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This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis
This Week in Startups
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  • Even great startups sometimes need to pivot (feat. Francisco Cornejo of Theo) | E2214
    Register here for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff 👉🏻 https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:The team from Familify had released a well-reviewed storytelling app for kids and parents… but it just wasn’t growing!Then they noticed that Bible stories and faith-based content was particularly popular. So they decided released a brand new app, Theo, just for these sorts of lessons and stories. And the new product overtook Storybook in just a few weeks!It’s a vital lesson for founders… Even if you succeed, you may be able to succeed EVEN MORE. Remain flexible and open to strong new ideas (especially if, like Francisco, your wife suggests them!)PLUS we’re chatting with Collin from En Vérité about how AI can make do diligence much less painful for investors AND checking out our latest Gamma Pitch Deck competitor. Find out why Jason says Jake Triton from Pitch Prfct might just be closing in on Product Market Fit.Timestamps:(5:20) How Storybook, then Theo was motivated by a children’s mental health crisis(5:46) Despite great reviews, Storybook wasn’t growing! Here’s what they did.(7:13) The Power of Experiments: Theo overtook Storybook in popularity in JUST WEEKS(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(11:04) Digging in to the decision to flip from all stories to Bible stories(12:34) The difference in how users perceive prayer vs. meditation(14:06) Will they make different Theos for different denominations of Christianity? Other faiths?(14:55) Jason makes the case for the Theo app and its team(19:59) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST(21:50) Key lessons for founders from Francisco’s pitch today(26:51) Collin Sebastian from En Vérité joins the show to tell us how En Vérité helps prepare founders for the due diligence process(30:00) Enterpret: Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.(31:03) Jason recalls some diligence horror stories from his past(32:14) Where En Vérité gets their data and how they use it(36:39) What Collin learned from his time at SoftBank(39:44) The Gamma Pitch Deck Competition returns with Jake Triton from PitchPrfct [https://x.com/JakeTriton] @pitchprfctsms(42:29) Why Jason thinks Jake is closing in on Product Market Fit(45:51)How PitchPrfct plans to have AI help build your campaign and workflowSubscribe 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 partners:(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(19:59) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST(30:00) Enterpret: Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.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/@thisweekinstartups
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  • Jason predicts a “major M&A moment” in the next six months! | E2213
    Register here to join Founder University Japan’s kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:Google and Meta had their cases dismissed (or received a slap on the wrist)… Despite all the backlash and cynicism, AI companies continue making bank and releasing hot new products… What does it all mean?For Jason Calacanis, the signs are pointing to a “major M&A moment,” with huge opportunities for increased efficiency and consolidation among America’s favorite brands and largest companies?Who will it be? Join Jason and Alex for a round of hot speculation.PLUS why Jason thinks Michael Burry is both right and wrong about GPU depreciation, why NOTHING is certain about these OpenAI mega-deals, Google’s Nano Banana Pro can make infographics and they’re VERY impressive… and much more.Timestamps:(1:54) Jason’s calling in from Vegas… He’s doing a hot lap at F1!(3:18) How restaurants are becoming the new Hot IP(6:50) Founder University is heading to TOKYO!(9:27) Why Jason thinks the future of startups is truly global(10:06) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist(11:39) Nvidia killed it on the numbers… but what are the vibes around AI? Jason sounds off.(13:05) Why nothing is certain when it comes to the Nvidia/OpenAI deal(19:40) Is Google now WINNING consumer adoption of AI? How did it get this close?(19:57) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(26:07) Meanwhile, AI apps are still dominating the iOS Store(27:09) Why Jason and Alex think Michael Burry’s both right and wrong about GPU depreciation(30:13) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(37:46) We’re testing out Nano Banana Pro on a BBQ infographic challenge(43:42) What a week for AI models! It doesn’t seem like things are slowing down…(46:12) Kalshi is growing fast, but can it catch Polymarket?(47:50) Is a rate cut coming? Jason and Alex read the tea leaves.(50:13) Why Jason predicts a “major M&A moment” in the next six months(52:09) VIEWER QUESTION: What should a software engineer be working on RIGHT NOW.(54:02) Founder Friday is now… STARTUP SUPPER CLUBSubscribe 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 partners:(10:06) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist(19:57) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(30:13) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!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 data is the biggest AI bottleneck (feat. Arthur Mensch of Mistral AI) | E2212
    Today’s show:The race for more compute gets all the headlines, but Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch tells us the REAL danger is running out of data!On TWiST, Jason and Alex are chatting with the head of France’s largest foundation AI company, Mistral AI, about how enterprises can get more out of their AI pilots, whether the West is lacking leadership on open-source, why Mistral AI isn’t pursuing every possible kind of AI application, and optimizing your models for performance rather than benchmarks (aka benchmaxxing). Find out what it’s like to run a huge AI company in today’s intense environment!PLUS… why everyone made the wrong call on OpenAI vs. Google… Kraken’s fresh $20 billion valuation… Jason’s urgent message to every company thinking about M&A… and much more!Timestamps:(3:35) Why did everyone get it wrong on Google vs. OpenAI?(10:51) Why Jason thinks drone delivery will make everyone safer(9:52) SQUARESPACE: Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(11:26) Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch joins us! What’s it like to run a foundation model AI company in this intense environment?(14:50) Why enterprises aren’t getting enough value out of AI and how Mistral AI aims to correct this(18:45) Why Mistral AI’s goal is, ultimately, to disappear…(20:19) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.(22:49) Are Europe and the US lacking leadership on open source AI?(24:53) Mistral AI doesn’t need to compete in every category... how big of an advantage is focus?(27:05) The “two bottlenecks” in Machine Learning: Compute and Data(29:01) How Mistral AI works with human experts to annotate their models, and where they source them from(30:06) Nexos.ai: Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.(34:24) Is optimizing your model for benchmark tests (aka benchmaxxing) like cheating?(40:08) Will we ever be able to run smaller AI models on our phones?(44:21) When does Arthur think we’ll have truly helpful humanoid robots in our lives?(49:42) Suno lawsuits and why Jason says you should NEVER break the rules, ESPECIALLY with the music industry(54:28) Release the Kraken! They’re now worth $20 billion.(56:48) Jason is going to F1… should he take up the offer and do a dry run?(58:30) How Meta beat the FTC and why Jason is so excited about it(1:01:37) Who should buy Crunchbase?
