This Week in Startups

Επεισόδια

• This Startup Fused Human Brain Cells with Silicon Chips | E2295 01.06.2026 1ώ 6λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Deel https://deel.com/twistQuo https://quo.com/TWiSTLinkedIn Jobs https://LinkedIn.com/twistToday’s show:Cortical Labs is the world’s first company selling biological computers. Their CL1 fuses lab-grown human neurons (derived from stem cells, not actual folks) with silicon hardware to create Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI).Founder Dr. Hon Weng Chong walks us through how the system works and why neurons are more efficient than GPUs at reinforcement learning. (Also… is this computer alive?)PLUS Pyka co-founder and CEO Michael Norcia explains the various uses for his autonomous aircraft, from crop-spraying drones in Brazil to a a hybrid-electric defense UAV for the military.Guests:Cortical Labs: ****https://corticallabs.com/Dr. Hon Weng Chong on X: https://x.com/dr1337Pyka: https://www.flypyka.com/Pyka on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flypyka/?hl=enFurther Reading:2022 Pong paper in Neuron: https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(22)00806-62017 Paper: “Attention is All You Need”; https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762The “Barista Test” for Artificial Intelligence: Chris Rourk: https://medium.com/predict/the-turing-test-is-so-last-century-the-barista-test-for-artificial-general-intelligence-faf91034fa8cNotable Links:Playing “DOOM” on CL1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRV8fSw6HaEDayOne Data Center: https://dayonedc.com/NeurIPS 2026 Conference: https://neurips.cc/Neuralink: https://neuralink.com/CliniCloud Digital Stethoscope and Thermometer: https://www.design-industry.com.au/clinicloudAir Force Research Laboratory (AFWERX): https://afwerx.com/Joby Aviation: https://www.jobyaviation.com/Prime Movers Lab: https://www.primemoverslab.com/Timestamps:0:00 What is "biological computing"?2:49 Cortical's new $30 million raise4:15 The world's first biological data center9:48 Deel - Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, get visas handled fast, and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.10:51 Biological computers have a learning advantage19:43 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) - Quo gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at https://quo.com/TWiST29:15 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist38:46 From paper airplanes to Group 4 UAVs52:20 Introducing the DropShip defense drone58:28 How regulations block US drones1:00:40 Why Pyka builds everything in-houseSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• How to Raise a Seed Round in 2026: Ask Jason | E2294 29.05.2026 57λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Grasshopper Bank https://grasshopper.bank/twistLinkedIn Jobs https://LinkedIn.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show:Jason breaks down the real math behind raising a seed round. Here’s the funnel: contact 150 firms, get 50 first meetings, convert 2o into second meetings, and close 2 term sheets.PLUS Jason responds to viewer questions about why hardware is no longer a dirty word for investors, how to differentiate your startup from frontier-model companies like OpenAI, even when they’re in your niche. Plus a pitch for “Founder Community College,” and anecdotes from Lon’s European odyssey.Thanks for the Questions:Richard Corral: CEO of Quanto: https://quanto.co/ØnProtons on X: https://x.com/0nProtonsSergeDawg on X: https://x.com/sergedawgMahika GolaniPeridot: https://www.tryperidot.com/Shawn Sully on X: https://x.com/arooglePrograms and Accelerators Mentioned:Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/Techstars: https://www.techstars.com/Antler: https://www.antler.co/PearX: https://pear.vc/pearx/Sequoia ARC: https://www.sequoiacap.com/arc/Kauffman Fellows: https://www.kauffmanfellows.org/Companies and Startups Referenced:Whoop: https://www.whoop.com/Knightscope: https://knightscope.com/Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/Cafe X: https://www.cafexapp.com/Media Referenced:New Yorker Sam Altman profile: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trustedOff-Duty RecommendationsTerra Kaffe Demi compact automatic espresso machine: https://www.terrakaffe.com/products/tk-demiOsteria Pastella (Florence, Italy): https://www.osteriapastella.it/Timestamps:0:00 Inside the TWiST private group chat3:25 How to react when an investor says your "too early."6:50 The ultimate seed round funnel8:48 Jason's new Associate in Training program10:09 Grasshopper Bank - Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.18:28 How have the metrics for early-stage companies changed?20:20 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist22:34 TWiST Bounties update23:43 Competing against frontier labs30:03 What signals real investor-founder alignment?30:14 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist36:07 A crash course in Bay Area startup culture40:15 Automatons-as-a-Service (AaaS)42:29 Who in Silicon Valley does Jason really not like?49:59 Museum Etiquette with Lon HarrisSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• The Drone Company Quietly Taking Over Delivery 27.05.2026 1ώ 1λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Render - render.com/twistDeel - deel.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show:The "Ryanair of drone delivery" just raised $50 million and plans to bring its technology from Europe to the United States. Manna founder Bobby Healy explains to TWiST how his Dublin-based company completed 300,000 deliveries while some rivals are still publishing blog posts, and why low-cost airline economics will decide who wins the autonomous skies.Sticking to the drone theme, TWiST welcomed Theseus co-founder Ian Laffey, who called in from Kyiv to tell us about his company’s drone guidance system. It runs off a simple camera and Google Maps. The technology could rewrite the modern, GPS-jammed battlefield, and bring more firepower to smaller nations fending off larger foes.Guest Links:Manna https://www.manna.aeroBobby Healy https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhealy/Manna funding announcement https://www.manna.aero/blog/series-bTheseus https://www.theseus.us/Ian Laffey https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilaffey2/Most recent Theseus funding announcement https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/17/defense-tech-theseus-landed-y-combinator-the-us-special-forces-and-4-3m-from-a-tweet/The tweet that kickstarted Theseus: https://x.com/ilaffey2/status/1759353732075294766Timestamps:0:00 Bobby Healy of Manna joins TWiST1:41 How a Manna base works: drones migrate around the city like Waymos7:18 Battle-hardened in Irish weather: 97% uptime in wind and rain8:52 Margin-positive economics & the path to $0.20 per delivery9:25 Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist12:32 $50M Series B vs competitors raising $600–800M19:51 Deel - Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, get