This Week in Startups

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Northwest Registered Agent - ⁠⁠northwestregisteredagent.com/twist⁠⁠Quo - ⁠⁠quo.com/TWiST⁠⁠Gusto - ⁠⁠Gusto.com/twist⁠⁠Plaud - http://Plaud.ai/twistAthena - https://www.athena.com/jcalToday’s show:How long until AI models can improve AI models? Once possible, recursive self-improvement by AI technology could accelerate — forever. Thus far, humans (and their coding agents) are still driving AI progress. But a recent project by AI developer extraordinare Andrej Karpathy, called ‘autoresearcher’, is turning heads as it shows that it is possible — in certain contexts — to allow AI agents to run successive coding experiments to improve specific elements of LLM performance. Call it an early demonstration of the future.OpenClaw is exploding in China, while here in the United States, AI is polling somewhere underneath the basement. AI in the United States is about as popular as ICE, which could create a political issue for the technology in the coming elections.Next? Three demos. First, NetXD’s Suresh Ramamurthi showed off how he has built OpenClaw functionality to move money, Rohan Arun showed off PhoneClaw automation on Android devices from an AR headset, and Eugene Stuckless gave us a taste of what Eir is building. Our takeaway? OpenClaw is still boring its way into our digital lives, one new skill or tool at a time!GUESTS:Suresh Ramamurthi: ⁠⁠https://x.com/sureshr7⁠⁠Rohan Arun: ⁠⁠https://x.com/Viewforge/⁠⁠Eugene Stuckless: ⁠⁠https://x.com/eugene_eir_inc⁠⁠Timestamps:0:00 — ‘Autoresearcher’ and the future of AI improvements6:52 — Why people around the world are flocking to OpenClaw7:57 — Plaud - If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!9:46 — Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.12:57 — The changing American social contract20:15 — Quo - Quo (formerly OpenPhone) gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at quo.com/TWIST23:50 — Why China is all-in on AI (and Europe isn’t)26:26 — How to keep your job in the AI era28:05 — 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 www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist29:38 — Athena - Get $2,000 off your first EA at https://www.athena.com/jcal34:42 — Demo: Suresh Ramamurthi of NetXD42:47 — Demo: Rohan Arun of PhoneClaw47:35 — Why bringing OpenClaw to your smartphone is what’s next49:49 — Demo: Eugene Stuckless of Eir56:45 — How can we make smarter, more efficient agents?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/jasoncalacanis⁠⁠Great 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:Every Banking - https://Every.iohttps://Lemon.io - Lemon.io/twistWispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twistPlaud - https://plaud.ai/twistRo.co - https://Ro.co/TwistToday’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/markjeffreyStillcore Capital: https://stillcorecapital.com/Ala Shaabana (Crucible Labs): https://x.com/CrucibleLabsMichael 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 JasonSubscribe 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/jasoncalacanisCheck 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:Plaud - Plaud.ai/twistLinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/twist.Deel - https://deel.com/twistIru - 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 Source00:15:33 How to maintain privacy in AI20:02 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 investments00:29:45 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 threadsSubscribe 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/jasoncalacanisCheck 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: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 Show02:31 How Dave Morin got Claw-Pilled05:01 Jason’s critical OpenClaw moments08:38 How Dave showcases his OpenClaw skills10:47 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-solutions14:40 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/twist219:20 How ‘air traffic control’ works for a project like OpenClaw23:15 The economics of open-source maintainers25:13 Dave’s physical OpenClaw setup27:45 How Jason uses OpenClaw to curate his reading, fashion, and travel30:23 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/twist32:18 Why the second wave of ideas is where things get the most interesting34:06 Apple’s slow movement and hesitance to depricate products39:51 How Jason uses OpenClaw to coach the next generation of executives44:52 Are Anthropic and OpenAI catching up to OpenClaw?49:40 Introduction to Runtools.AI53:49 Runtools.AI demo of 3D OpenClaw environment57:06 Introduction to PickleWatch57:27 PickelWatch demo of Claude Chrome vs. OpenClaw01:03:38 How PickleWatch ups your pickleball swing32:56 Jason’s advice for founders on stumbling onto new ideas42:16 Jason on the DoW’s