The episode concludes with discussions on nuclear energy agreements with Google and Amazon, trends in solar and fracking, and the rising interest in homesteading and financial independence.

AI Demos: ChatGPT-o4 Canvas, Notebook LM & Meta's Movie Gen | E2026

Sunny Madra joins Jason to discuss Tesla’s Robotaxis, demo ChatGPT-4o new Canvas interface, break down Meta’s Movie Gen model, Notebook LM, and much more!

TWiST News: Tesla Robotaxis, Electric RVs, and How Startups are Helping Secure Elections | E2025

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to dive into Tesla’s Robotaxi event, highlighting Tesla's bold plans for a self-driving, bus-style vehicle. Next, Lightship RV co-founders Toby Kraus and Ben Parker share their vision for the future of electric RVs and off-grid travel. Finally, Voatz CEO Nimit Sawhney wraps up the show, discussing how startups are working to secure elections, and how Voatz is leveraging blockchain technology to strengthen election security.

TWiST500 Spotlight: The must-know startups from AI to robotics! | E2024

We reviewed the first 100 companies on the TWiST500 list, covering sectors from fintech to AI, robotics, and space. Dozens of must-know startups emerged. Today, Alex breaks down the categories seeing the most entrants and highlight some of our favorite picks.

Navigating the AI Boom | Startup Finance Basics w/ Kruze's Scott Orn

Kruze’s Scott Orn joins Jason on the latest edition of Startup Finance Basics! In this episode, they break down the unique aspects and dynamics of the current AI boom, contrasting AI startup revenue, costs, and growth rates with traditional SaaS models. They also dive into AI tools' impact on productivity and labor efficiency, the accounting challenges and operational issues AI startups face, and more!