visas handled fast, and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.22:53 The peer-to-peer drone future and hyper-local commerce25:46 Growing from 170 to 570 people and moving manufacturing to Oklahoma28:43 Ian Laffey of Theseus joins TWIST29:57 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.30:58 Inside Ukraine's drone industry: front-line iteration and free-market speed33:55 How GPS gets jammed across the spectrum35:10 Theseus's approach: cameras + satellite maps + ML37:04 The product: Raspberry Pi, SD card, camera — pretending to be GPS49:02 Ukraine: 6–8M drones a year. The US: 300K over two years.51:17 Are US drone primes actually reconstituting the supply chain?58:22 Y Combinator as a defense tech accelerator59:40 "Pick an issue and start working as hard as you can towards it"Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• From hypercars to cruise missiles: Lukas Czinger on the future of US defense | E2292 23.05.2026 1ώ 47λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Every.io https://every.ioShopify https://shopify.com/twistRender https://render.com/twistPlaud https://Plaud.ai/twistToday’s show:Startups like Divergent Technologies are producing components and aircraft for the military through new systems that are better, faster, and cheaper than conventional methods. CEO and co-founder Lukas Czinger stops by TWiST to share the company’s vertically integrated, AI-driven manufacturing platform and how he transitioned from hypercar parts to working directly with the Pentagon on autonomous aircraft.Plus, 50 million Americans are on antidepressants, and it’s not necessarily the right treatment for all of them. Outro Health co-founders Brandon Goode and Dr. Mark Horowitz share their hyperbolic tapering method, which helps patients get off drugs like Zoloft and Prozac without suffering through traumatic and potentially dangerous side effects.GuestsLukas Czinger: https://x.com/lukasczingerDivergent Technologies: https://www.divergent3d.comCzinger Vehicles: https://www.czinger.com/Brandon Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goodebrandon/Dr. Mark Horowitz: https://x.com/markhoroOutro Health: https://outro.comTimestamps:0:00 Divergent shifted from hypercar development to 3D printing all kinds of components1:33 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!4:10 How 3D printing has exponentially improved8:18 Making military components faster, better, and cheaper9:58 Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io11:00 How Divergent caught the Pentagon's attention19:51 Shopify - Turn those What Ifs into sales with the ecommerce platform powering millions of businesses. Sign up for your $1-per-month trial today at https://shopify.com/twist25:29 Why Outro Health helps patients taper off SSRIs30:06 Render - Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.36:37 Is depression caused by a "chemical imbalance"?46:37 Understanding the hyperbolic tapering method58:32 How Outro makes money1:10:01 Leaked Meta layoff audio1:13:41 Cloudflare CEO drops "measurer" roles1:18:16 CrowdHealth - CrowdHealth lets you ditch the bureaucracy with a peer-to-peer funding platform for your healthcare. Get started for $99 per month for your first three months by using the code TWIST at https://JoinCrowdHealth.com/twist.1:19:17 Why Trump canceled his AI executive order1:28:08 Polymarket sharps on Russia vs. Ukraine, SpaceX ticker symbol1:33:34 Luel vs. Kled update: Is this nepotism at work?1:37:02 Chris Nolan doesn't have a smartphone1:43:04 Jason's favorite new espresso machineSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• Avi Patel on the startup that copied Kled and why he called out General Catalyst by name | E2291 20.05.2026 1ώ 34λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Grasshopper Bank - https://grasshopper.bank/twistLinkedIn - https://linkedIn.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twistPlaud - https://Plaud.ai/twist Why raise $200 million if you are already profitable? That’s the question Jason and Alex put to Mercury’s founder and CEO, Immad Akhund, after the entrepreneur raised another massive round for his upstart, technology-friendly bank. TWiST then welcomed Kled founder Avi Patel to discuss the startup he considers a clear ripoff of his own company. Jason gavels in verdicts on all parties involved, including Y Combinator and venture capital firm General Catalyst. The show closes with a news lightning round, including OpenAI’s decision to offer $2 million in token credits to hundreds of startups.Guest Links:Mercury https://mercury.comMercury funding announcement https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260520511817/en/Mercury-Raises-$200-Million-Series-D-at-$5.2B-ValuationImmad Akhund on X https://x.com/immadKled https://www.kled.ai/Avi Patel on X https://x.com/avipat_/Avi’s complaint https://x.com/avipat_/status/2055384102409253056General Catalyst https://www.generalcatalyst.com/Y Combinator https://www.ycombinator.com/Delve https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/another-customer-of-troubled-startup-delve-suffered-a-big-security-incident/Discussion links:Anthropic’s attack on secondary trading https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/12/anthropic-warns-investors-against-secondary-platforms-offering-access-to-its-shares/Vanta https://www.vanta.com/twistTimestamps:0:00 Welcome to This Week in Startups!2:14 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!3:27 Immad Akhund (Mercury) joins to discuss $200M raise6:33 Mercury's origin story and path to $650M run rate9:53 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist14:23 Stablecoins: where they work, why Mercury won't launch its own20:13 LinkedIn - Thanks to our partners at LinkedIn! Post your job for free at https://linkedIn.com/twist then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs' new AI assistant.22:38 AI agents, and the future of money movement27:30 Why Mercury raised less this round30:11 Grasshopper Bank - Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.42:48 Avi Patel (Kled) joins to discuss copycat startups57:06 Jason's verdict on YC's hacker culture & "appearance of impropriety"1:17:39 Sam Altman's $2M-in-tokens-for-equity offer to YC founders1:24:32 NYC hotel housekeepers cross $100K in time under new union contract1:30:14 Minimum wage, immigration & the case for raising it slowlySubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• Why does Gen Z hate AI? 18.05.2026 1ώ 8λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Vanta - Vanta.com/TWISTSentry - Sentry.io/TWISTDeel - Deel.com/TWISTToday’s show:AI is the villain of the 2026 commencement cycle, with business luminaries — including Eric Schmidt — booed for discussing or praising the technology. As students graduate into a job market forcibly reshaped by AI, increasingly negative public polling on the potential impacts of artificial intelligence on society is clearly not missing the mark.Jason and Alex then discussed The Information’s reporting that