News show! We cover, OnlyFans being back to business as usual (1:31), the stablecoin Circle cleaning up commercial paper from their USDC reserves (16:49), and does a break down of Warby Parker’s S-1 as the company prepare to go public via direct listing (30:30).
Seizing Opportunity When Incumbents Play It Safe | E1270
00:00 Jason Intros the show, Facebook, OnlyFans, Jack Ma
02:08 Facebook reveals previously hidden popular post data
10:58 Pipe – Start trading for free for 12 months at https://pipe.com/twist
12:30 The top performing article shared on Facebook contained misinformation
22:40 Ourcrowd – Check out the deal of the week at https://ourcrowd.com/twist
23:59 Tyga leaves OnlyFans to start his own competitor
34:57 Embroker – Get an extra 10% insurance for your business at https://embroker.com/twist
36:19 Jack Ma’s tech disruption now threat to CCP
46:29 FDA Pfizer Vaccine approval
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
The 4 Metrics that Matter in VC with Mark Suster of Upfront Ventures | E1268
- MOIC (multiple on invested capital) aka gross returns
- TVPI (total value to paid in)
- DPI (distribution to paid-in) cash-in cash-out
- IRR (internal rate of return)
How to make government more effective | E1267
0:00 Jason says hello from Italy and talks about what he’s up to!
2:09 NoodleGate: is this the end of cancel culture?
9:59 How cultures can inspire each other to amazing outcomes
12:50 Embroker – Get an extra 10% insurance for your business at https://embroker.com/twist
14:10 Jason intros OpenGov’s Zac Bookman, Zac explains selling into governments
24:37 Odoo – Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist
25:46 Outrageous government expenses, most innovative & efficient governments today
30:37 How transparency manifests itself on OpenGov, reducing corruption
34:22 LinkedIn Jobs – Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/unicorn
35:54 Ways to improve citizen participation in local governments, what would OpenGov look like if applied properly in San Francisco, measuring government data via public records
48:28 Potential new features for OpenGov
Check out OpenGov: https://opengov.com/
FOLLOW Zac: https://twitter.com/zacbookman
News Roundup – Live from Italy
0:00 Jason intros the show – still from Italy!
2:58 Casey Newton’s misfire against Superhuman
12:46 Correcting Casey’s false statements, journalists lack of information, founders coming to the defense of Rahul Vohra and Superhuman
23:14 Apple announces a new on-device child porn screening technology, safety vs. privacy
35:02 Blockchain powered 5G network – Is Jason in or out on this idea?
43:03 Creating sensible new crypto regulation
49:45 WhatsApp & Facebook’s tricky situation in Afghanistan
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
“Github for music” my interview with Splice CEO Steve Martocci | E1265
00:00 Intro Jason’s Italy Trip & Steve Martocci from Splice
02:52 How “sampling” works in the music industry
10:07 What royalty-free means & how music rights work
21:59 How to ensure quality & originality
36:10 Will there be AI music creation?
Check out Splice: https://www.splice.com
FOLLOW Steve: https://twitter.com/smart
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
Running the best restaurant in the U.S. & Selling Tock to Squarespace for $400M – Nick Kokonas of Alinea | E1262
00:00 Nick Kokonas, CEO at Tock & Co-Owner of Alinea Restaurant Group
00:54 How Nick got into restaurants & met his co-founder Grant Achatz
09:30 Nick’s Angel investments
10:50 Ourcrowd – Check out the deal of the week at https://ourcrowd.com/twist
12:14 What OpenTable got wrong
18:05 Tock’s ticketing innovation
23:20 Benefits of having pre-paid reservations
25:00 Pipe – Start trading for free for 12 months at https://pipe.com/twist
26:40 Dynamic pricing in restaurants
28:55 Nick critiques Jason’s techniques to get a reservation
35:32 Why some Maître d’s hate Tock
38:22 Drata – Get 15% off SOC 2 and other audit at https://drata.com/twist
39:41 Digital checkouts at restaurant tables
44:50 Why tipping should be eliminated & what obstacles stand in the way
50:54 Will high-end restaurants keep doing delivery?