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  • AI Model Showdown: Grok 4.1 vs. Gemini 3 | E2211
    AI Model Showdown: Grok 4.1 vs. Gemini 3 | E2211Register for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:*Will the arrival of two hotly-anticipated, intensely powerful AI models snap the Doomer cycle?On a new TWiST, Jason and Alex consider the current AI landscape, one where cynicism about insider mega-deals, fear of job displacement, and concerns about bubble bursts seem to rule the day. Will the arrival of two powerful new models — xAI’s Grok 4.1 and Google’s Gemini 3 — help the industry to course-correct? And how do we decide how much these models have improved anyway?PLUS we’re investigating Cloudflare’s recent downtime and their acquisition of Replicate. Are we heading toward a future in which everyone runs their own models, locally? And how worried should founders get if their products or sites go down for a few hours?Finally, if you’re an investor, and want to come to Jason’s Dim Sum Demo Day in San Francisco, here’s the link: http://launch.co/dimsumTimestamps:(2:01) Why the internet got broadly degraded when Cloudflare went down(5:00) How worried should founders become when their sites go offline?(6:44) Downtime aside, what did Cloudflare want with Replicate?(8:12) Why Jason predicts one day we’ll run our own local language models(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America’s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.(15:25) How to turn off “Learn From This App” on your iPhone(17:29) Will the arrival of hotly-anticipated new models stop the spread of Doomerism and AI cynicism(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.(23:53) Checking back in with the “Best AI Model” Polymarket… why has ChatGPT dropped so low?(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.(31:14) ANOTHER AI mega-deal? Nvidia and Microsoft are investing in… ANTHROPIC(33:06) Why so many AI deals now include “up to…” language around investments(35:04) What Jason thinks of Dario Amodei’s warning about white collar job displacement(39:39) If we all agree AI job displacement is coming… what can be done?(45:16) All about Jason’s Dim Sum Investor Demo Day in San Francisco!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 partners:(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America’s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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  • Archer buys an airport, Ramp’s huge raise, RIP KitKat, Bezos returns to the C-Suite, and more | E2210
    *Are we finally reaching Peak eVTOL? Jason and Alex on Joby’s big Abu Dhabi moves and Archer’s purchase of LA’s Hawthorne Airport.On a PACKED Monday TWiST, Jason is BACK from MENA and Tokyo. Hear tales from his whirlwind trips launching new Founder University satellite programs… and find out why construction and fintech are BOOMING across the Middle East.PLUS Ramp raised $300M… here’s why Alex calls the round “pretty baller.” We question why AI companies are growing SO MUCH FOUNDER than their SaaS counterparts. We’re digging into the Problem with Dropbox.AND we’re saying goodbye to KitKat, the beloved SF bodega cat who was reportedly run over by a Waymo. Here’s why Jason’s not too broken up about it (but he’s JUST JOKING!)👉  Register here for Founder University Japan’s kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:Timestamps:(2:17) Big takeaways from Jason’s MENA Founder University trip(6:54) Why construction and fintech are booming across the Middle East(9:56) Netsuite. The business landscape is very chaotic right now. That’s why you need NetSuite, by Oracle. Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(12:35) Everything was very different at Founder University Japan! It’s coming in January.(15:59) Ramp raised $300M at a $32B valuation… why Alex says it’s “pretty baller”(17:15) Ramp says AI agents are making money more intelligent… the heck does that mean?(19:26) We’re building more space for machines than humans now… and why Jason’s not sure this will last(19:48) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(23:41) Why AI is growing SO MUCH faster than even top SaaS companies(25:32) The Problem with Dropbox…(30:21) DevStats - DevStats integrates your dev work and your business goals into a shared language that everyone can understand. Get 20% off, plus access to their dedicated Slack channel. Just go to https://www.DevStats.com/twist.(32:39) Jason ate his way across Tokyo… here’s all the deets(33:16) RIP KitKat, beloved SF bodega cat killed by a Waymo(39:03) So who SHOULD get to make decisions about local roads?(44:15) Dario Amodei from Anthropic shares Jason’s concerns about AI job displacement(52:02) What’s going on with crypto prices? Is this vibe-based? Just based on the wider economy?(58:14) Viewer questions: What strategies should founders employ in the current fundraising landscape?(1:02:42) Bezos RETURNS to the C-Suite. What IS “Project Prometheus”?(1:10:24) Jason thinks Bezos still returns to Amazon at some point… or runs for President.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 partners:(9:56) Netsuite. The business landscape is very chaotic right now. That’s why you need NetSuite, by Oracle. Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(19:48) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(30:21) DevStats - DevStats integrates your dev work and your business goals into a shared language that everyone can understand. Get 20% off, plus access to their dedicated Slack channel. Just go to https://www.DevStats.com/twist.Check 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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About This Week in Startups

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.
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