Anthropic and OpenAI earn nearly 90% of all startup AI revenue, a Stanford student’s viral essay regarding their time at the university in a post-ChatGPT world, Flock Safety’s impressive (and worrying) web of cameras, and the upcoming Mark II AI bookmark. The episode closes with questions from our live audience!TWIST Links:Bounty website https://www.thisweekinstartups.com/bountySidebar bounty challenge https://www.notion.so/launch1/5K-Bounty-Create-Sidebar-App-for-Podcasts-34150ff313d280adbd8ed6204676513cAnnotated.com bounty challenge https://annotated.lovable.app/Timestamps:0:00 TWiST All-Stars summer lineup announcement2:43 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!5:08 Eric Schmidt booed at University of Arizona commencement8:57 Why Gen Z feels "double-crossed" by AI leaders10:10 Deel - Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, get visas handled fast, and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.15:22 Is this AI's Vietnam moment? The anti-war parallel18:04 Theo Baker's NYT essay on Stanford's AI cheating culture19:24 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST22:30 Why Jason says everyone should start a company28:59 Anthropic + OpenAI capture 89% of AI startup revenue30:17 Vanta: Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist31:57 Are token sales a duopoly? Negative gross margins debate35:17 Risk of building app-layer startups on top of foundation models38:22 Inside Tracker bounty update: AI sidebar + Annotated.com41:18 Mark II: the $159 AI bookmark Alex wants49:31 Flock Safety solves Austin shooting via Manor PD53:39 DeFlock map and the geography of surveillance in Texas1:03:42 Noti Gang: AI for filing patents1:05:45 Noti Gang: Running AI models locally on Mac StudiosSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• The Self-Driving Startup Nobody Saw Coming | E2289 15.05.2026 1ώ 12λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:IM8 Health: IM8health.com/TWISTSquarespace: Squarespace.com/TWISTRender - Render.com/TWISTSelf-driving just stopped being a science problem and became an engineering challenge instead. That's the through-line of today’s double-header with the CEOs of two of the most important AV companies in the world — Wayve's Alex Kendall and Waabi's Raquel Urtasun. Between them: ~$2B raised in the last six months, Uber as a partner, Nissan and Volvo as OEMs, and a shared bet that end-to-end AI plus world models beats Waymo's city-by-city map-and-pray approach.If you want to understand the state of the self-driving industry beyond recent Waymo announcements, this is the episode for you.Guest Links:Wayve: wayve.ai/Waabi: http://waabi.ai/Alex Kendall https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexgkendall/Raquel Uratsun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquel-urtasun-298400139/Company Links:Wayve’s GAIA-2 world model: https://wayve.ai/thinking/gaia-2/Wayve’s 500 city roadshow: https://wayve.ai/thinking/ai-500-roadshow-500-cities/Wavye’s most recent funding round: https://wayve.ai/press/series-d/Waybe + Uber: https://wayve.ai/press/wayve-nissan-uber-robotaxi-collaboration/Waabi closed-loop simulator: https://waabi.ai/insights/waabi-worldWaabi + Volvo: https://waabi.ai/insights/waabi-and-volvo-autonomous-solutions-partner-to-jointly-develop-and-deploy-autonomous-transportation-solutionsWaabi + Uber: https://www.uberfreight.com/en-US/blog/uber-freight-and-waabi-introduce-industry-first-autonomous-truck-deployment-solutionTimestamps:0:00 Alex Kendall (Wayve) joins the show1:19 The contrarian bet on end-to-end AI and world models in 20173:05 What is a world model? GAIA-2 and GAIA-3 explained7:34 Sensor agnosticism: camera, radar, LiDAR and minimum bar for safety9:56 $1.5B raised — have we cracked self-driving?10:09 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.20:38 Squarespace: Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST25:03 How consumers will actually pay: bundle, subscription, or free trial30:15 IM8 Health: Start feeling like your best self every day. Go to https://IM8health.com/twist and use the code TWiST to get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order.35:59 Raquel Urtasun (Waabi) joins the show36:25 World models as controllable simulators for physical AI43:34 One AI brain across trucks, robotaxis, and beyond47:35 What changed in AI to make 2026 the deployment year52:28 Why Waabi raised $1B when they're capital-efficient58:52 Where Waabi is today: Volvo VNL Autonomous, Dallas-Houston, Uber Freight1:00:50 Per-mile pricing and the Driver-as-a-Service model1:07:20 Has Uber tried to buy Waabi? "Not for sale"Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• How Many Startups Will Survive OpenAI? | E2288 13.05.2026 1ώ 25λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Pilot -⁠ https://Pilot.com/TWIST⁠Grasshopper Bank -⁠ https://Grasshopper.bank/TWIST⁠Quo -⁠ https://Quo.com/TWiST⁠Plaud - ⁠https://Plaud.ai/twist⁠Anthropic just declared every unauthorized secondary sale of its stock "void" — naming Hiive, Forge, Sydecar, Upmarket, and others in a public hit list. Jason and Alex sit down with Jenny Fielding (Everywhere Ventures), Dave McClure (Practical VC), and Sam Lessin (Slow Ventures) to unpack what the AI lab’s move to limit secondary trades means for SPV operators, brokers, and the founders trying to keep control of their cap tables. Plus: a real story of a founder who returned a $15M Series A six months after closing because Claude was going to eat his startup, SaaS moats, and just what does it mean to be rich?Timestamps:0:00 Guest introductions0:48 Anthropic voids unauthorized SPV trades8:41 Accredited investor reform & the SEC sophisticated investor test8:58 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) - Quo gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at https://quo.com/TWiST11:43 Naval's USVC closed-end fund as a workaround16:41 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!17:48 Pro-rata rights battles: when Series A investors push seed investors out19:36 Grasshopper Bank: Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.29:13 Pilot: Focus on your product, let Pilot handle your bookkeeping. Pilot provides the most reliable accounting, CFO, and tax services for startups and small businesses. Head to https://pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.30:23 Storing wealth in stories vs. cash flows34:19 Cerebras and Fervo Energy IPOs — meaningful liquidity?37:54 Will SpaceX, Anthropic, OpenAI IPOs redistribute capital or compound it?45:58 The $15M Series A founder who returned the money because of Claude50:01 Should founders pivot or return capital when the world changes?56:43 OpenAI's $6.6B tender and Shruti Gandhi's viral SF cost-of-living tweet1:00:25 Intercom rebrands to Fin: the AI-first late-stage pivotSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter:⁠ https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com⁠Check out the TWIST500:⁠ https://www.twist500.com⁠Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple:⁠ https://rb.gy/v19fcp⁠Follow Lon:X:⁠ https://x.com/lons⁠Follow Alex:X:⁠ https://x.com/alex⁠LinkedIn:⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm⁠Follow Jason:X:⁠ https://twitter.com/Jason⁠LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis⁠Check out all our partner offers:⁠ https://partners.launch.co/⁠Great TWIST interviews:⁠ Will Guidara,⁠⁠ Eoghan McCabe⁠,⁠ Steve Huffman⁠,⁠ Brian Chesky⁠,⁠ Bob Moesta,⁠⁠ Aaron Levie⁠,⁠ Sophia Amoruso⁠,⁠ Reid Hoffman⁠,⁠ Frank Slootman⁠,⁠ Billy McFarland⁠Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters:⁠ https://substack.com/@calacanis⁠Follow TWiST:Twitter:⁠ https://twitter.com/TWiStartups⁠YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin⁠Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups⁠TikTok:⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups⁠Substack:⁠ https://twistartups.substack.com⁠
