This Week in Startups

The TWiST AI Basics series is made possible by Google Cloud!Check out Google Cloud’s new report, “Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups,” Featuring thoughts from today’s guest, Joaquín Cuenca AbelaVisit: goo.gle/futureofgenmedia to check it out!Today’s show:In today’s edition of TWiST AI Basics, J-Cal is joined by Joaquin Cuenca Abela, co-founder and CEO of Magnific (formerly known as Freepik). We’re discussing how generative AI is transforming the creative landscape for startups.In watching today’s show you’ll have-consider your expectations of what AI video can actually do for you and your business. What used to take a high end production team months and tens of thousands of dollars now takes 24 hours and one person with patience to learn the right tools. This conversation explores how founders can use these tools to scale their creative output better, cheaper, and faster.Timestamps:0:00 Google Cloud - Check out Google Cloud's new report, "Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups," Featuring thoughts from today's guest, Joaquín Cuenca Abela at https://goo.gle/futureofgenmedia1:10 Welcome to AI Basics, presented by Google Cloud!2:11 Meet Joaquín Cuenca Abela, CEO of Magnific (formerly Freepik)3:12 Building a post-apocalyptic SF ad for TWiST in 24 hours4:25 Storyboarding characters, blending images, and text-prompting scenes6:39 The finished product: post-apocalyptic Jason!7:56 How much cheaper is this than traditional advertising?9:34 The tech stack: Magnific's upscaler and 3rd party frontier models11:02 Which Hollywood productions are actually using AI?13:14 Hollywood's 180 from "F these tools" to enthusiastic adoption14:38 One director's 600-person AI-enabled production15:23 Why Magnific built in Málaga, Spain and how they recruit AI talent16:40 Can AI ever match human creative vision?18:43 The future: 100 versions of the same ad, hyper-localized by city21:35 Where to find Magnific + Google Cloud's Future of AI reportConnect with Joaquín and Magnific!Magnific (formerly Freepik) — Joaquín's AI creative platform, 150M+ MAU, $230M ARR → https://magnific.comJoaquín Cuenca Abela on X → https://x.com/cuencaJoaquín Cuenca Abela on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaquin-cuenca-abela-905717a/Magnific on X → https://x.com/magnificPanoramio — Joaquín's prior startup, acquired by Google in 2007 → https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PanoramioFortune feature on Magnific's $230M ARR rebrand (April 2026) → https://fortune.com/2026/04/28/freepik-magnific-joaquin-cuenca-abela-230-million-arr-video-generation-ai-pivot/Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partner!Google Cloud - Check out Google Cloud’s new report, “Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups,” Featuring thoughts from today’s guest, Joaquín Cuenca Abela at goo.gle/futureofgenmediaCheck 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 McFarlandCheck out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Render - https://Render.com/TWIST
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Today’s show:
A beanie that reads your thoughts and turns them into text — no surgery required? Jason grills the Sabi co-founders on their noninvasive brain-computer interface, backed by Vinod Khosla, and calls a cap on the whole thing (until he doesn't).
This episode of This Week in Startups covers a lot of ground: Jason's tactical tip of the day on making everyone the CEO of their domain, a deep dive into Sabi's thought-to-text beanie, a live demo of AI-powered podcast sidebars built by the TWiST audience, the announcement of a new $5K bounty for an annotation tool, and Jason's big five wellness framework.
Guests:
Sabi: Website, Wired article
Co-founder and CEO Rahul Chhabra: LinkedIn, X
Companies and people discussed:
Matt Coffin, founder of LowerMyBills.com
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures
Neuralink, a leading BCI company
ElevenLabs, a leading voice AI startup
Calm, the popular meditation app

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro & tactical tip: Make everyone the CEO of their domain
1:49 Matt Coffin's "CEO of X" management philosophy
3:04 Community ownership: Deputizing Ricky, Lawn, Bianca, Maddie, Kabir
4:02 Building the Noti Gang: X group chats and community flywheels
5:08 Founder takeaways: Activate your top 1%, make someone the CEO of it
6:18 The streamer trick, parasocial dynamics, and creator ethics
7:59 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!
