This Week in Startups - Video

On today's show, Molly and Jason catch up after the long weekend (0:00) before breaking down how the new "Minions" movie broke a box office record by using TikTok, catchy hooks, and viral marketing (5:19). They also cover TikTok dropping plans to expand its ecommerce platform into the US and Europe (29:52), before covering the "Chips Act" stalemate and discussing how we should reframe semiconductor manufacturing and energy independence as national defense issues (35:50).

Links referenced in the show:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.578644/full
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-07-04/chipmakers-and-us-congress-are-playing-a-stupid-game-of-chicken

First, we cover an update from the BlockFi CEO denying that FTX is buying them for $25N (2:33), and we have a couple more crypto quick hits (5:51) before we touch on Sequoia's largest investments being down 70% (34:01). Klarna is raising way down at a $6B valuation (45:23), Zoom is looking to expand beyond video conferencing, (54:50), and the FCC approved Starlink to supply internet to moving vehicles (57:40). Finally, Rachel speaks with co-founder and CEO of Stages, Jared Downing, for this week's OK Boomer (1:08:23).

First, we talk about Meta’s new Facebook Groups overhaul that looks like Discord (2:35). Then we touch on Sequoia raising over 2 billion for its US venture and growth funds (20:31) and FTX acquiring BlockFi for $25M, 99% below their last private valuation (32:08). For our We Live in the Future, the MLB is looking to automate home plate umpires by 2024 (52:17). Finally, it appears Subtstack is making some cuts after saying it wouldn’t (1:04:48).

First, we dig into the crypto contagion where FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is stepping in to backstop crypto lenders (2:56). Then, we check in on the billions of dollars sitting in SPACs- remember those (39:27)? We do a quick hit on the venture market drying up in Q2 (54:27) before we get into our We Live in the Future: a mockup of a SkyCruise luxury airliner that uses nuclear power and never lands (1:16:36).

Today, we bring on Kim Clark, an attorney at Legal Voice, who reached out to Molly after listening to our shows last week that mentioned the impacts of surveillance on healthcare privacy, notably abortion (2:13). And in related news, today’s Startup of the day is Stardust, an end-to-end encrypted Period Tracking App (39:13). Then, we cover a non-Roe v. Wade story: Zendesk will be acquired by an investor group in an all-cash transaction valuing it at around $10.2B (42:45).

There’s been some crazy news in Crypto, so we bring on Vinny Lingham, an early investor in Solana, who runs a startup that encrypts identity information on the blockchain called Civic. We dig into NFT NYC (8:24), the fiasco on Solend protocol (22:29), and how South Korean prosecutors have instituted a flight ban for employees while they investigate the $40 billion collapse (45:54). Finally, we talk about how, despite all of this, the Solana NFT Marketplace Magic Eden still raised $130 million at a $1.6 billion valuation (51:04).

Today, we recap the Warriors' finals win (2:50) with some potential takeaways for founders (14:00). Next, Jason speaks with Jesse Powell: founder, and CEO of crypto exchange Kraken, and they discuss the state of crypto and the recent hit piece the NYT published on him (48:06). For this week's OK Boomer segment, Producer Rachel sits down with Alexander Olesen, co-founder, and CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms (2:07:41).

First, we’ll dig into the creator economy: Youtube shorts almost has as many users as TikTok (3:06), and Twitch is changing how they pay creators (24:00). We quickly hit on some breaking news as The Federal Reserve approved its steepest interest rate increase since 1994 and signaled it would continue lifting rates this year at the most rapid pace in decades (38:20). The crypto contagion continues, so we’ll give an update (41:50) and discuss the full context of MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin comments in 2021 (54:13). And we can’t leave without talking about Aliens. China thinks it has a sign (1:16:24).

Today, we kick off the episode with Coinbase’s several hundred-person layoffs (3:23) and the EU’s crypto regulation in progress (23:15). We cover Netflix talking with Roku to help run its planned ad-supported tier (35:18). Our Startup of the Day is Catholic Prayer and mediation app Hallow, partnered with Mark Wahlberg for promotion (41:03). We’ll also showcase Prey, a company that helps protect laptops from theft, which our producer Justin should’ve used in his recent burglary (47:57).

On today's show, Jason and Molly cover crypto losing $200B from its total market cap this weekend (14:51) and Binance pausing withdrawals of Bitcoin for almost 4 hours this morning (29:53). We also quickly talk about a Google engineer claiming Google's AI chat bot has become sentient (38:15). For our We Live in the Future, we cover Amazon announcing drone delivery for later this year (48:52). Finally, we wrap on our Startup of the Day: Magic Spoon, a high-protein cereal maker (53:57).