• How the 1% Will Own Compute (and What It Means for You) 13.05.2026 1ώ 8λ

  The future of AI isn't a smarter chatbot. It's a model that watches your screen, listens to the room, and acts on what it sees. We dug into Thinking Machines' new interaction model, what it means for compute, and the layoff wave that's already here.This week's roundtable: Anastasios Angelopoulos (CEO of Arena, formerly LMArena), Nick Harris (CEO of Lightmatter, photonic computing chips), and Philip Johnston (CEO of StarCloud, building megawatt data centers in space).Thank you to our exclusive sponsor:PayPal Open, One Platform for All Business: http://paypalopen.com/Timestamps:0:00 Cold open1:21 Welcome to Episode 132:51 Is China closing the AI gap? Arena's data5:16 Lightmatter and the photonic interconnect bottleneck9:42 StarCloud 2, Nvidia Space Ruben 1, and orbital data centers17:24 Thinking Machines' interaction model: what's actually new28:22 Whisper Flow and the 3-pedal desk setup33:48 Real-time desktop and camera awareness as the real unlock40:25 Why this 100x's compute demand42:43 The polarization of compute and $10M personal data centers49:25 The layoff wave: Cloudflare, PayPal, Coinbase, Upwork54:48 The 10x gap between AI-first and non-AI-first employees59:52 Unlimited agency and the abundance future1:00:46 Anthropic's Project Luna runs a retail store1:03:45 Decoupling labor from value creation1:05:03 P(doom) round🔗 Guests:Anastasios Angelopoulos, Arena: https://arena.ai | @ML_AngelopolousNick Harris, Lightmatter: https://lightmatter.coPhilip Johnston, StarCloud: https://starcloud.com | @philipjohnston🔗 Referenced in this episode:Thinking Machines, Introducing Interaction Models: https://thinkingmachines.ai/blog/interaction-models/LMArena leaderboard: https://lmarena.aiLightmatter: https://lightmatter.coStarcloud: https://www.starcloud.comTechCrunch, Cloudflare says AI made 1,100 jobs obsolete: https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/08/cloudflare-says-ai-made-1100-jobs-obsolete-even-as-revenue-hit-a-record-high/Fast Company, Tech layoffs this week due to AI (Cloudflare, PayPal, Coinbase, Upwork): https://www.fastcompany.com/91538995/tech-layoffs-due-to-ai-this-week-cloudflare-paypal-coinbase-upworkBloomberg, South Korea floats citizen dividend from AI profits: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-05-12/korea-s-massive-ai-boom-triggers-call-for-tech-tax-roiling-marketPYMNTS, Inside a retail store run entirely by AI (Andon Labs / Luna): https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2026/inside-a-retail-store-run-entirely-by-ai/Wispr Flow (voice-to-text tool Jason uses): https://wisprflow.aiFermi Paradox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox🔗 Subscribe and follow:Newsletter and all platforms: https://thisweekinai.ai#ThisWeekInAI #AI #ThinkingMachines #Lightmatter #StarCloud #Arena #Anthropic #ProjectLuna #AIcompute #AIlayoffs #Superintelligence
• Cerebras's IPO goes vertical, and the death of OpenClaw? | E2287 11.05.2026 1ώ 22λ

  Today’s show:Cerebras just jacked its IPO range to $150–$160 a share, OpenAI bought a consulting firm to seed its $4 billion private-equity joint venture, and a startup in Oakland is electrolyzing magnesium out of seawater for one-third the going price. Alex Wilhelm and Jason Calacanis go deep with AI21 co-CEO Ori Goshen on why model orchestration, not bigger LLMs, will decide who wins enterprise AI.The crew also covered the decline of OpenClaw, TikTok's new £3.99 ad-free tier, more entries in the live-show sidebar bounty, and had time for a little Off Duty before signing off.Guest Links:Ori Goshen on LinkedInAI21Alex Grant on LinkedInMagrathea MetalsTimestamps:0:00 Ori Goshen, CEO of AI21 joins the show1:20 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!5:14 Why enterprises care about token cost optimization6:01 Jamba as open-weight; Maestro as proprietary orchestration10:08 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist12:56 AI21 customer roster: FNAC, US tech giants, Israeli companies19:01 Alex Grant, CEO of Magrathea Metals joins to discuss pulling magnesium from seawater20:03 Live video of the Oakland pilot electrolyzer20:10 Deel - Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, get visas handled fast, and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.22:01 Magnesium as a "gateway metal" for aluminum, defense, aerospace23:20 TETRA joint venture & the Evergreen Project in Arkansas23:38 Series A close, JV economics: $3,000/ton vs. $7,000/ton market29:10 Sidebar bounty update: Glass Sidebar (Oliver Choy) demo30:47 Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://netsuite.com/twist31:47 Sidebar bounty update: Sidecast (Patrick Hughes) demo36:09 Reducing scope to "real-time fact checker only" for final round37:24 Ro.co: Ro's insurance checker will let you know if your coverage includes GLP-1s for FREE. Go to https://Ro.co/Twist for your free insurance check.39:07 Cerebras IPO: $115–$125 → $150–$160 per share44:19 Will OpenAI's compute commitments to Cerebras actually get funded?49:19 Fervo Energy IPO — venture-backed geothermal company going public49:40 OpenAI Deployment Company + Tomoro acquisition explained53:51 Anthropic's parallel $1.5B PE joint venture with Blackstone & Goldman56:05 Why Jason thinks these PE spinouts are convoluted financial engineering56:40 OpenClaw's decline + competition from Cowork, Perplexity, Grok1:04:22 TikTok's £3.99 ad-free subscription launches in the UK1:09:09 Knicks sweep 76ers — Jason's playoff predictions1:11:24 Off-duty: "There Is No Antimemetics Division" by qntm1:13:25 Off-duty: Fall of Civilizations podcast by Paul Cooper1:16:37 States' rights, federalism, housing supply & closing thoughtsSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• 5,000+ Tech Workers Laid Off This Week. It's Just The Beginning. | E2286 09.05.2026 1ώ 12λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:IM8 Health - https://IM8health.com/TWISTEvery - Every.ioSentry - https://Sentry.io/TWISTBanks don’t want to hand over their data to AI labs. So David Moscatelli built a $250,000 box that runs AI on-prem. He already has 1,600 pre-orders. On today’s episode of TWiST, Jason and Alex sit down with the