The $60 billion resource hiding in space, and the start trying to mine it (feat. Matt Gialich, Astroforge) | E2268
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.2 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2026
⏱️ 99 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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Today’s show:
AstroForge is building low-cost, replicable spacecraft to mine platinum group metals from near-Earth asteroids — a $60 billion annual market for materials that are running out on Earth. Founder and CEO Matt Gialich joins the show to talk about the company's ambitious mission, what went wrong on their first two flights, and why Mission 3 could still change everything.
PLUS Sam Dare from Templar stops by to talk about training AI models on a decentralized blockchain, and why it’s so much cheaper and more efficient than the conventional “data center full of GPUs” method. AND a demo of OpenOats from creator Yazin Alirhayim of his open source Granola alternative.
Astroforge: https://www.astroforge.com/
Templar: https://www.tplr.ai/
Epoch AI decentralized training post: https://epoch.ai/gradient-updates/how-far-can-decentralized-training-over-the-internet-scale
OpenOats on Github: https://github.com/yazinsai/OpenOats
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:59 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!
3:05 We aplaud Plaud!
3:18 Astroforge is mining… asteroids?!
6:11 How creating an abundance of Platinum will impact Humanity!
9:56 Wispr Flow: Stop typing. Dictate with Wispr Flow and send clean, final-draft writing in seconds. Visit https://wisprflow.ai/twist to get started for free today.
21:16 Circle: The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to https://circle.so/twist.
22:01 How Astroforge uses capitalism to unlock abundance
24:35 J-Cal subscribed to… A socialist magazine?
26:19 Sam Dare of Templar joins the show!
27:47 What is TAO doing that's uniquely different from Bitcoin
30:15 What is the incentive mechanism that Templar uses?
30:44 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.
37:49 How much does it cost to run templar's model?
45:16 Can decentralized training over the internet scale? https://epoch.ai/gradient-updates/how-far-can-decentralized-training-over-the-internet-scale
47:16 Jason addresses his tao investment
48:48 Why brand is the moat for startups
49:47 When will a better, more exciting version of Bitcoin, can come along?
52:20 Yazin of OpenGranola Joins the show
53:36 How OpenGranola has local LLM's taking notes for you and giving you real time insights in your meeting!
1:01:45 Jason's callout for a sidebar that shows all inputs from agents
1:13:50 The economics of the new harry potter series and HBO/ Warner Brothers
1:23:33 Why Jason wants government surveillance on Disney adults…
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right, everybody, welcome back to this week in startups. It's Friday. That means Lon Harris is here with me. And at the end of the show, we will do off duty with Lon. Everybody loves that segment where Lon takes us off duty. And we share what we're buying, what we're consuming, what we're watching. |
| 0:19.4 | This week in startups is brought to you by Deal. |
| 0:22.5 | Founders ship faster on deal. |
| 0:24.6 | Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. |
| 0:28.2 | Visit deal.com slash twist to learn more. |
| 0:31.5 | Circle. |
| 0:32.0 | Circle gives you everything you need to build and scale your community-led business. |
| 0:36.2 | Twist listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus |
| 0:39.0 | plan at circle.s.com slash twist. And whisperflow. Stop typing, dictate with Whisperflow |
| 0:46.2 | and send clean final draft writing in seconds. Visit whisperflow.a-i-slash-twist to get started for |
| 0:53.1 | free today. That's W-I-Spr.I. slash twist. Let me just start the show by saying, I love Plod. I love Plaud. I'm using my Plodpin right now to record this very conversation. Why? Oh, you have yours too. Did you activate yet? Oh, yeah, |
| 1:11.9 | no, it's running. It's been my blood is, my blood goes all day. Yes. And I have mine running now. And I just, you know, it's got the red light. So I'm being privacy first. And, you know, I only use it when people know I'm using it. But this is the interesting thing. You can wear the plot pin like you're wearing it or you can wear it on your wrist. Another great way to wear it. |
| 1:29.3 | And what I do with this is when I'm hiking... thing. You can wear the plod pin like you're wearing it or you can wear it on your wrist. |
| 1:32.9 | Another great way to wear it. And what I do with this is when I'm hiking around the ranch or I have a moment, uh, plot, take a memo, action item. Uh, we need to move two of our researchers into the |
| 1:40.4 | paid, uh, newsletter that we're doing. Please have lawn pick as number one and two, even though that's super uncomfortable to ask in front of everybody, the one and two. Um, which is why you didn't answer it. I sent you my one and two picks privately. I don't like to pick favorites in front of people. See, no. I like to create a little bit of like who's ready for this. Anyway, that's my management style. But |
| 2:02.1 | Plaud is amazing. And what it does is it creates a summary. And then you can share that summary. |
| 2:08.5 | Yes. Then they have like 20 different, I don't know, maybe it's hundreds, but I have like 20 |
| 2:12.7 | really nice templates I use, like full accurate transcript. It learns who Lon is in my life. It learns who |
| 2:18.7 | Alex is. It knows them. So then for all time for it, I don't have to mention that. It creates a |
| 2:24.3 | mind map of the conversation we have when we have a strategy meeting, all this great stuff. |
| 2:28.1 | And then one click share. Why is it better than using your phone? Oh my God, your phone's microphone |
| 2:32.4 | stinks. And you have to though clumsily go through your phone as opposed to beep, one button. You're ready to go. It's the contextual. It understands the conversation and really thinks about how to organize it for you. That's the really What's the offer? What's the offer? We have an offer? We do have an offer, Jason. Of course. So you can check it out at plod.a-a-i-slash-Twist. And if you use |
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