Today, Lon Harris joins for This Week in Streaming and we talk about Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 4 (1:49), then we cover some Disney news as they fire their head of General Entertainment Content, Peter Rice (43:05), and enter a bidding war to keep their rights to Indian Cricket (48:30). We wrap with a segment of OK Boomer: this week Producer Rachel sits down with Capri Wheaton, founder, and CEO of Dressd, a peer-to-peer clothing rental service (1:06:37).

Today, Deirdre Bosa from CNBC joins Molly to talk about Twitter’s plans to comply with Musk’s demands for data (1:28), Apple being its own bank for Apple Pay Later (17:15), and Facebook's parent Meta changing its ticker to META (32:19). To wrap up, Jason and Molly interview Kalshi co-founder and CEO Tarek Mansour, where they talk about Kalshi building the first CFTC regulated predictions market (39:11).

Today, we talk about Flexport Founder Ryan Petersen bringing on Amazon’s Dave Clark to be CEO (2:56). Then, we discuss Bird laying off almost a quarter of their team (17:32), and we talk about Twitter working on a bring-your-own algorithm feature (28:24). Our Startup of the Day is Multiverse, a startup building a pipeline of apprenticeships as a college alternative (37:47). We cover Citadel getting into crypto (47:25) and SEC Chair Gary Gensler hinting there might be some overhauls coming to payment for order flow (54:33). We end with a recap of Jason on Megyn Kelly’s show (1:00:10) and Kara Swisher leaving NYT for Vox (1:17:07).

Jason talks with independent candidate for California Governor Michael Shellenberger on what he wants to improve in California (2:57). Then, we cover Apple's 2022 WWDC (48:40). We cover the $2.35B of illicit funds laundered through Binance from hacks, investment frauds, and drug deals (1:27:25), and we touch on Elon Musk accusing Twitter of withholding bot information (1:37:24). Finally, we cover Beijing wrapping up the Didi investigation (1:41:11).

First, we talk about Deutsche Bank getting raided by law enforcement for “greenwashing” its ESG funds (2:59), then we touch on Fidelity marking down its investments in Stripe and Reddit (17:00), then we discuss companies going back to the office over concerns about worker productivity (19:35), Jason explains how he’s collaborating with everyone on the team to increase productivity as we go into this recession (26:00). To end, we have an interview with DroneUp CEO Tom Walker where we discuss their current rollout with Walmart, the regulations that need to get sorted out, and how DroneUp is approaching safety (50:00).

Today, Acquired’s David Rosenthal joins us. We discuss their recent Climate Pledge Arena Show (1:37), the new fundraising environment, and what the best founders and VC firms are doing (21:29), and we dig into the New York Times' latest hit piece on Glossier CEO Emily Weiss (37:40). We wrap with an optimistic look at what Australian billionaire and Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes is doing to take on Australia's biggest polluter (1:00:59).

Molly and Jason are BACK from Miami to break down all the most interesting stories and content from the All-In Summit! (2:13) Then, they cover Argo AI, an AV company that just launched autonomous test cars in Miami and Austin (36:50). Finally, they close by discussing a recent Bloomberg report on how Amazon is looking to sublease 10M+ square feet of warehouse space... negative signal, or no big deal? (45:23)

First, Jason and Molly reflect on their time in previous tech recessions (03:06). Then, Privateer Space CEO Alex Fielding joins to discuss solving the space junk problem (18:02), the difficulties of mapping debris (33:25), and more. Then, Producer Rachel hosts an OK Boomer episode where she talks with the other Gen Z employees that work for Jason about how they got their jobs and what they've learned at Launch (1:00:21).

First we cover the news of Ex-Meta crypto chief David Marcus launching a Bitcoin payments startup backed by a16z & Paradigm (02:05). Then, Jack Mallers, the CEO of Strike joins (8:13) to discuss the lightning network & the history of payment networks (12:10), why companies use the Strike API (24:42), why he thinks Visa and Mastercard can't compete (31:24), Strike unlocking Bitcoin’s potential (34:40) and more!

First Jason and Molly cover FTX CEO SBF buying 7.6% of $HOOD (1:57), SoftBank’s $13B loss (8:29), Twitter’s exec layoffs (14:55) & give a deal update (21:50). Then Producer Rachel chats with Nicole Ruiz is an investor at Compound VC, a thesis-driven, research-centric investment firm (35:34). Together, they talk about her untraditional path to VC, their investment in Pear Bio, the importance of being a skilled researcher, and more.