Go Abacus founder and Yanez's Jose Caldera to unpack how regulated industries are getting AI without the cloud, why Bittensor subnet 54 is incentivizing miners to attack identity systems, and why Cloudflare just laid off 20% of its workforce in the same week it raised guidance. The show closes with Jason explaining what it means to build an AI-first startup, and how workers can derisk their future employment!Guest Links:Go AbacusGo1 direct linkDavid Moscatelli on LinkedInYanezBittensor Subnet 54 on TAOstatsJose Caldera on LinkedInLAUNCH Links:Founder UniversityFounder University Japan application portalNews Links:Cloudflare lays off 20% of its staffCoinbase cuts 14% of its staffBlock post on how it is rebuilding its companyBlock’s earnings, including its raised guidanceAnthropic’s massive upcoming funding roundWHOOP’s new on-demand cliniciansStripe Atlas’s growthTimestamps:0:00 Introduction: Jason in Brooklyn, Knicks playoffs2:30 Go Abacus joins: AI infrastructure for regulated industries3:25 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!4:00 The Go1: 2,000-user on-prem AI appliance7:04 Pricing the Go1: How far does $250,000 go?7:24 1,600 orders and the hardware delivery challenge10:14 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST20:23 Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io27:22 Chicago tech scene and in-office culture30:09 IM8 Health: Start feeling like your best self every day. Go to https://IM8health.com/twist and use the code TWiST to get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order.35:11 Yanez joins: How to prove personhood and uniqueness38:32 How biometric capture and bio-keys work40:05 Agent delegation: proving humans authorized AI agents44:19 Bittensor Subnet 54 and incentivizing adversarial miners47:11 Founder University Japan Cohort 2 applications open49:15 Tech layoffs: Cloudflare cuts 20%, Coinbase cuts 14%, Block raises guidance1:02:14 Anthropic's $50B round at $900B pre-money1:04:22 WHOOP adds on-demand clinicians1:06:42 Federalism, state-level regulation, and AI policySubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• The end of Venture Capital? (VC Roundtable) | E2285 06.05.2026 1ώ 23λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Grasshopper Bank - https://grasshopper.bank/twistPaperOS - https://paperos.com/twistLinkedIn Jobs - https://linkedIn.com/twistPlaud - https://Plaud.ai/twistThe top 5 U.S. venture firms captured 73% of all LP commits in Q1, and three veteran VCs say the math may have officially broken. Aleph's Michael Eisenberg argues we may be witnessing the end of a 60-year run for venture capital as a craft business. Maniv's Mike Granoff and Oxcart's Larry Covert push back, arguing it's merely splitting into two asset classes: "Consensus VC" and traditional VC. Either way, the implications for founders, LPs, and the next decade of innovation are enormous.TWiST is back on the beat with a venture round table discussing investment concentration, the IPO drought, "bullshit ARR" in the AI era, AI gross margins, the U.S.-China chip war, the Iran conflict's impact on defense tech, the death of NATO and the rise of allied supply chains, why Tel Aviv's stock exchange could become the next NASDAQ, and a lightning round on each VC's favorite portfolio company. Let’s go!Timestamps:0:00 Intro + sponsor reads (Grasshopper Bank, PaperOS, LinkedIn Jobs)0:58 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!2:13 Introductions: Eisenberg (Aleph), Granoff (Maniv), Covert (Oxcart)3:57 The impact of rising venture capital concentration6:43 "We may be witnessing the end of venture capital"9:17 Consensus VC vs. Traditional VC10:01 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist11:48 Why mid-size firms beat the behemoths on founder access19:35 Coining "Consensus Colossal Collaborative Capital" (CCCC)20:03 AngelList's USVC retail VC fund — does it help mid-size funds?20:18 PaperOS - Whether you're raising a round, launching a fund, or managing a venture portfolio, PaperOS can unlock simplicity and scale across your empire of capital, contracts, and companies. Claim your $10,000 credit at https://paperos.com/twist23:27 Are there more breakout startups today than 5 years ago?28:36 The "bullshit ARR" problem and AI gross margins30:03 Grasshopper Bank - Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.32:08 Cursor's negative gross margins and the hyperscaler funding flywheel33:06 Are we all electron constrained?35:35 Are we headed for surge pricing on compute?40:22 Will anything replace NVIDIA? NextSilicon, Hailo & Israel's chip stack43:33 Distillation, small models, and Apple's edge advantage46:38 Public trust in AI: should government mandate Waymo & FSD?1:02:58 Defense tech: Saronic, Anduril & the coming defense M&A wave1:06:35 The Iran war timeline & supply chain impact1:18:52 Lightning round: Jiga, Divergent, Volaback, Firehawk, HarbingerSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• Naval's GP, Ankur Nagpal, Breaks Down The Viral “USVC” Fund | E2284 05.05.2026 1ώ 38λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Render - render.com/twistVanta - vanta.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - northwestregisteredagent.com/twistHave you wanted to invest in venture capital alongside your 401k contributions, but struggled to find a way to place a bet? Search no more, for the AngelList team has created USVC, a new fund that will accept investments of as little as $500 from folks who lack accreditation. USVC’s Ankur Napgal swung by the show to chat about investment strategies, access, fees, and just how illiquid the venture-like vehicle will prove to be.Jason and Alex were then joined by Jon Durbin, core contributor at Chutes, and Yash Goenka, co-founder and CEO of Humwork. Chutes is the most valuable Bittensor subnet, focused on aggregating GPUs to offer trustless AI compute. Humwork wants to help bring a human into your agentic workflow to unstick your agent when it runs into a hitch. The show closes with a news lightning round — enjoy!Timestamps:0:00 Intro + Plaud AI sponsor read (Jason demos the NotePin S)2:06 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!3:50 Episode overview: USVC, Chutes, Humwork7:41 USVC structure: $500 min, no accreditation, quarterly redemptions10:28 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist11:39 Fee structure breakdown: 1% mgmt fee, ~2.5% net expense ratio15:41 USVC portfolio: xAI, Anthropic, OpenAI, Crusoe, Vercel16:17 Strategy: 1/3 emerging managers, 1/3 growth, 1/3 secondaries19:00 $1B cap and path to expanding the fund20:33 Vanta - Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 reports fast. Get $1,000 off for a limited time at https://www.vanta.com/twist28:00 What is sovereign compute? Permissionless GPU networks explained30:10 Render - Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.44:53 Usage history: 160B tokens/day peak, free-to-paid transition46:41 GPU pricing: from $0.77/hr to $3.50/hr as shortage bites49:13 DeepSeek censorship demo: Taiwan test on DeepSeek chat57:27 Permissionless