This Week in Startups

100 episodes

118 hours of content

24,332,564 total views

Today’s show: Jason and Alex break down the latest head-scratching SEC ruling on meme coins—did they just legalize pump-and-dumps to protect Trump’s token? Plus, they dive into why venture debt can destroy startups, the rise of AI-driven companies, and how Tesla is gearing up to challenge Waymo in the self-driving car race. Then, Brandon Brown from GRIN joins the show to talk about scaling to 8-figure revenue, surviving brutal market corrections, and why he’s stepping down as CEO after a decade. This one’s packed with insights for founders, investors, and anyone watching the future of crypto, startups, and AI unfold. Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show! (1:39) Palmer Luckey feud, and supporting Trump in Silicon Valley (9:36) AI's impact on startup growth and job displacement (10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period. (12:20) Product market fit and Salesforce productivity (15:01) Howey Test and its application to cryptocurrencies (20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at   / thisweekinstartups   (26:13) Jason's libertarian views on meme coins (31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.com/startups (32:16) Meme coin regulation and political implications (37:22) GRIN's Brandon Brown interview and company evolution (46:10) Leadership changes and challenges at GRIN (53:28) Venture debt risks and business cycle preparedness (59:00) Leadership skills and defining reality (1:04:13) Updates on Waymo and autonomous rides (1:09:06) Tesla and the global autonomous vehicle market Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: [https://www.twist500.com](https://twist500.com) Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp Check out GRIN: https://grin.co/ Checkout Angel University with Jason Calacanis & Mike Savino: https://www.angel.university/ Check out the Founder Friday City Competition: https://www.founderfridays.tech/city-... Follow Brandon X: https://x.com/Brandon_Brown LinkedIn:   / brandon-brown-0898731   Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠  / alexwilhelm   Follow Jason: X:   / jason   LinkedIn:   / jasoncalacanis   Thank you to our partners: (10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period. (20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at   / thisweekinstartups   (31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.com/startups All rights for the video shared and linked below belong to the original copyright holder, and we are using the footage under the principle of fair use. Listen here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ULQ0ew... Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes315114957/t... More from us: Twitter:   / twistartups   Instagram:   / thisweekinstartups   Official site: https://thisweekinstartups.com Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:    / @startups   Subscribe to TWiST Clips for all the best moments:    / @twistclips   #startups #entrepreneurship #investing #angelinvesting #tech #news #business