9:34 Guest intro: Rahul Chhabra of Sabi
10:01 What is Sabi? Noninvasive BCI in a beanie with 100,000 sensors
10:13 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/TWIST
11:02 How it works: From fMRI to EEG, from hospital to hat
13:46 The brain foundation model and thought-to-text decoding
15:55 Vetting the founders: BITS Pilani, Stanford, athlete fatigue AI
17:22 Vinod Khosla's investment thesis: BCI must be noninvasive
19:30 Jason's challenge: Say "Calacanis," or it doesn't count
20:11 Northwest Registered Agent: Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist
21:30 Sabi.com: Reserve your device, release by end of 2026
22:26 Privacy concerns: Does the beanie read everything?
25:41 Bounty #1: AI live sidebar contest — demos from the TWiST audience
27:04 Oliver's breakdown: What's easy vs. hard about live AI commentary
28:40 Demo #1: Armchair (by Mark Colebrook) — fact-checker + troll personas, live
30:59 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.
35:30 Live political violence test: The sidebar in real time on the WHCD shooting
38:45 Demo #2: Pod Commentators / SideCast — browser-based, Gemini-powered
40:35 Jason's revised Bounty #1 spec: Fact-checker + cynic, public stream or Zoom
42:41 Timeline: check-ins May 1, May 8; final winner May 15
44:51 Demo #3: BMD Pat (by Patrick Hughes) — instant URL, all-snarky personas
46:52 Bounty #2 announced: Annotated.com — a fair-use multimedia annotation tool
49:31 Annotated: the delicious.com of media commentary
51:11 Contest rules: Jason owns the domain, winner gets $5K + potential ongoing work
53:13 Wrap-up: Bounty 1 = AI sidebar, Bounty 2 = Annotated
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Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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What’s the technology story of the year? No, it’s not Anthropic’s Mythos model, nor any other AI model. Upcoming IPOs? Wrong again. Jason thinks it’s China’s government’s decision to block Meta's acquisition of Manus. The multi-billion-dollar deal was heralded as evidence that AI companies founded in China could sidestep onerous government meddling by moving their operations to Singapore. That loophole now appears closed.
Jason and Lon then dug into the newly-reforged OpenAI-Microsoft partnership. The two companies have had a mutually beneficial, if fractious, operating relationship to date; that they had to rework their agreement is not a shock.
Then, your hosts watched and digested a video from China purportedly showing a self-driving car hitting a child at speed. What would happen in the United States if such a tragedy struck? And is that fait accompli?
Closing the show, Jason and Lon reacted to the latest Russell Brand implosion, discussed Lon’s new favorite show ‘Criminal Record,’ and shared recommended foot pedals (for AI dictation) and headphones for the road warriors tuning in.
Key Links: OpenAI and Microsoft
OpenAI’s announcement of its new Microsoft deal
Microsoft’s announcement of its new OpenAI deal
OpenAI announces its deal with AWS
News that Microsoft was considering legal action against OpenAI
Microsoft-OpenAI negotiations late 2025 edition, and terms announced in early 2026
Amazon announces that OpenAI models are coming to AWS

Timestamps:
0:00 Show starts
1:24 OpenAI and Microsoft have a new deal
3:22 Why would Microsoft cede exclusive access to OpenAI models?
5:36 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!
8:09 Why Jason thinks Microsoft and Apple should work together on AI
9:45 China will block the Meta-Manus deal
12:12 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.
12:23 Golden Shares and what they provide
14:57 How do you unravel a multi-billion-dollar deal?
22:08 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST
24:42 The Huawei ADC crash
29:49 What happens when something similar happens in the United States?
31:55 IM8 Health: Start feeling like your best self every day. Go to https://IM8health.com/twist and use the code TWiST to get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order.
36:15 Russell Brand's public humiliation
41:22 Don't trust palm reading!
43:59 Lon's Off Duty streaming pick: Criminal Record
46:25 Jason's Pick: Which foot pedal for AI dictation is right for you?
48:43 Jason's Pick: In the market for new headphones?
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
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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:
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Northwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist
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Today’s show:
It’s a News and Off-Duty weekend roundup!
AngelList’s USVC fund is open to anyone with $500, but it’s getting pushback on social media. Do the critics have a point?
A Special Forces soldier made $409K betting on the military’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Is the world just a big casino now?
And a NYT podcast defends shoplifting and explores “social murder.” Find out why Jason says they crossed the line.
Plus: Why you should teach your kids about investment and more, Off-Duty streaming and book recommendations.