supply curves: Uber/Airbnb analogy for induced demand59:20 Yash Goenka, co-founder of Humwork (YC S26)1:00:49 Lightning Round: Ryan Cohen wants to buy eBay — Jason's hot take1:12:36 Lightning Round: Cerebras IPO update ($27–36B valuation range)1:14:05 Lightning Round: Spirit Airlines / JetBlue / M&A regulation debate1:19:10 OFF-DUTY: Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord1:32:57 Alex's OFF-DUTY: Captain of IndustrySubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• Can an AI Agent Legally Own a Company? Christian van der Henst's Wild Experiment| E2283 01.05.2026 1ώ 10λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Pilot - https://pilot.com/twistShopify - https://shopify.com/twistGrasshopper Bank - https://grasshopper.bank/twistToday’s show:An AI agent named Valerie is running a real vending machine in San Francisco — setting prices, ordering inventory, managing a bank account, and posting to Instagram. And it's not just a stunt. We’re getting an early look at the future of one-agent companies. There’s still work to do to help agents ease into the economy, potentially opening up new startup opportunities.Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm cover a stacked docket: Christian van der Henst demos the Valerie AI vending machine powered by OpenClaw; Robert Myers, CEO of Manifold Labs, breaks down Targon, a confidential GPU compute marketplace running on Bittensor Subnet 4; Jason calls Bitcoin "played out;" Alex is impressed by Anthropic's stunning $900 billion upcoming valuation; and the guys discuss Big Tech's accelerating CapEx spend, Chinese AI models in Congress crosshairs, and the NBA Playoffs.Timestamps:0:00 Intro & sponsor reads (Pilot, Shopify, Grasshopper Bank)1:06 Christian van der Henst: Valerie the AI vending machine demo4:28 Legal structure: Giving an AI agent business ownership via trust7:23 Where agents can and can't operate today10:10 Grasshopper Bank: Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.11:48 AI café in Stockholm running on agents18:21 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!19:05 Robert Myers, Manifold Labs: Targon & Bittensor Subnet 4 interview20:21 What is Bittensor? An "incubator with 128 subnets"21:08 Shopify: Turn those What If's into sales with the ecommerce platform powering millions of businesses. Sign up for your $1-per-month trial today at https://shopify.com/twist25:21 Pricing, utilization caps, and why GPUs are sold out26:38 Who's using Targon? Customers, use cases, and the mom-and-pop data center argument30:06 Pilot: Focus on your product, let Pilot handle your bookkeeping. Pilot provides the most reliable accounting, CFO, and tax services for startups and small businesses. Head to https://pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.35:07 Jason explains the annotated.com vision — 15 years in the making39:11 Polymarket: Will Anthropic flip Bitcoin by Dec 31?40:29 Jason's Bitcoin bear case: "It's played out. No incremental buyers."46:05 MicroStrategy / Strategy updates52:37 AI compute demand vs. the fiber overbuild analogy55:55 Congress pressuring startups over Chinese AI models (DeepSeek, Moonshot)57:11 A16z on the geopolitical risk of Chinese AI models1:00:08 Reflection AI — America's open source AI champion (or lack thereof)1:01:26 Off Duty: Knicks blow out Atlanta Hawks 140–89, Jason goes road-trippingSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• Mastering AI Video Marketing w/ Magnific CEO Joaquín Cuenca Abela | AI Basics 30.04.2026 22λ

  The TWiST AI Basics series is made possible by Google Cloud!Check out Google Cloud’s new report, “Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups,” Featuring thoughts from today’s guest, Joaquín Cuenca AbelaVisit: goo.gle/futureofgenmedia to check it out!Today’s show:In today’s edition of TWiST AI Basics, J-Cal is joined by Joaquin Cuenca Abela, co-founder and CEO of Magnific (formerly known as Freepik). We’re discussing how generative AI is transforming the creative landscape for startups.In watching today’s show you’ll have-consider your expectations of what AI video can actually do for you and your business. What used to take a high end production team months and tens of thousands of dollars now takes 24 hours and one person with patience to learn the right tools. This conversation explores how founders can use these tools to scale their creative output better, cheaper, and faster.Timestamps:0:00 Google Cloud - Check out Google Cloud's new report, "Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups," Featuring thoughts from today's guest, Joaquín Cuenca Abela at https://goo.gle/futureofgenmedia1:10 Welcome to AI Basics, presented by Google Cloud!2:11 Meet Joaquín Cuenca Abela, CEO of Magnific (formerly Freepik)3:12 Building a post-apocalyptic SF ad for TWiST in 24 hours4:25 Storyboarding characters, blending images, and text-prompting scenes6:39 The finished product: post-apocalyptic Jason!7:56 How much cheaper is this than traditional advertising?9:34 The tech stack: Magnific's upscaler and 3rd party frontier models11:02 Which Hollywood productions are actually using AI?13:14 Hollywood's 180 from "F these tools" to enthusiastic adoption14:38 One director's 600-person AI-enabled production15:23 Why Magnific built in Málaga, Spain and how they recruit AI talent16:40 Can AI ever match human creative vision?18:43 The future: 100 versions of the same ad, hyper-localized by city21:35 Where to find Magnific + Google Cloud's Future of AI reportConnect with Joaquín and Magnific!Magnific (formerly Freepik) — Joaquín's AI creative platform, 150M+ MAU, $230M ARR → https://magnific.comJoaquín Cuenca Abela on X → https://x.com/cuencaJoaquín Cuenca Abela on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaquin-cuenca-abela-905717a/Magnific on X → https://x.com/magnificPanoramio — Joaquín's prior startup, acquired by Google in 2007 → https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PanoramioFortune feature on Magnific's $230M ARR rebrand (April 2026) → https://fortune.com/2026/04/28/freepik-magnific-joaquin-cuenca-abela-230-million-arr-video-generation-ai-pivot/Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partner!Google Cloud - Check out Google Cloud’s new report, “Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups,” Featuring thoughts from today’s guest, Joaquín Cuenca Abela at goo.gle/futureofgenmediaCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• The $10M+ Bet on a Beanie That Reads Your Brain | Sabi & the Future of BCI | E2282 29.04.2026 55λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Render - https://Render.com/TWISTNorthwest Registered Agent - https://NorthwestRegisteredAgent.com/TWISTLinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/TWISTToday’s show:A beanie that reads your thoughts and turns them into text — no surgery required? Jason grills the Sabi co-founders on their noninvasive brain-computer interface, backed by Vinod Khosla, and calls a cap on the whole thing (until he doesn't).This episode of This Week in Startups covers a lot of