handling of the Anthropic mess01:11:08 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/twistWispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twistLuma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twistToday’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/chooserichEverest Chris: https://openclaw.unloopa.com/Ben Broca: https://polsia.com/Adi Gabrani: https://makemyclaw.com/Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:33 We’re hiring a new producer!05:42 OpenAI raised $110 billion08:59 Understanding the LLM J-Curve00:11:25 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 Block00:30:50 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 Continues00:38:13 Make URLs for local businesses with Unloopa00:45:36 Rent a Polsia agent to run your company00:58:55 Deploy swarms in 60 seconds with MakeMyClaw01:05:05 LAUNCH FEST is coming to SF01:55:49 Will Paramount actually buy WBD?01:06:58 Why Lon loves “Knight of the 7 Kingdoms”01:07:21 On “Neighbors” and First Amendment Warriors01:13:43 All about Jason’s favorite chargersSubscribe 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/jasoncalacanisCheck 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:Lemon IO - https://Lemon.io/twistEvery.io - https://every.io Sentry.io- https://sentry.io/twistToday’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 systems00:10:07 Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist14:31 Anthropic vs. the Pentagon00:20:02 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 TWIST00:35:46 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 TWISTSubscribe 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/jasoncalacanisCheck 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:Caldera Lab - [calderalab.com/twist](https://calderalab.com/twist)Iru - [iru.com](http://Iru.com/twist)LinkedIn Jobs - http://linkedin.com/twist*OpenClaw is incredible at automating tasks. But what if it could also fix your startup’s internal communication problems? Give agents shared memory, and you may be able to break down information silos while ensuring that teammates have the same context.@oliverhenry and @jeffweisbein demo what they’ve actually built with OpenClaw, including marketing automations, agentic loops, and bug fixing tools. Then we dig into what agentic infrastructure means for how startups operate, and why traditional SaaS products need to quickly adapt for the agentic era.Oliver Henry: The creator of the ‘[Larry](https://clawhub.ai/OllieWazza/larry)’ OpenClaw skill, and founder of [Larrybrain](https://www.larrybrain.com/)Jeff Weisbein: The Claw-pilled founder of [WizardRFP](https://www.wizardrfp.com/) and [WhoCoversIt](https://www.whocoversit.com/), who shared his OpenClaw framework [publicly](https://weisbe.in/openclaw) and built a [getting-started guide for the tool](https://github.com/jeffweisbein/openclaw-starter-kit)**Timestamps:** 00:00 Intro(00:01:43) Here’s why you never ski alone in a blizzard!(00:04:22) Why everyone at LAUNCH is going to get their own Mac Mini and AI agent(00:08:06) “OpenClaw has changed my entire solo-preneur lifestyle.” — Jeff Weinstein of Hype Lab(00:09:06) Jason’s urgent API message to Steve Huffman of Reddit(00:10:20) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at [LinkedIn.com/twist](http://linkedin.com/HiringProOffer).(00:15:12) Oliver shows us his Larry Skill to make viral TikTok content with zero human intervention(00:20:10) Iru unifies identity, endpoint security, and compliance into one platform. Book a demo at [www.iru.com/twist](www.iru.com/twist).(00:21:22) Why are platforms like TikTok still so hostile toward bots?(00:24:45) The shift from asking a chatbot how to do things, to just telling an agent to do things(00:26:05) How Oliver is training Larry to get better at its job(00:30:09) Whether you’re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to [CalderaLab.com/TWIST](http://calderalab.com/TWIST) and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.(00:32:47) Why making your agent more PROACTIVE is more important than automating everything(00:37:14) Why pull requests… just aren’t really a thing any more.(00:39:40) How Jason is using his new AI assistant, “Roy,” to keep track of everything going on at his company(00:53:00) Is the SaaS crash actually rational after all?(00:51:48) Using AI to create “pools of excellence”(00:54:03) The more you integrate software into AI, the less valuable the software becomes(00:56:56) Why “Agentify Your SaaS” may become the rallying cry(00:58:31) How has the age verification scandal impacted Discord’s IPO plans?(01:03:10) When you want to build your own skill vs. downloading someone else’s(01:03:53) How Larrybrain finds helpful skills and helps creators monetize(01:08:32) When we will get true experts making verifiably top skills?(01:11:40) Jason’s SCARY but also AWESOME new OpenClaw CEO tools(01:18:35) Why a lot of MBAs should probably have PhD’sThank you to our partners:(30:09) Caldera Lab - Whether you’re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to [CalderaLab.com/TWIST](http://calderalab.com/TWIST) and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.(20:10) Iru - Iru unifies identity, endpoint security, and compliance into one platform. Book a demo at [iru.com](http://iru.com/).(10:20) LinkedIn Jobs - *Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at* [LinkedIn.com/twist](http://linkedin.com/HiringProOffer)