56:16 Hospitality labor supply
1:00:27 Inflation
1:02:42 How Alinea is handling vaccinations & employee health
1:07:18 Alinea’s signature desert
1:12:10 Nick’s core lessons as an entrepreneur
1:20:45 Mock meats
Check out Tock: https://www.exploretock.com
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
FOLLOW Nick: https://twitter.com/nickkokonas
Glenn Kelman CEO of Redfin | E1261
00:00 Intro- Glenn Kelman from Redfin
01:25 How Jason and Glenn met
03:11 Jason’s experiences with being approached in public
05:05 Glenn’s take on the housing current situation
08:02 The impacts of WFH on the housing industry
09:25 Why investing in housing could have been the solution to high prices
11:07 Indochino- Get $50 off of $399 or more by using code TWIST at indochino.com
12:35 Effects of building more housing as a way to limit home price appreciation
16:26 The argument on density being better for progressive’s neighborhoods
19:09 Areas that are pro-development and are booming because of it
21:00 Canada as a progressive area for housing and tech workers
23:43 Glen’s thoughts on San Francisco as a livable city and office location
26:50 Calm- Get one month free after attending a free demo when you go to Calm.com/TWIST
28:22 Discussion around putting efforts into office buildings and working from them
32:54 Jason asks Glen what companies lost from staying in a work from home setting
35:24 A discussion around work-life balance and generational differences
38:15 Notion- Use TWIST to get $250 off an annual team plan at https://Notion.so
39:53 Jason on debt and Glen on the cynicism of capitalism and its impacts on housing
42:22 The difference in lifestyle when having $100M vs $100B
46:52 Redfin, employing their own agents full time and other changes to improve efficiency
55:13 Jason asks Glen what it was like for Redfin to go from struggle to success
58:33 Glen and Jason discuss a controversial topic covering the DOJ and MLS
1:03:03 Nondisclosure states and why people still use listing agents
1:05:20 A breakdown of the DOJ case with the National Association of Realtors
1:10:17 The impacts of speaking to reporters and the press as an entrepreneur
Check out Redfin: https://www.redfin.com/
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
FOLLOW Glen: https://twitter.com/glennkelman
How Allen Chen Built a Globally Scalable Fitness Trainer | E1259
Episode Here: https://bit.ly/twiste1259
00:00 Intro Allen Chen, CEO of Fitbod
01:06 How Allen and Jason met
05:11 Fitbod Origins
08:19 Fitbods approach to connecting with customers
10:31 Organic Growth vs Paid Growth
11:42 LinkedIn – Post your first job for free at https://linkedIn.com/twist
13:15 The secret to paid marketing
15:33 Fitbod’s history of onboarding and their revamp
17:44 The importance of gaining a users trust
20:12 Allen being the ideal customer profile for Fitbod
21:33 Allen’s advice on having a strong funnel and finding the right audience
24:10 Odoo – Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist
25:22 The outlook on affiliate, influencer, and referral marketing
29:14 The plan to jump from 225K paying customers to 3x revenue
31:27 Jason explains his term “pegasus” and how it relates to Fitbod
33:42 Allen covers Fitbod’s opportunities for raising in the future
35:05 Jason gives Allen an “unsolicited offer publically” of $5M
35:42 Bubble – Get one month free of a no-code plan at https://bubble.io/twist
37:11 Allen asks Jason advice on getting his team to see liquidity
44:48 Jason explains the advantages of a corporate buyback and options to skip dilutions
46:30 Fitbod is hiring across all positions
48:35 Allen’s experience with YC
Check out Fitbod: https://fitbod.me/
FOLLOW Allen Chen: https://twitter.com/allenchen1217
FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis
How to start a new Venture Capital Fund with Acquired.FM | E1258
00:00 Intro Ben & David from Acquired
00:56 David’s new fund Kindergarten Ventures fund
14:45 The costs of operating a fund & how David is doing it
18:49 Why LPs care about pro-rata
25:29 The scale of Jason’s syndicate & value VCs bring
30:17 Jason’s preemptive pro-rata strategy (Sequoia does this too)
35:50 The podcast strategy
39:23 Why All-In works
43:15 Jason’s investing goals
52:39 VC scout programs
56:11 The Mount Rushmore of Venture Capital