ground: Jason's tactical tip of the day on making everyone the CEO of their domain, a deep dive into Sabi's thought-to-text beanie, a live demo of AI-powered podcast sidebars built by the TWiST audience, the announcement of a new $5K bounty for an annotation tool, and Jason's big five wellness framework.Guests:Sabi: Website, Wired articleCo-founder and CEO Rahul Chhabra: LinkedIn, XCompanies and people discussed:Matt Coffin, founder of LowerMyBills.comVinod Khosla, founder of Khosla VenturesNeuralink, a leading BCI companyElevenLabs, a leading voice AI startupCalm, the popular meditation appTimestamps:0:00 Intro & tactical tip: Make everyone the CEO of their domain1:49 Matt Coffin's "CEO of X" management philosophy3:04 Community ownership: Deputizing Ricky, Lawn, Bianca, Maddie, Kabir4:02 Building the Noti Gang: X group chats and community flywheels5:08 Founder takeaways: Activate your top 1%, make someone the CEO of it6:18 The streamer trick, parasocial dynamics, and creator ethics7:59 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!9:34 Guest intro: Rahul Chhabra of Sabi10:01 What is Sabi? Noninvasive BCI in a beanie with 100,000 sensors10:13 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/TWIST11:02 How it works: From fMRI to EEG, from hospital to hat13:46 The brain foundation model and thought-to-text decoding15:55 Vetting the founders: BITS Pilani, Stanford, athlete fatigue AI17:22 Vinod Khosla's investment thesis: BCI must be noninvasive19:30 Jason's challenge: Say "Calacanis," or it doesn't count20:11 Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist21:30 Sabi.com: Reserve your device, release by end of 202622:26 Privacy concerns: Does the beanie read everything?25:41 Bounty #1: AI live sidebar contest — demos from the TWiST audience27:04 Oliver's breakdown: What's easy vs. hard about live AI commentary28:40 Demo #1: Armchair (by Mark Colebrook) — fact-checker + troll personas, live30:59 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.35:30 Live political violence test: The sidebar in real time on the WHCD shooting38:45 Demo #2: Pod Commentators / SideCast — browser-based, Gemini-powered40:35 Jason's revised Bounty #1 spec: Fact-checker + cynic, public stream or Zoom42:41 Timeline: check-ins May 1, May 8; final winner May 1544:51 Demo #3: BMD Pat (by Patrick Hughes) — instant URL, all-snarky personas46:52 Bounty #2 announced: Annotated.com — a fair-use multimedia annotation tool49:31 Annotated: the delicious.com of media commentary51:11 Contest rules: Jason owns the domain, winner gets $5K + potential ongoing work53:13 Wrap-up: Bounty 1 = AI sidebar, Bounty 2 = AnnotatedSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
• China Kills Meta / Manus Deal (Story Of The Year) | E2281 28.04.2026 53λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:IM8 Health - IM8health.com/twistSentry - Sentry.io/twistDeel - Deel.com/twistPlaud - https://Plaud.ai/twistWhat’s the technology story of the year? No, it’s not Anthropic’s Mythos model, nor any other AI model. Upcoming IPOs? Wrong again. Jason thinks it’s China’s government’s decision to block Meta's acquisition of Manus. The multi-billion-dollar deal was heralded as evidence that AI companies founded in China could sidestep onerous government meddling by moving their operations to Singapore. That loophole now appears closed.Jason and Lon then dug into the newly-reforged OpenAI-Microsoft partnership. The two companies have had a mutually beneficial, if fractious, operating relationship to date; that they had to rework their agreement is not a shock.Then, your hosts watched and digested a video from China purportedly showing a self-driving car hitting a child at speed. What would happen in the United States if such a tragedy struck? And is that fait accompli?Closing the show, Jason and Lon reacted to the latest Russell Brand implosion, discussed Lon’s new favorite show ‘Criminal Record,’ and shared recommended foot pedals (for AI dictation) and headphones for the road warriors tuning in.Key Links: OpenAI and MicrosoftOpenAI’s announcement of its new Microsoft dealMicrosoft’s announcement of its new OpenAI dealOpenAI announces its deal with AWSNews that Microsoft was considering legal action against OpenAIMicrosoft-OpenAI negotiations late 2025 edition, and terms announced in early 2026Amazon announces that OpenAI models are coming to AWSTimestamps:0:00 Show starts1:24 OpenAI and Microsoft have a new deal3:22 Why would Microsoft cede exclusive access to OpenAI models?5:36 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!8:09 Why Jason thinks Microsoft and Apple should work together on AI9:45 China will block the Meta-Manus deal12:12 Deel - Founders scale faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes, hire anyone anywhere, get visas handled fast, and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.12:23 Golden Shares and what they provide14:57 How do you unravel a multi-billion-dollar deal?22:08 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST24:42 The Huawei ADC crash29:49 What happens when something similar happens in the United States?31:55 IM8 Health: Start feeling like your best self every day. Go to https://IM8health.com/twist and use the code TWiST to get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order.36:15 Russell Brand's public humiliation41:22 Don't trust palm reading!43:59 Lon's Off Duty streaming pick: Criminal Record46:25 Jason's Pick: Which foot pedal for AI dictation is right for you?48:43 Jason's Pick: In the market for new headphones?Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• Naval’s $500 VC fund, the Maduro Polymarket scandal, and NYT defends theft and murder | E2280 25.04.2026 50λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Northwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist LinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/twistToday’s show:It’s a News and Off-Duty weekend roundup!AngelList’s USVC fund is open to anyone with $500, but it’s getting pushback on social media. Do the critics have a point?A Special Forces soldier made $409K betting on the military’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Is the world just a big casino now?And a NYT podcast defends shoplifting and explores “social murder.” Find out why Jason says they crossed the line.Plus: Why you should teach your kids about investment and more, Off-Duty streaming and book recommendations.Related LinksUSVC: https://usvc.com/AngelList: https://www.angellist.com/Naval Ravikant on X: https://x.com/naval“Don’t Listen to the Peanut Gallery; USVC is a Watershed Moment” by Hari Raghavan: https://x.com/haridigresses/status/2047503944839016681@Covered_Call USVC tweet: https://x.com/covered_call/status/2047020060900733306Forge Global: https://forgeglobal.com/Calm: https://www.calm.com/Full DOJ indictment of Gannon Ken Van Dyke: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-soldier-charged-using-classified-information-profit-prediction-market-betsNYT “The Opinions” podcast: “The Rich Don’t Play by the Rules. So Why