This Week in Startups

• Sending datacenters into orbit | E2203

  👉 Register here to join the Founder University Japan kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:*Starcloud has started sending AI chips into orbit. So is this where the datacenters the power AI will one day live? And does wifi work in the vacuum of space? We’re asking the TOUGH questions.PLUS Jason and Alex are doing a deep dive on all this week’s OpenAI news. Will they ever be able to pay back all these GPU purchases? What happens to the wider economy on the off chance they don’t thrive? And what’s with these rumors that ChatGPT has stopped giving medical or legal advice?All that and a look at TrustMRR (and why Jason advises you not to publicly share your Stripe), why Jason thinks Netflix should buy CNN, our hosts favorite Nazi hunter movies, and MORE.Timestamps:(0:00) Would you trust an LLM with your health?(2:08) Jason is bringing Founder U to The Kingdom AND Japan, so he’s streaming in today live from Riyadh(4:20) Jason’s guide to mastering international travel. (Shoutout to Whoop)(5:05) Are the big AI companies going TOO HARD on GPUs? And does this matter?(11:30) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(14:53) What happens to the wider economy if ChatGPT FAILS? Who gets hit by the “contagion”?(18:22) Jason’s more likely scenario: What if ChatGPT becomes just one player in a larger market?(21:22) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.(23:57) ChatGPT can still give you general health and legal advice… just not a full diagnosis(31:57) 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.(33:09) TrustMRR and startups sharing their Stripe data… Why Jason says total transparency might be too much(38:35) We’re really sending datacenters to space! Starcloud made it happen.(41:02) Does wifi work in space? A TWiST investigation…(47:01) Checking in with Polymarkets on the NYC mayoral election and the government shutdown(53:09) Legal AI startup Legora (from Sweden) is now a unicorn… why this niche is growing so fast(58:14) Netflix wants to buy WBD… Here’s why our hosts think they should keep CNN.(1:07:58) BUT WE DIGRESS: Lon and Jason’s favorite Nazi hunter movies(1:10:25) Founder Q’s! The best way to track runway and burn rate for early stage companies.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:Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTPilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.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.

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• What will be OpenAI’s IPO price? Place ya bets! | E2202

  What will be OpenAI’s IPO price? Place ya bets! | EXXX*Polymarket’s sharps are already placing bets on when ChatGPT maker OpenAI will go public… and Jason and Alex want in on this action. They’re placing side wagers on how the House that Sam Altman built will be valued once it finally goes public.PLUS find out why Amazon is Jason’s stock pick for the next five years… Why startups are starting to release their own foundation models, and what this means for major players like OpenAI and Anthropic… AND Producer Oliver stops by with an in-depth look at the music-generating Suno app.Friday shows don’t get any bigger than this.Register for Founder University's Japan Kickoff!https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:*Timestamps:(0:00): Jason doesn't trust Sam Altman... Stay tuned!(2:24) Jason’s been using Tesla FSD’s “Mad Max” Mode and it’s a SPICY ride!(8:54) Jason and Alex checked out Higgsfield’s new Face Swap tool… Jason thinks this will revolutionize the movie casting process(10:39) 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.(14:03) Here’s what Jason thinks: there are acceptable uses of Higgsfield’s tech but some are OVER THE LINE(17:23) Here’s why Jason says the music industry deals with startups like the Mafia(19:59) 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!(21:02) Producer Oliver has been playing around with AI music app Suno… here’s a live demo(22:47) We’re using Suno to make a Dire Straits song about JCal!(30:11) PaperOS - Whether you’re raising a round, launching a fund, or managing a venture portfolio, PaperOS can unlock simplicity and scale across your empire of capital, contracts, and companies. Claim your $10,000 credit at https://paperos.com/twist(39:42) IT’S EARNINGS WEEK! What Jason and Alex make of the fresh numbers from Amazon, MSFT, and Alphabet(40:58) Jason’s checking out his Grokipedia page… could this be the internet’s new go-to resource?(45:15) Why Amazon is Jason’s pick of THE stock for the next 5 years(46:42) Three startups made their own AI models! Is the era of paying big co’s for their LLMs coming to an end?(50:09) Jason’s warning for anyone “dumb enough” to use OpenAI’s API… they are studying you!(57:16) It’s a new Jason-Alex bet… What will OpenAI’s IPO price be?(59:35) What happened with Navan’s IPO? Jason and Alex dig into the numbers.(1:07:37) Why Jason compares some later investors to Wormtongue from “Lord of the Rings”

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• Grammarly is now Superhuman! CEO Shishir Mehrotra explains the rebrand | E2201

