This Week in Startups

This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Luma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twist
Every.io -  https://every.io
Lemon.io - https://Lemon.io/twistPlaud - https://Plaud.ai/twist
Today’s show:
What do drug discovery, the creator economy, and AI vision models have in common? In the case of Metanova, Bitcast, and Score, the answer is Bittensor. Yes, each of the three companies leverages the Bittensor network to get more work done, more quickly, in a completely decentralized fashion.
Metanova uses its subnet to run developer competitions to find exciting molecular candidates, parsing through a mountain of possibilities to pluck out the most promising for further investigation.
Bitcast uses its subnet to collect visibility demand from brands, which is served by video creators. The company is focused on the crypto niche to start, but will expand in time to other technology topics.
Score uses its subnet to generate highly performant, specialized vision models, which it then sells to customers through a platform (Manako).
In each case, the Bittensor’s economic engine unlocks global creativity to tackle tasks that were previously time-consuming, fragmented, or expensive to complete. Let’s see how quickly each company can scale and whether startups building on Bittensor can grow faster than their non-decentralized peers.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:19 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!
3:40 What is Bittensor?
7:22 Metanova Labs joins the show
9:28 Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
17:16 How Metanova tackles the multi-billion dollar cost of drug discovery
20:48 Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io
30:20 Bitcast joins the show
31:23 Luma AI - Luma builds accessible, professional-grade AI tools for creatives. Try Luma Agents for free at https://lumalabs.ai/twist
32:30 Mining crypto with YouTube
36:48 Why Bitcast is focused on the crypto space to start
39:11 How healthy is the creator economy?
47:26 When will the AI bubble collapse?
53:44 Score joins the show
54:42 How Score will make vision AI more accessible
57:16 VLMs v. LLMs
1:01:14 Demo of the Manako platform
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
X: https://x.com/lons
Follow Alex:
X: https://x.com/alex
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check 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 McFarland
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week in AI sneak peak! If you enjoy the episode find us on Spotify, Apple podcasts and YouTube by looking up "This Week in AI" or by going to thisweekinai.ai

This week Jason sat down with Jake Loosararian and Chris Lattner on Episode 6 of This Week in AI. Jake is the CEO and co-founder of Gecko Robotics, a company deploying purpose-built robots and AI for mission-critical infrastructure inspection across energy, defense, and manufacturing. Chris is the CEO and co-founder of Modular, building a universal software layer that lets developers run AI models across Nvidia, AMD, and Apple silicon without being locked into any single hardware vendor.

We explore the GPU shortage, why China's chip smuggling reveals the stakes of the AI cold war, how purpose-built robotics are beating humanoids on ROI, the case for American reindustrialization, and why the next decade could be the best ever for private equity in capital-intensive industries.

Purpose-Built Robots vs. Humanoids: Jake has been building mission-critical robots for 13 years. He explains why general-purpose humanoids still have too little ROI for industrial use, and why specialized robots that find and fix problems are winning in the field.
The GPU Shortage Is Real: Chris breaks down why you can't just go buy 100 Blackwell chips today, why Nvidia's Cuda creates massive lock-in, and how Modular is building a unified software layer across all major chip architectures.
Google TPUs Are the Sleeper: Chris ranks Google as the number one threat to Nvidia's dominance, ahead of Amazon's Trainium and AMD.
China's Chip Smuggling & the AI Cold War: A Supermicro co-founder allegedly smuggled $2.5B in Nvidia chips to China using fake serial numbers and a hairdryer.
The Best Decade for Private Equity: Jake makes the case that capital-intensive, commoditized infrastructure assets: waste-to-energy, water treatment, old power plants will all generate incredible returns.
Self-Driving State of Play: Chris, a former Tesla Autopilot lead, gives his read on Waymo's lead, Tesla's small Austin pilot, and why the real signal is when Tesla starts filing for fully autonomous permits in California.

Learn more about Gecko Robotics: https://www.geckorobotics.com
Learn more about Modular: https://www.modular.com/

This Week In AI is made possible by:
*PayPalOpen* - One Platform for all Business: paypalopen.com

*Timestamps:*
00:00 Welcome & intro to Jake Lu (Gecko Robotics) and Chris Lattner (Modular)
01:34 Gecko's 13-year journey & the Cantilever platform
05:15 Chris Lattner on Modular: replacing Cuda & unifying AI hardware
11:10 Nvidia lock-in, AMD's Rock & why the software stack is broken
19:49 The GPU shortage: how real is it?
22:13 Who challenges Nvidia? Google TPUs, Amazon Trainium & AMD ranked
28:17 China chip smuggling: $2.5B in Nvidia GPUs & the AI cold war
37:43 Self-driving update: Waymo, Tesla's Austin pilot & Chris's Tesla history
42:20 Figure's humanoid package sorting — real or demo magic?
43:47 The best decade for private equity in capital-intensive assets
51:04 Reindustrialization, the trades boom & making manufacturing cool
58:39 Building tech companies outside Silicon Valley
1:06:46 Breaking news: Brett Adcock launches Hark from Figure
1:10:15 Closing thoughts: grit over hype, customers over valuations

Subscribe to This Week in AI on Apple: https://thisweekinai.ai/spotify
Subscribe to This Week in AI on Spotify: https://thisweekinai.ai/apple

Thanks for watching!
🤖 If you want to stay ahead of the curve on all things AI, make sure to join our community across all platforms:
📩 Get the Weekly Newsletter: https://thisweekinai.ai/
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinAIPodcast
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinaipodcast
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinaipodcast
✖️X: https://x.com/ThisWeeknAI

Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason

Follow Oliver:
https://x.com/oliverkorzen

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Northwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist
LinkedIn Jobs - https://linkedIn.com/twist
Sentry - https://sentry.io/twist
Plaud - http://Plaud.ai/twist
Ro.co - http://Ro.co/Twist

Today’s show:

Hustle Fund general partner Elizabeth Yin joined Jason and Alex to discuss how rapid advances in AI have changed the venture capital game, and how the same AI updates are changing how founders build. Founders may need less capital than before, which could reduce their reliance on venture dollars over time.
Ceel founder Ryan Mahdavi joined next to help Jason and Alex dig into the Delve story. Well-funded Delve was publicly criticized for allegedly overselling their compliance tool’s capabilities and not being honest with customers. Delve has responded to the allegations, though Mahdavi said that he had his doubts about the competing startup even before the news story broke.
Next, TWiST invited Brick founder Seg Sheng on to explain his startup’s plan to use a combination of physical hardware and artificial intelligence to help buildings and data centers reduce their energy bills. Given how much juice the AI era demands, Brick could be onto something big.
And to close out the show, Gavin Zaentz and Pranav Ramesh from LeadPoet (Bittensor Subnet 71) to show off their technology (the pair put in motion a lead hunt for Brick while on-air). It’s a packed show with something for everyone. Let’s go!

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro
1:18 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!
3:45 Elizabeth Yin from Hustle Fund on how AI tools have changed her workflow
9:21 How founders use AI to learn how to suck less
10:34 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST
13:17 Ryan Mahdavi from Ceel joins to explain the Delve SOC 2 scandal
18:39 Is Silicon Valley's "bend the rules" culture at fault?
20:38 Red and pink flags, and how investors can spot potential fraud
21:41 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist
23:45 How to not do securities fraud: a simple guide
26:50 Ryan asks: How did the company get through diligence?
31:03 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/twist
32:25 Were there early warning signs about issues with Delve?
33:26 On Delve's use of tactical donuts
36:55 What about the Delve board? If there is one?
45:24 Seb Sheng stops by to tell us about how Brick Data saves companies massively on energy costs
49:38 Who are Brick's customers and how much are they paying?
54:16 Lightning Round: A quick history of Brick
56:02 Why Jason is so bullish on $TAO
56:45 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.
1:06:35 How do LeadPoet's "miners" track down the best leads?
1:13:09 How Bittensor subnets map to traditional startup forms
1:17:15 How can agents build up authority if they can't get hired for their first job?
1:21:03 Jason: "I think the game of Bitcoin has ended…"
1:23:22 Why Jason likes to place a bet, then learn
1:24:16 The inherent risks in crypto investment

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

Circle - https://circle.so/twist

Netsuite - https://www.netsuite.com/twist

Today’s show:

Zipline founder Keller Cliffton started his company with a simple premise: build automated logistics that serve everyone equally. The only problem? It was literally illegal in the US.
In this live recording from LaunchFest in San Francisco, Keller shares how Zipline went from a 20-person team working on a cow farm in Rwanda to operating the largest commercial autonomous system on Earth. They now complete 130 million autonomous miles with zero accidents, while reducing maternal mortality by 51% in the regions they serve.
PLUS we’ve got Rahul Vohra from Superhuman taking us through his entire founder journey, and discussing with Jason why “difficult” founders are often the smartest investments.
Timestamps:

0:00 Intro
1:16 Keller Cliffton starts off the show
3:05 Starting Zipline in Africa
8:40 The magic of sky maps
13:55 Building the drone was just the beginning
15:11 Making a huge difference in maternal mortality
23:48 The threats of Little Evil Jimmy and dogs
29:37 The shift from Rwanda to Dallas
31:14 Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://www.netsuite.com/twist
32:28 The moral clarity of the mission
41:17 The challenge of staying focused
46:43 Rahul Vohra of Superhuman joins Jason
49:40 Building Rapportive in Cambridge
51:48 Scaling to millions of users via APIs
1:11:46 How getting acquired made Rahul fearless
1:12:31 The boldness of taking on Gmail
1:22:12 Making everyone pay for the product
1:31:24 Inside the Grammarly-Superhuman deal
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
X: https://x.com/lons
Follow Alex:
X: https://x.com/alex
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check 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 McFarland
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Deel - https://deel.com/twist
LinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/twist.
Iru - https://iru.com/twist

Today’s show:

We’ve got a treat for you today on TWiST! Jason is live from LAUNCH Fest in San Francisco, where he’s joined by Robinhood founder Vlad Tenev.
The era of AI is here. Robinhood found success in the midst of the last great technological shift. What lessons did Vlad take from this, and how can founders apply these to this next transformative period? What elements are the same and what elements have changed?
Let’s get inside the mind of one of the greatest founders of the last decade!
Timestamps:
0:00 Why Jason runs events like LAUNCH Fest.
3:25 The early days of Jason and Vlad.
5:54 Why getting users before monetizing creates a bigger business.
9:49 Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.
11:03 Finding ways to launch a product multiple times.
13:49 How Robinhood identified its initial customers.
20:09 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist.
21:04 Robinhood's "give to get" and waitlist mechanics explained.
25:07 Navigating mistakes that feel existential (they're not!)
27:36 Leaning into negative press.
30:30 Iru - Iru unifies identity, endpoint security, and compliance into one platform. TWiST listeners get 20% off when they book a demo at https://iru.com/twist
32:13 Tackling competition in the AI era.
37:20 How Vlad hires and develops talent.
42:16 What is good design in an era of vibe coded slop?
46:46 Vlad's top lessons from the last 10 years.

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
X: https://x.com/lons
Follow Alex:
X: https://x.com/alex
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com