First, crypto reporter Bennett Tomlin joins to break down the the massive decline of algorithmic stablecoin Terra USD (UST) and how the Terra-Luna ecosystem works (09:00). Then we recap five tech stocks that are down at least 70% off mid-COVID peaks Coinbase, Shopify, Twilio, Zoom and Block (44:44). We briefly touch of Elon’s comments about reducing permanent bans on Twitter (1:05:48). Wrap with Peloton’s painful earnings (1:22:53).

First Jason and Molly break down Twitter's new community annotation feature Birdwatch (1:40), they go through screenshots of the beta version and weigh the possibility for the Birdwatch to bridge the moderation gap. Then Producer Rachel interviews Patrick McDonnell of Flapjack (44:04) about working in a hacker house in Miami, optimizing restaurant menus and his experience making the Boring Company flamethrower.

First we chat with Lon Harris from Inside Streaming about the latest Netflix news, strategy, exciting upcoming shows and the proliferation of ads on streaming services (2:23). Then we cover Plaid CEO insinuating that a Stripe PM probed their company for information before making a copycat (39:40), Cameo's round of layoffs that included 4 execs (53:08) and the latest on Elon Musk's Twitter acquisition (1:06:25).

First, we discuss Bolt’s declining customer base and struggles with The Information’s Malique Morris (02:50). In addition, we discuss Fast, Amazon's "Buy with Prime," ShopPay (25:35) and all the other developments in online checkout. Next, we cover a massive spike in Ethereum gas prices from Yuga Labs and Solana's bot attack (55:12). We wrap with our Startup of the Day: Gravity Sketch, a 3D design platform (1:11:35).

First, we cover 5 news stories: Amazon Q1 earnings (02:01), Apple's fiscal Q2 earnings (06:33), China's new tune for tech (12:06), AirBnB's long-term remote commitment (16:55) and Snap's new Pixy camera drone (24:48). Then Producer Rachel interviews Landon Campbell of inTheir20s and inside.com about investing, landing big guests like Steve Wozniak for his podcast and what he's learned about how great people spent their 20s (29:47).

First Jason and Molly do four rapid news stories: Elon securing funding for the Twitter buyout (03:20), Bill Ackman’s $430M loss on Netflix (11:48), The Boring Company's $675M raise (18:47), Amazon’s $1B Industrial Innovation fund (28:56). Then, Producer Rachel interviews Dwarkesh Patel of The Lunar Society Podcast (37:12), he's a recent computer science graduate and one of the 42 people Jeff Bezos follows on Twitter!

First, we break down Netflix's earnings and discuss where Netflix’s content strategy might have gone wrong (2:46). Then, Jason pitches Jared Kushner’s leaked PE firm fundraising deck (35:15). We wrap with a discussion of Warner Bros. Discovery possibly killing CNN+ (56:27) and Just Eat Takeaway announcing they are looking into selling Grubhub, 10 months after finalizing a $7B acquisition (1:13:21)!

Friday variety show! First, The Verge’s Alex Heath joins to talk about two big stories he recently broke (2:32): Facebook’s plans for AR glasses and Twitter’s internal reaction to Elon’s takeover bid (38:04). Molly sits down with LAUNCH Accelerator founder Aleks Smechov whose company Wordcab specifically focuses on speech-to-text AI summaries (1:04:54). We wrap with an edition of OK Boomer where Producer Rachel talks to writer and marketer Rachel Cantor(1:18:51)!

First, we cover Meta's announcement that they will be taking 47.5% creator fees on their Horizons platform (2:17) and A16Z’s Crypto lead Chris Dixon ranking number one on the Forbes Midas List. Then, Jason and Molly chat with Worldcoin CEO Alex Blania to talk about the crypto project he launched with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (11:08). Worldcoin is scanning people’s irises with custom-made hardware and aspires to reach over 1 billion people (23:21). Alex addresses privacy concerns, scaling challenges (32:45) and more.

First, Jason chats with Alex Campbell of Rose Technology, a data analytics tool and marketplace that helps organizations more clearly understand macro trends (1:28). Alex is a former trader for Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates and shares some incredible insights on the global macro environment across Chinese real estate (10:45), investment rates, Bitcoin, Tether, historical financial crises (43:36) and more. Then, for another edition of "OK Boomer," Producer Rachel Chats with Gaby Goldberg (1:08:45) from TCG's Crypto investment arm. They talk about resources to get started in crypto (1:28:52) and why Gaby invests at the intersection of consumer and crypto.

