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This Week in Startups

Venture Fund Size Growth, the Rise of Unicorns, and more with Elizabeth Yin and Zach Coelius | E1886

This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis

Technology

4.21.4K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2024

⏱️ 80 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

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.

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LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to LinkedIn.com/TWIST to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

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Today’s show: David Weisburd hosts Elizabeth Yin, Zach Coelius, and Jason Calacanis to discuss trends in venture capital, including the growth of fund sizes (2:32), the resurgence of the Bay Area (33:42), the decrease in capital efficiency (51:12), the rise in unicorn companies but lack of liquidity (45:11), and top recent investments (57:27)!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) David Weisburd hosts Elizabeth Yin, Zach Coelius, and Jason Calacanis to dive into the state of venture funds

(2:32) Venture funds are growing in size despite the slow market

(10:37) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist

(11:43) Exploring the performance: smaller funds vs. larger funds

(28:56) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(29:49) Hustle Fund’s quantitative approach to evaluating startups

(33:42) Is the Bay Area officially back?

(43:51) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist

(45:11) Number of unicorns has increased but liquidity has decreased

(51:12) The decline in capital efficiency over the past decade

(57:27) Rapid-fire segment on top recent investments

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LINKS:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pro-take-why-venture-fund-sizes-rose-despite-the-slow-market-fd4c4677

https://www.cowboy.vc/news/welcome-back-to-the-unicorn-club-10-years-later

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Thanks to our partners:

(10:37) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/twist

(28:56) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

(43:51) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/twist

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Follow Elizabeth

X: https://twitter.com/dunkhippo33

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

Check out: https://hustlefund.vc

Check out: https://letsgo.hustlefund.vc/raise-millions

Check out: Bruinhealth.com

Check out: Goafterwork.com

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Follow Zach

X:  https://twitter.com/zachcoelius

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

Check out: https://coelius.vc/

Check out: Echomark.com

Check out: Findbugzero.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

Check out: Podcast.ai

Check out: Zestapp.co

Check out: getriver.io

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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

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

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

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

It's funny, very common with crypto, right?

0:02.8

Actually, a sort of funny story, a friend's company,

0:05.3

which is a crypto company, and he didn't know the identity

0:08.4

of one of his co-founders.

0:09.6

They had been working together for a real long time.

0:11.5

The real name, they were using handles.

0:13.3

I was the cyber surfer, you were the hippo 33.

0:18.4

Yeah, it would be like that.

0:19.9

Z-D-Dog.

0:20.9

And yeah, exactly.

0:22.2

Yeah, we don't know how old we are genders location nothing

0:26.0

not security numbers nothing we're just anonymous handles this

0:30.1

became a problem later because this company actually ended up doing quite well and, you know, obviously the VCs wanted to know who these people were and that that's where it really came to head.

0:40.0

This week in startups is brought to you by Squarespace, turn your idea into a new website.

0:47.0

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

0:51.0

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

0:57.0

Northwest registered agent will form your company fast, give you the documents you need to open a business bank account, and more.

1:05.6

Visit northwest registered agent.com slash Twist to get a 60% discount on your next LLC and LinkedIn jobs a business is only as strong as

1:17.4

its people and every hire matters post your first job for free at

1:22.3

LinkedIn.com slash Twist.

1:25.0

Welcome back to this week's liquidity podcast.

1:27.8

With me today I have Elizabeth Ian, co-founder and general partner at Hustle Fund,

...

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