This Week in Startups

This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Every Banking - https://Every.io
https://Lemon.io - Lemon.io/twist
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Plaud - https://plaud.ai/twistRo.co - https://Ro.co/Twist

Today’s show:
*Sure, we all love open source models, but what about completely decentralized AI? Rather than leaving the big decision-making in the hands of a few elite CEOs, shouldn’t users have a say — and potentially even a stake — in how this incredible technology develops?
On TWiST, we welcome Ala Shaabana of Crucible Labs, one of the co-founders of Bittensor. It’s an open-source protocol powering a blockchain-based machine learning network. What does that mean? Users mine a crypto token — $TAO — but rather than using up their compute on solving extremely long equations, they devote it to actually powering a range of innovative AI apps (aka subnets).
Plus we’ve got Mark Jeffrey, co-founder of the Bittensor Fund Stillcore Capital, to show us some of his favorite subnet projects, and walk us through how he trained his AI agent to mine crpyto.
All that AND two amazing new OpenClaw demos.
Mark Jeffrey: https://x.com/markjeffrey
Stillcore Capital: https://stillcorecapital.com/
Ala Shaabana (Crucible Labs): https://x.com/CrucibleLabs
Michael Ryaboy (Setup Claw): https://setupclaw.com/
Pete and Maddie Reese (Bizzby AI): https://bizzby.ai/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro01:28 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!04:11 The booming intersection of crypto, and AI agents05:49 Mark Jeffrey joins the show!06:13 Bittensor explained — how TAO subsidizes AI products07:37 Mark’s top Bittensor projects00:10:40 https://Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io.00:12:20 How subnet tokens work00:17:34 How the Crucible Labs wallet simplifies subnet token allocation00:19:33 https://Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist00:22:42 The importance of private inference and encrypted AI prompts00:29:36 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.00:33:07 How AI is restoring old movies and media!00:40:57 SetUpClaw’s “set it and forget it” AI agents00:45:50 https://Ro.co: Ro’s insurance checker will let you know if your coverage includes GLP-1s for FREE. Go to https://Ro.co/Twist for your free insurance check.00:54:35 “Off-duty” with Lon and Jason

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Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Plaud - Plaud.ai/twist
LinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/twist.
Deel - https://deel.com/twist
Iru - https://iru.com/twist!

Today’s show:
It’s a packed TWiST Today! WITH US, we’ve got Erik Voorhees of VeniceAI and Logan Allin of Fin Capital on to talk agents, crypto, and… you guessed it, OPENCLAW!
Where does agentic AI meet the financial system? How will agents transact? And what does privacy look like in a world with omnipresent AI?
Stick around for some demos! We’ve got George Pickett to demo OpenClaw studio and David Kaufman to show us what he’s building at Siteline!

Timestamps:

00:04:31 What was Logan’s original thesis in Circle?

10:08 LinkedIn Jobs - Thanks to our partners at @LinkedIn! Post your job for free at https://⁠linkedIn.com/twist⁠ then promote it to get access to LinkedIn Jobs’ new AI assistant.

00:11:52 Logans thoughts on Open vs. Closed Source

00:15:33 How to maintain privacy in AI

20:02 Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit https://⁠deel.com/twist⁠ to learn more.

00:23:29 Why LAUNCH’s token usage is trending higher than payroll!

00:25:05 How Fin capital uses personality types and AI to assess investments

00:29:45 Why Erik thinks Anthropic’s defiance of the federal gov. is bravery!

32:10 Iru - Iru unifies identity, endpoint security, and compliance into one platform. TWiST listeners get 20% off when they book a demo at https://⁠iru.com⁠/twist!

00:42:23 How Siteline is helping understand companies and their agent traffic.

00:57:15 OpenClaw Studio makes OpenClaw as user friendly as possible.

01:10:09 The layers and layers of Microstrategy’s business model.

01:11:44 Which AI tools are the most indispensable?

01:12:25 How Jason uses the Grok button on threads

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Follow Lon:
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Follow Alex:
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LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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

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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Circle — http://circle.so/twistHubspot Creators — http://clickhubspot.com/twist2Uber AI Solutions — http://uber.com/ai-solutionsToday’s show: *Dave Morin joined the show today to explain how the OpenClaw Foundation came into existence, and what its goals are. Fear not, Peter Steinberger retains directional control of the project. But if you want to sustain an open-source project over time, you need a corporate entity, well-heeled sponsors, maintainers and more. Morin is helping make sure that OpenClaw can stay true to itself well into the future.TWIST also put the day’s most critical AI stories to Morin for his insight: What’s his take on the Anthropic-DoW fracas? Does Morin think that OpenAI and Anthropic are catching up to OpenClaw in agentic terms? And will OpenAI cede the consumer crown to Anthropic? Next came two amazing demos: Runtools’ CTO Greg Kara showed off a 3D interface for OpenClaw that his team built, allowing ‘Claw users to watch their agents work in real time, and even read over their shoulder. Then PickelWatch founder George Yameen showed off an agnetic workflow using OpenClaw and Claude’s Chrome plugin side-by-side. The gist? Make sure that the agentic service you select is cost-effective. **GUESTS:**Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin?lang=enGreg Kara: https://x.com/GregKara6George Yameen: https://x.com/GeorgeYameen**Timestamps:** 00:00 Dave Morin Joins the Show

02:31 How Dave Morin got Claw-Pilled

05:01 Jason’s critical OpenClaw moments

08:38 How Dave showcases his OpenClaw skills

10:47 Uber AI Solutions - Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/ai-solutions

14:40 How long has the OpenClaw Foundation existed?