Should I?” https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000010849055/the-rich-dont-play-by-the-rules-so-why-should-i.htmlHasn Piker on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hasanabiNew Yorker: Jia Tolentino: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jia-tolentinoNYT: Nadja Spiegelman: https://www.nytimes.com/by/nadja-spiegelmanJia Tolentino on X: https://x.com/jiatolentinoGarry Kasparov on X: https://x.com/kasparov63Prof G Media: https://www.profgmedia.com/Kids Investment Club: https://www.kidsinvestmentclub.com/Time stamps:0:00 Intro1:18 Naval's $500 VC Fund Explained5:54 Should You Trust Critics With 2K Followers?7:21 Learn By Betting — Jason's Philosophy10:10 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist12:30 The Maduro Polymarket Scandal13:28 Should the Military Bet on Missions?19:55 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist29:32 NYT Defends Theft & "Social Murder"30:28 There Is No Moral Equivalence33:41 The Nepo Baby Behind the Article35:42 Prof G's "Resist & Unsubscribe" Movement37:54 Walk The Walk — Hasan, Bernie & Performative Outrage44:49 Teaching Kids About Money48:21 The Rich Get Richer & The Poor Stay PoorOff Duty Recommendations“The Complete Maus” by Art Spiegelman: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Maus-Art-Spiegelman/dp/0679406417“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Bets-Making-Smarter-Decisions/dp/0735216355“Queen of Chess” trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pmJgtLKBXgGreenlight app: https://greenlight.com/Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisvCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
• The Defense Tech Startup YC Kicked Out of a Meeting is Now Arming America | E2280 25.04.2026 59λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:Northwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist Render - https://render.com/twist Agree - https://agree.com Ro - https://Ro.co/Twist Plaud - https://Plaud.ai/twistToday’s show:The US military is running low on missiles, but now, Firehawk Aerospace is using 3D-printed solid rocket propellant to cut production costs in half and 5x U.S. output.Plus: PhD researcher Maruchi Kim just built camera-equipped earbuds that perform on par with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and could be the next wearable AI platform hiding in plain sight.GuestsWill Edwards: https://x.com/williewocketsFirehawk Aerospace: https://firehawkdefense.com/Maruchi Kim: https://x.com/maruchikimVueBuds project: https://vuebuds.cs.washington.edu/Related LinksThis Week in AI: https://www.thisweekinai.ai/“Ghost Murmur: The Heartbeat-Tracking Tech That Has Experts Questioning the Laws of Physics”: https://www.military.com/feature/2026/04/18/ghost-murmur-heartbeat-tracking-tech-has-experts-questioning-laws-of-physics.htmlNeurometric: https://www.neurometric.ai/Meta Ray-Bans: https://www.meta.com/ai-glasses/Hanwha Defense USA: https://www.hanwhadefenseusa.com/Raytheon: https://www.rtx.com/Pilatus PC-24 corporate jet: https://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/en/pc-24PlaneSense: https://www.planesense.com/Slopes app: https://slopesapp.com/Speechify: https://speechify.com/Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org/Timestamps:0:00 Are all these layoffs really AI's fault?8:51 Why laid off people should start their own companies9:27 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist13:18 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!15:25 Will Edwards of Firehawk joins the show15:46 What are Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs)?20:06 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.23:10 Who are Firehawk's customers?24:25 Reimagining and reinventing the US military28:35 How do missiles fit into the military's operations?29:34 Agree - Stop chasing invoices at https://agree.com and tell them Jason sent you to get 50% off for life!31:01 What's next on the roadmap for Firehawk?31:49 How to make propellant (with easy to find ingredients)33:13 A cheaper way to fly private38:03 Ro.co: Ro's insurance checker will let you know if your coverage includes GLP-1s for FREE. Go to https://Ro.co/Twist for your free insurance check.40:48 Maruchi Kim of Vuebuds joins the show!44:35 Why are VueBuds better than meta glasses?46:23 The biggest VueBud use cases48:09 Jason wants to use VueBuds on the slopes55:38 Jason's advice for angel investors: never underestimate anyone!Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
• SpaceX and Cursor team up to topple Claude Code | E2279 22.04.2026 1ώ 13λ

  This Week In Startups is made possible by:LinkedIn Jobs - linkedIn.com/twistGrasshopper Bank - grasshopper.bank/twistNotion - notion.comToday’s show:This week, SpaceX announced that it was partnering with AI coding startup Cursor on new AI models. xAI’s parent company is bringing compute, while Cursor brings developer market share and recent successes, training its own coding models.The deal, while interesting, comes with a steep price tag. SpaceX will pay Cursor $10 billion for their shared work, with an option to buy the entire company for $60 billion later this year.After poking our way through the deal, Chris Zacharia and Brian McRindle of Bitstarter joined Lon and Alex. Bitstarter is a ‘Kickstarter for Bittensor,’ helping founders get their subnet up and running without tripping over their shoelaces. The Bitstarter crew also broke some news on the show, telling TWIST that they have a new accelerator-ish program kicking off.Next, Ning Ren from Trajectory RL joined the program to explain how Bittensor subnet 11 is using decentralized competitions to design and release better skills. Skills — markdown files with words — have become a critical building tool in the agentic era; how Trajectory will monetize is an open, interesting question.Timestamps:2:27 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!4:07 SpaceX/ xAI "partners" with Cursor!9:35 Will the Cursor deal help pump a future SpaceX IPO?9:57 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist.12:14 How AI coding models like Cursor help xAI grow recursively.17:24 Chris Zacharia and Brian McRindle of Bitstarter join the show.20:23 Grasshopper Bank: Time is money. Don't waste either. Go to https://grasshopper.bank/twist and get an exclusive $500 cash bonus just for opening an account.29:59 Notion - Notion brings all your notes, docs, and projects into one connected space that just works with AI built right in. Try Notion, with Notion Agent, at https://www.notion.com/twist33:03 How Bittensor subnets monetize and how it compares to VC funds.37:04 Is Bittensor hard-capped at 128 subnets?42:37 Bittensor's biggest weakness.46:10 Ning Ren of TrajectoryRL joins the show.47:34 Skills now need entire agents just to write them!48:26 Back up… What are skills?1:07:38 Amazon and Anthropic's 5 BILLION deal1:08:48 Google has 2 new chips!1:09:50 Apple CEO, Tim is COOKED! John Ternus is in!1:11:37 Alex is bullish on MacBook Neo!Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com