  Today’s show:*Why rebrand an app with 40 million daily active users?On TWiST, Grammarly CEO Shishir Mehrotra swings by to explain why he’s renaming his company after the mail app he just purchased, Superhuman.Plus he’s giving us a first look at the startup’s new AI assistant, Superhuman Go, digging into their new agent-centered strategy, looking ahead at the potential for AI job displacement, and more.Jason and Alex also talk about our new nuclear deal with Westinghouse and Japan, OpenAI’s conversion and what it means for Microsoft, 1x’s tele-operated Neo-bot for chores, and much more!Timestamps:(00:07:56) Jason is headed to Tokyo, and NOT just for skiing this time!(10:00) Uber AI Solutions**:** Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist(00:12:21) Untangling this US government-Japan-Westinghouse deal for nuclear power… and why nuclear power is SO important(20:00)DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twist(00:20:04) Why Jason says sabbaticals and 4 day work weeks are for established brands, not startups(30:00) Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.(00:33:01) Will income inequality become a concern, even for the wealthy? Jason says YES.(00:37:29) Shishir Mehrotra from Gram— NO WAIT, Superhuman! joins us to talk name changes(00:38:16) Using Grammarly as a model for the new AI assistant, Superhuman Go.(01:08:39) Nvidia shot past $5 TRILLION in value… How is no one freaked out about this?!(01:14:52) OpenAI executed their conversion… but Jason says “public benefit corporation” status is pretty meaningless(01:25:02) Checking out the Neo robot from 1x… he wants to help you with chores and he’s for sale!(01:32:09) Uber’s speeding up its self-driving plansSubscribe 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:Perspective AI - Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twistUber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twistGreat 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.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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• iPhone Air is “inspiring,” and a first step toward Apple Glasses (w/ Zach Handshoe of SpatialGen) | E2200

  Today’s show:Jason’s been skeptical on Apple lately, but he’s BLOWN AWAY by his new iPhone Air.Hear why JCal thinks Cupertino’s latest release is “completely inspiring,” and why he’s sure it’s the next step on the road to Apple Glasses.We’re chatting with LAUNCH founder Zach Handshoe of spacial video startup SpatialGen about designing products for Cupertino AND the intense pressure of performing a Steve Jobs-level keynote.PLUS Raiza Martin of Huxe stops by to tell us why they’re using audio to make AI assistants more personalized AND proactive, and how they’re already getting noticed in an increasingly crowded App Store.AND we’ve got another Gamma Pitch Competition entrant! Chess Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli presents his expert-focused app, ChessEver.Timestamps:(2:05) Friend of the pod @ZacharyHandshoe stops by to talk about supporting Apple Immersive Video (and staying up during the AWS outage)(9:37) Enterpret - Turn 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.(15:55) The iPhone Air can already shoot spatial video! Just part of why Jason calls it a “completely inspiring” product.(21:25) Crusoe Cloud - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(24:30) Jason offers viewers a peek inside LAUNCH’s Whisper Network(32:09) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(33:10) Huxe co-founder (and NotebookLM vet) Raiza Martin wants to make your AI assistant more personalized and proactive.(37:14) Why Raiza and her team went with an audio-forward interface instead of a chatbot.(43:25) How Huxe is getting noticed in the App Store as a brand new arrival.(50:25) The big LLMs still aren’t great at writing engaging content for humans, so Huxe is doing it themselves.(52:41) Chess Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli from ChessEver joins us for his Gamma pitch!(54:26) Why Vasif is focusing on very serious players FIRST before appealing to more casual chess fans(1:05:28) Jason thinks ChessEver is at the moment of “triangulation” in their journey to finding Product Market Fit… what do Grandmasters really want?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:Enterpret - Turn 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.Crusoe Cloud - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twistGreat 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.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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• Jason Unpacks Sequoia’s New Funds | E2199

  Today’s show:Australia has accused Microsoft of employing a dark pattern… Hear why Jason says these kinds of sneaky tactics aren’t usually worth it.It’s a brand-new Monday TWiST and it’s PACKED with news. In addition to Australia’s allegations against MSFT, we’re looking at Chinese drone fails and wondering how live experiences will change in the age of AI.PLUS has Tesla finally “solved” FSD after years of promises? Does it matter that so much of Mercor’s revenue goes back out to contractors? Do Chinese LLMs have a major advantage when it comes to the stock market over Western counterparts? Why Jason avoids overseas deals when he doesn’t speak the language or know the culture. And much more!Timestamps:(00:03:44) Fall is here! And Jason is already looking ahead to “BFCM” and the holiday season.(00:07:13) We’re bringing back the TWiSTies and a Prediction 2026 show(00:07:33) People are using AI to create fake receipts for fraudulent invoices!(10:00) Pipedrive - Bring clarity and control to your sales process with Pipedrive, the #1 CRM for small and medium sized businesses. Supercharge your sales today. Start with a 30-day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist.(00:14:23) It’s earnings week for Meta AND Alphabet AND Microsoft AND AMAZON!(00:19:55) What happened with the disastrous Chinese drone and fireworks show?(20:00) Monarch - Thanks to our partner, Monarch! Try the app and get 50% off your first year by visiting monarchmoney.com/twist.(00:27:37) Why Jason thinks live experiences are going to get much bigger and more impressive in the age of AI(00:29:34) Why Tesla is training FSD on synthetic data now… Has FSD finally been “solved”?(30:00) AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/credits(00:45:10) What’s going on with these new Sequoia funds? Jason unpacks the strategy…(00:50:50) Jason doesn’t like to invest overseas unless he speaks the language and knows the culture(00:51:11) Jason’s thoughts on the controversy surrounding Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire’s comments(00:58:34) Mercor pays out 60-70% of its toppling revenue to contractors… does this MATTER?(01:06:14) Do Chinese LLMs have a major advantage when it comes to investing? (Humans are now betting on all this on PolyMarket)(01:09:45) Australia alleges that Microsoft is employing a dark pattern… why Jason says that’s a problem.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:AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/creditsMonarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWISTPipedrive - Bring clarity and control to your sales process with Pipedrive, the #1 CRM for small and medium sized businesses. Supercharge your sales today. Start with a 30-day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist.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.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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