Related Links
USVC: https://usvc.com/
AngelList: https://www.angellist.com/
Naval Ravikant on X: https://x.com/naval
“Don’t Listen to the Peanut Gallery; USVC is a Watershed Moment” by Hari Raghavan: https://x.com/haridigresses/status/2047503944839016681
@Covered_Call USVC tweet: https://x.com/covered_call/status/2047020060900733306
Forge Global: https://forgeglobal.com/
Calm: https://www.calm.com/
Full DOJ indictment of Gannon Ken Van Dyke: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-soldier-charged-using-classified-information-profit-prediction-market-bets
NYT “The Opinions” podcast: “The Rich Don’t Play by the Rules. So Why Should I?” https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000010849055/the-rich-dont-play-by-the-rules-so-why-should-i.html
Hasn Piker on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hasanabi
New Yorker: Jia Tolentino: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/jia-tolentino
NYT: Nadja Spiegelman: https://www.nytimes.com/by/nadja-spiegelman
Jia Tolentino on X: https://x.com/jiatolentino
Garry Kasparov on X: https://x.com/kasparov63
Prof G Media: https://www.profgmedia.com/
Kids Investment Club: https://www.kidsinvestmentclub.com/
Time stamps:0:00 Intro
1:18 Naval's $500 VC Fund Explained
5:54 Should You Trust Critics With 2K Followers?
7:21 Learn By Betting — Jason's Philosophy
10:10 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist
12:30 The Maduro Polymarket Scandal
13:28 Should the Military Bet on Missions?
19:55 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist
29:32 NYT Defends Theft & "Social Murder"
30:28 There Is No Moral Equivalence
33:41 The Nepo Baby Behind the Article
35:42 Prof G's "Resist & Unsubscribe" Movement
37:54 Walk The Walk — Hasan, Bernie & Performative Outrage
44:49 Teaching Kids About Money
48:21 The Rich Get Richer & The Poor Stay Poor
Off Duty Recommendations
“The Complete Maus” by Art Spiegelman: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Maus-Art-Spiegelman/dp/0679406417
“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Bets-Making-Smarter-Decisions/dp/0735216355
“Queen of Chess” trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pmJgtLKBXg
Greenlight app: https://greenlight.com/
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 Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
v
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
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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:
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Today’s show:

The US military is running low on missiles, but now, Firehawk Aerospace is using 3D-printed solid rocket propellant to cut production costs in half and 5x U.S. output.
Plus: PhD researcher Maruchi Kim just built camera-equipped earbuds that perform on par with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and could be the next wearable AI platform hiding in plain sight.
Guests
Will Edwards: https://x.com/williewockets
Firehawk Aerospace: https://firehawkdefense.com/
Maruchi Kim: https://x.com/maruchikim
VueBuds project: https://vuebuds.cs.washington.edu/
Related Links
This Week in AI: https://www.thisweekinai.ai/
“Ghost Murmur: The Heartbeat-Tracking Tech That Has Experts Questioning the Laws of Physics”: https://www.military.com/feature/2026/04/18/ghost-murmur-heartbeat-tracking-tech-has-experts-questioning-laws-of-physics.html
Neurometric: https://www.neurometric.ai/
Meta Ray-Bans: https://www.meta.com/ai-glasses/
Hanwha Defense USA: https://www.hanwhadefenseusa.com/
Raytheon: https://www.rtx.com/
Pilatus PC-24 corporate jet: https://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/en/pc-24
PlaneSense: https://www.planesense.com/
Slopes app: https://slopesapp.com/
Speechify: https://speechify.com/
Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org/
Timestamps:
0:00 Are all these layoffs really AI's fault?
8:51 Why laid off people should start their own companies
9:27 Northwest Registered Agent - Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist
13:18 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!
15:25 Will Edwards of Firehawk joins the show
15:46 What are Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs)?
20:06 Render: Find out why 5 million developers are already using the all-in-one cloud platform, Render. Go to https://render.com/twist and apply for the Render Startup Program to get $500-$100,000 in free credits, depending on your stage and backers.
23:10 Who are Firehawk's customers?
24:25 Reimagining and reinventing the US military
28:35 How do missiles fit into the military's operations?
29:34 Agree - Stop chasing invoices at https://agree.com and tell them Jason sent you to get 50% off for life!
31:01 What's next on the roadmap for Firehawk?
31:49 How to make propellant (with easy to find ingredients)
33:13 A cheaper way to fly private
38:03 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.
40:48 Maruchi Kim of Vuebuds joins the show!
44:35 Why are VueBuds better than meta glasses?
46:23 The biggest VueBud use cases
48:09 Jason wants to use VueBuds on the slopes
55:38 Jason's advice for angel investors: never underestimate anyone!
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