How AthenaHQ and Browser Use Are Building the Next Layer of the Internet | E2132
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 30 May 2025
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today’s show: Alex interviews two cutting-edge startups shaping the future of AI: AthenaHQ, pioneering “GEO” (Generative Engine Optimization) to help brands rank in AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini, and Browser Use, building infrastructure that lets AI agents take real actions on the web—from form-filling to workflow automation. Both teams dive deep into how fast AI is evolving, how brands and developers can stay competitive, and why adaptability and technical precision are key in the era of intelligent search and autonomous agents.
Timestamps:
(0:00) Episode Teaser(1:54) Athena HQ's Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategy(10:05) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(14:51) Will GEO Market Adoption Forever CHange Marketing?(19:50) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://fidelityprivateshares.com! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.(22:58) How Being AI Model Agnostic Gives You An Edge(29:54) Superpower - The best founders know: better health = better business. Visit http://superpower.com/twist to skip the waitlist.(35:13) Browser Use and Making Smarter AI Agents(45:03) Will AI Agents Do Your Grocery Shopping For You?
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Links from episode:
AthenHQ: https://www.athenahq.ai/
Browser Use: https://browser-use.com/
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
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Thank you to our partners:
(10:05) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(19:50) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://fidelityprivateshares.com! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.
(29:54) Superpower - The best founders know: better health = better business. Visit http://superpower.com/twist to skip the waitlist.
Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | One thing I was curious about is just the pace of AI development and how that impacts your ability to help people. |
| 0:05.0 | Is it worth investing in trying to rank well across all of the AI models and services out there? |
| 0:11.0 | Or do you guys focus a bit more on like, okay, look, here are the three places people are actually doing an AI search. |
| 0:15.9 | We are model agnostic. |
| 0:18.0 | We focus on the underlying architecture of AI search. |
| 0:22.7 | What that means is that individual models, whether it's chatypte, Gemini, or Deep Seek, etc. They rise and fall in popularity, right? And it's |
| 0:31.5 | very much like a foot race. At one point, Gemini 2.5 is ahead and lead, but then other models |
| 0:36.7 | will race ahead. So we're not |
| 0:40.1 | betting on any people who are horse here. We're helping our customers be resilient. |
| 0:46.0 | This weekend startups is brought to you by Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website. |
| 0:51.4 | Go to Squarespace.com slash twist for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, |
| 0:55.0 | use offer code twist to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Fidelity Private |
| 0:59.9 | Shares. If you want the all-in-one equity management platform, Fidelity Private Shares has you covered. |
| 1:05.0 | Visit FidelityPrivate shares.com and mention this podcast for 20% off your first year subscription. |
| 1:10.5 | And Superpower. |
| 1:12.4 | The best founders know better health equals better business. |
| 1:15.4 | Visit superpower.com slash twist to join and skip the wait list. |
| 1:19.4 | Hey, everybody. |
| 1:20.5 | Welcome back to Twist. |
| 1:21.7 | This is Alex today. |
| 1:22.9 | We are talking to not one, but two companies from the Twist 500. |
| 1:27.1 | What is that? Well, it's our search for the top |
... |
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