Charts referenced by Alex: https://bit.ly/twistchartsrose

Sunday double-header! In the opening VC Sunday School segment, Jason discusses deal flow (1:43), you will learn:
1. Inbound vs. outbound deal flow
2. Tactics VCs use to streamline their deal flow
3. Jason's philosophy on responding to founders - Your process is my opportunity

Then, Molly chats with Jason Jacobs of My Climate Journey about scaling climate tech investing, inspiring people to solve climate problems and the tangible value of community (21:27).

First Jason and Molly discuss instant delivery company GoPuff and 1-click checkout company Fast making layoffs (2:22). Then, Bradley Tusk of Tusk Ventures joins to discuss Uber’s Taxi strategy in NYC, sports betting and tech regulation (40:06). Then in our Ok Boomer segment Rachel talks to Akash Raju, co-founder of Glimpse, brands pay Glimpse a subscription fee for the products to be featured in short-term rentals (1:36:47).

Another Friday variety show! First up, Jason and Molly break down the 16-year old hacking phenom who was allegedly behind the recent hacks at Microsoft, Nvidia and Okta, and might have just been caught (1:13). Then, the duo covers Molly's induction into LIBSYN's Podcasting Hall of Fame (6:46) and reminisces on the early days of podcasting including their first podcast together over 16 years ago (11:19). Finally, Producer Rachel is back with another edition of OK Boomer, this time with Miami Hack Week founder Ja’dan Johnson (20:19).

Jason and Molly take on another Five in Five! Five stories in (a little over) five minutes each: Katie Haun's record-breaking $1.5B debut web3 fund (2:50), Yuga Labs raising $450M at a $4B valuation (12:42), Apple's potential BNPL play (25:23), Worldcoin's $100M raise and privacy concerns (29:59) and Nothing's new iPhone competitor (40:13). Then, Molly talks to ChroniFI Founder & CEO Ben Miller on building a consumer software product that helps people plan for financial independence. (48:59)

Tuesday news day! Jason and Molly break down the following stories: Apple's "new" creator tools, and brainstorming on how they could dominate podcasting again (2:23), Jeff Bezos' letter to shareholders from 2000, when Amazon's share price was down ~80% from its dot-com bubble peak (16:02), understanding search funds and why elite MBA grads are raising them (38:23). Finally, they wrap with a WLiTF segment about the FDNY purchasing a couple of Boston Dynamics "robodogs" to help with search and rescue missions. (47:15)

First, Jason and Molly rip through the news (1:44). They cover looming layoffs at two Chinese tech giants (2:31), Google getting back into the AR glasses race with a new acquisition (7:27), chaos in the instant delivery space (13:15), and Yuga Labs launching $APE coin, a BAYC token. (24:58) Then, Producer Rachel interviews Smirk founder Preston Attebery on mobile gaming, the future of social gaming, and more! (33:00)

We wrap up Angel Season 6 on First Time Funds with Pharrell Williams-signed rocker turned investor D.A. Wallach of TimeBio Ventures (32:23).
But first, we do 4 rapid-fire news topics: Spotify spent ~$307M on FC Barcelona naming rights (2:56), AMC acquired a 22% stake in gold miner (10:29), Ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger joins the NFT avatar company Genies’ Board (16:14) and we break down the anatomy of two alleged NFT grifts (22:35).

First, we discuss a new Layer 1 blockchain called Aptos, valued at $1B in a recent round led by a16z (2:42). Then discuss MetaMask’s parent Consensys raising $450M at a $7B valuation (39:47). Our startup of the day is Mojo, which is building a stock market-like product to “bet on athletes” (51:35). Next, we do a post-mortem for our "shutdown of the day," Zero Grocery, a grocery delivery company that closed down this month after announcing raising $12M a month ago (59:06). To wrap, Jason chats with JJ Foster, a listener who did some show notes for us (01:11:05).

