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This Week in Startups

Sequoia & Union Square Returns, the Post-AI Labor Market, and the Return of SF? | E1907

This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis

Technology

4.21.4K Ratings

🗓️ 1 March 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Coda. A new doc that brings words, tables and teams together. All your valuable data, plans, objectives, and strategies in one place. Go to https://coda.io/twist to get a $1,000 credit!

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Todays show:

David Weisburd hosts Erik, Guy, and Jason Calacanis to discuss Sequoia & Union Square Ventures' returns (1:15), AI's impact on startups and labor (17:35), US startups' risk tolerance (38:10), and much more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) David Weisburd intros Erik Torenberg, Guy Perelmuter, and Jason Calacanis

(1:15) VC returns have been leaked, including returns from Sequoia Capital and Union Square Ventures

(11:33) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

(17:35) Bearish signs for the startup employment market

(25:17) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist

(26:12) The emergence of the first one-person unicorn

(36:46) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist

(38:10) Founders & investors are now returning to San Francisco

(47:35) Rapid-fire segment on recent investments

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Mentioned on the show:

https://www.wsj.com/tech/san-francisco-ai-boom-silicon-valley-307816b2

https://jam.dev

https://www.perplexity.ai

https://www.antaresindustries.com

https://mesodyne.com

https://limacharlie.io

https://www.cloudnc.com

https://codemate.ai

https://www.golfgolf.tech

https://www.terrakaffe.com

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Follow Erik:

X: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eriktorenberg/

Check out: https://www.turpentine.co/

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Follow Guy:

X: https://twitter.com/guyperelmuter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guyperelmuter

Check out: https://www.gridscapital.com/

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Follow David:

X: ⁠https://twitter.com/DWeisburd⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd⁠

Check out: ⁠https://10xcapital.com

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Follow Jason:

X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co

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Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university

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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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

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Follow TWiST:

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

That framework, I think, that Elon came up with us

0:03.3

elegantly simple, yet very complex, and then he executed on it very definitely.

0:08.4

As you can see, because he's shipping more product with 15% of the people.

0:12.3

And some people were saying, oh no, Twitter is going to die.

0:15.8

You know, the website's not going to work, the team is not there, how can they operate?

0:18.8

They were rooting for it not to work.

0:20.0

Exactly.

0:22.0

And blue check mark people.

0:24.8

It works just. And so that's inspired a whole generation of founders to think, hey, I could operate this company with a fraction of my team.

0:33.0

This week in startups is brought to you by

0:36.0

Open Phone brings your team's business calls, texts, and contacts

0:41.0

into one delightful app that works anywhere.

0:44.1

Get 20% off your first six months at openphone.com slash twist.

0:50.3

Squarespace

0:51.6

turn your idea into a new website. Go to Squarespace, turn your idea into a new website.

0:54.0

Go to Squarespace.com slash Twist for a free trial.

0:58.0

When you're ready to launch, use offer code Twist to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

1:04.0

And Koda is the all-in-one dock for teams.

1:08.0

Get started for free and get a $1,000 startup credit at Coda.io slash Twist.

1:15.0

Welcome back to this week's Liquidity Podcast.

1:18.0

With me today I have Eric Tornberg, co-founder of On Deck and Village Global, and founder of Media Company, Turpentine.

1:24.7

Next we have Ghee Paralmuter, founder and CEO of Grits Capital, a Deep Tech VC fund, and author of

...

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