17:21 How much authority does Peter Steinberger retain?

00:20:21 Hubspot - Check out the guide “Advanced ChatGPT Prompt Engineering: From Basic to Expert in 7 Days.” Download it for free at http://clickhubspot.com/twist2

19:20 How ‘air traffic control’ works for a project like OpenClaw

23:15 The economics of open-source maintainers

25:13 Dave’s physical OpenClaw setup

27:45 How Jason uses OpenClaw to curate his reading, fashion, and travel

30:23 Circle - Circle gives you everything you need to build and scale your community-led business. TWIST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan at http://circle.so/twist

32:18 Why the second wave of ideas is where things get the most interesting

34:06 Apple’s slow movement and hesitance to depricate products

39:51 How Jason uses OpenClaw to coach the next generation of executives

44:52 Are Anthropic and OpenAI catching up to OpenClaw?

49:40 Introduction to Runtools.AI

53:49 Runtools.AI demo of 3D OpenClaw environment

57:06 Introduction to PickleWatch

57:27 PickelWatch demo of Claude Chrome vs. OpenClaw

01:03:38 How PickleWatch ups your pickleball swing

32:56 Jason’s advice for founders on stumbling onto new ideas

42:16 Jason on the DoW’s handling of the Anthropic mess

01:11:08 Would Jason fund the tech that Anthropic won’t supply?Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/Check out the TWIST500: https://twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Follow Lon:X: https://x.com/lons*Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/*Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/*Follow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: [https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups](https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups/)TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: [https://twistartups.substack.com](https://twistartups.substack.com/)

This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Deel - http://deel.com/twist
Wispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twist
Luma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twist

Today’s show:
*$110 billion buys you 15% of OpenAI. Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank placed their bets on ChatGPT, which now has 900 million weekly active users and 50 million paying subscribers. Find out why Jason is anticipating the wildest J-Curve swing of all time, and believes we’ve ALREADY hit AGI… it’s just not implemented yet.
Plus a visit from our roving correspondent Nick O’Neill, checking in on the Crypto Chaos in Miami Beach, and hot demos from three young founders.
GUESTS:
Nick O’Neill: https://x.com/chooserich
Everest Chris: https://openclaw.unloopa.com/
Ben Broca: https://polsia.com/
Adi Gabrani: https://makemyclaw.com/
Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:33 We’re hiring a new producer!

05:42 OpenAI raised $110 billion

08:59 Understanding the LLM J-Curve

00:11:25 Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit ⁠https://deel.com/twist⁠ to learn more.

00:15:02 CRYPTO CHAOS IN MIAMI BEACH!

00:21:10 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.

00:22:54 Mass layoffs at Block

00:30:50 Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with the all-in-one Dream Machine text-to-video platform. Visit ⁠https://lumalabs.ai/twist⁠ to try The Dream Machine for free.

00:32:04 AI Scott Adams: The Saga Continues

00:38:13 Make URLs for local businesses with Unloopa

00:45:36 Rent a Polsia agent to run your company

00:58:55 Deploy swarms in 60 seconds with MakeMyClaw

01:05:05 LAUNCH FEST is coming to SF

01:55:49 Will Paramount actually buy WBD?

01:06:58 Why Lon loves “Knight of the 7 Kingdoms”

01:07:21 On “Neighbors” and First Amendment Warriors

01:13:43 All about Jason’s favorite chargers
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

Follow Lon:
X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:
X: https://x.com/alex
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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

Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Lemon IO - https://Lemon.io/twist
Every.io - https://every.io
Sentry.io- https://sentry.io/twist

Today’s show:
We’re going behind the curtain today — it’s a packed show!
We found Tyler Yust, OpenClaw’s third EVER contributor to share his insights from within foundation! We’ve got Deedy Das, of Menlo Ventures, on the show to discuss whether SaaS is cooked! Next we met the creator of an OpenClaw instance that fits in your pocket! We’ve also got the founder of OpenBrowse showing us how he automatically detects and generates OpenClaw skills!

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro - Deedy Das Joins the Show!04:54 Anthropic’s revenue growth and valuation06:07 OpenClaw Contributor Tyler Yuts joins the show09:24 iMessage integration and Apple’s proprietary systems
00:10:07 Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist14:31 Anthropic vs. the Pentagon
00:20:02 Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io.
00:30:08 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST
00:35:46 The Infamous Citrini article00:32:47 Come to LAUNCH fest! https://fest.launch.co00:36:28 Why Deedy thinks the Cetrini article is a work of science fiction00:44:51 The illusion of privacy in corporate America00:41:18 Deedy thinks Enterprise SaaS apps aren’t going to be vibe coded00:49:20 Jason’s Reddit Bot00:52:01 Jason’s obsession with Singapore’s food00:55:22 How Unbrowse pulls any backend API!01:02:07 Sebastian shows off the smallest OpenClaw form factor!01:12:04 The Prolo ring — for people who doomscroll01:20:21 Deedy’s Podcast Player App!

Thank you to our partners:
(10:07) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(20:02) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.

(30:08) Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

Follow Lon:
X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:
X: https://x.com/alex
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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

Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com