Sunday double-header. First, Jason and Molly discuss the impact of large funds on the startup ecosystem, how fund size influences firm strategy and why big funds often seed smaller funds (2:21). For the This Week in Climate Startups segment, Molly chats with Taj Ahmad Eldridge from Include Ventures (29:42). They discuss:
1. How Taj's experience with negative health impacts from pollution helped guide his investing focus
2. Include Ventures' unique fund of funds and direct investment strategy
3. Why Taj is not afraid of hardware investing (and how it's paying off)
4. How government branches can support climate tech progress

It’s a variety show. First Jason and Molly do six rapid fire news topics (2:10) including: Rivian’s lowered guidance, Biden briefing TikTok influencers on Ukraine, declining NFT volume, creator economy wins, Biden’s Crypto executive order and Peloton’s new pricing pilot. Then, hard-tech investor Jai Malik of Countdown Capital joins (42:22) for Angel Season 6 “First Time Funds.” Finally, producer Rachel has another edition of OK Boomer, this time she talks viral marketing and new ways of fundraising with Josh from Party Round (1:18:42).

First, Jason and Molly cover the news of Alumni Ventures Group getting charged by the SEC for misleading investors about their management fees (1:56). AVG had to repay $4.7M to investors and paid $800,000 in a settlement. Next, we briefly touch on Index Ventures stopping their investments in Russia (24:56).

Then, Radiant Energy Fund Managing Director Mark Nelson joins to make the case for nuclear power and explain why many countries have chosen to decrease their nuclear capacity (40:03).

Another Sunday double-header edition! First Jason leads a VC Sunday School session on how to react when companies try and skip steps and raise larger rounds (2:51). Plus, how Pegasus (or Alicorn) companies can end up being much better investments than traditional Unicorns. Then, for This Week in Climate Startups, Molly chats with Andrew Beebe of Obvious Ventures (18:47). You will learn:

1. Andrew's focus within climate tech (electric mobility, carbon and carbon markets)
2. How Andrew's first startup exit set him up to join the solar industry
3. How contrarian bets make careers
4. The key criteria for climate investments to be good venture bets
5. How Obvious Ventures puts its "world positive" mission into practice
6. The way carbon disclosure requirements will reshape industry
7. Why Andrew recommends reading Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future"

First Jason and Molly cover Google is bringing employees back to the office three times per week starting in early April (1:41), Snowflake dropping 15% after reporting strong earnings, Slack’s slowing growth within Salesforce. After the news, Molly sits down with Alyse Killeen of Stillmark to continue Season 6 of Angel: First-time funds (38:10). We wrap with Producer Rachel's interview with Kai Han of Pallet, which is building a platform for creators to curate job boards (1:11:50).

Cana is back on the podcast, previously David Friedberg teased the "molecular beverage printer" on E1365. This time, we speak and to CEO Matt Mahar about pricing, their go-to-market plans, their cartridge subscription process, Cana's potential climate impact, current flavors and more! Molly was the first outsider to tour their facility and she tried a whole bunch of beverages from the Cana One. To see the video search "This Week in Startups - Video" in your podcast player or go to https://youtube.com/thisweekin.

First up is a VC Sunday school where Jason discusses what investors mean when they say "we are interested in investing, but come back when you found a lead" (1:51). Then, we tease Molly's EV review of the Audi e-tron Sportback (20:42). To wrap, Molly does a This Week in Climate Startups segment with Seth Bannon (recorded on 2/9/22), a founding Partner of Fifty Years, a Venture capital firm investing in climate solutions (34:12). You will learn:

1. The convictions that unpin Fifty Years' investment thesis
2. Why Seth thinks VC has lost his way
3. Why increasing longevity could be a net-positive for climate
4. How Fifty Years measures impact of their investments
5. How Seth evaluates the potential negative externalities of his investments
6. How his PhD to VC program works

Jason chats with David Heinemeier Hansson (2:03) about global governments reacting to COVID, Basecamp’s Twitter cycle blowup last spring when more than 1/3 of the company left, the shift from debating in the public square (Twitter) to debating in private with friends on group chats. We also talk about why David now sees a case for Bitcoin after Canada leans toward authoritarianism.
To wrap, Producer Rachel does another OK BOOMER segment where Rachel talks to Tony Tran (96:02), the founder and CEO of Lumanu, a company for creators to run their business.

First we discuss Kanye’s new “STEM Player” bluetooth speaker, and why he’s trying to diversify away from Spotify and streaming platforms (2:21). We continue with a discussion about platform reliance one founder saw his business destroyed overnight by Facebook (25:17). Then we cover Pipe.com’s recent acquisition which is bringing them into the media space (28:59)! Lastly, Molly chats with Launch Accelerator Cohort 24 founder Joshe Ordonez, the CEO of Airpals about her awesome messenger service startup (39:44).