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Gusto - https://Gusto.com/twistCircle - https://circle.so/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show:*Getting OpenClaw set up and running without destroying your bank account is one thing.But now that you have your agent or swarm operational, how can you use them to get real work done?We have three builders who are going to show you how to maximize your OpenClaw output!GUESTS:Jordy Coltman: Viral X author and creator of the WeeklyClaw newsletterJesse Leimgruber: Creator of the OpenHome.com smart speaker and kitTremaine Grant: Founder/CEO of PulsePLUS, on Off Duty, Lon and Jason talk “Knight of the 7 Kingdoms” and “The Pitt,” react to the “Mandalorian and Grogu” trailer, and check out some of Jason’s favorite headphones and earbuds.Timestamps:00:40 We’re gonna show you how to maximize your IRL OpenClaw productivity00:50 Even AI skeptic Lon is blown away by OpenClaw’s power01:46 Jordy Coltman’s top time-wasting mistakes made by OpenClaw beginners03:00 Why Jordy thinks new hardware is the best home for your agents05:38 Why Jason thinks “OpenClaw is a box” is coming soon08:29 Tremaine Grant of Pulse demos his “virtual office” interface and the “Heartbeat Protocol”00:10:15 Gusto - Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.00:15:16 What’s really happening when agents “chat” together?00:18:53 Jesse Leimgruber’s demos his OpenHome AI smart speakers00:19:47 Circle.so - The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.00:22:55 Freeing agents from screens and making them proactive00:29:43 Northwest Registered Agent - 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 www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist00:30:58 Why Jason wants his agent to read Slack and emails to him00:50:05 Who polices autonomous agents? Other agents?00:53:32 Jason and Lon’s thoughts on “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”00:56:20 Lon’s favorite picks from Quentin Tarantino’s Top 10 movies01:01:13 “The Mandalorian and Grogu” trailer reaction01:05:22 Jason’s favorite earbuds and headphonesSubscribe 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 partners:00:10:15 Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.00:19:47 Circle.so - The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.00:29:43 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 www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistCheck 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/@calacanis

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Gusto - Try Gusto today and get 3 months free at gust.com/twistCrusoe Cloud - Reserve your capacity for the latest GPU’s at crusoe.ai/savingsUber AI Solutions - Book a demo today at http://uber.com/ai-solutionsToday’s show: It’s a packed show! We’ve got YouTuber and Openclaw enthusiast Matthew Berman, Ryan Yaneli, founder of Nextvisit, and Jason Grad, founder of Massive! We’re all in on Openclaw, but we have no doubts there’s still room in the market for a GIANT Openclaw consumer app to shift the paradigm. What will that look like? Will it be an app? Will it be baked into the iPhone? Let’s explore!**Timestamps:* 00:00 Intro02:04 Why Matthew thinks Openclaw is not ready yet to be brought to the consumer04:45 Jason doesn’t want hundreds of different apps, and thousands of tabs05:45 Why Ryan sees open claw giving consumers access to opportunities they couldn’t have gotten to otherwise.07:02 Only 10% of people are technical enough to install openclaw08:16 Would Openclaw be better off as an app?08:27 Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at gusto.com/twist 10:52 The killer use case that could bring Openclaw to the consumer00:12:13 Why Meta acquired Manus.00:15:13 How Ryan uses Openclaw in his personal life00:18:44 Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today00:23:24 What Jason’s “Clawpod” does00:24:38 Jason demos his Openclaw workflow00:28:23 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/twist00:30:04 How Matt used Openclaw to figure out he’s been having stomach issues00:32:27 What will be the ultimate UX for AI?00:38:53 Anthropic has patched the ability to use Openclaw through its pro plan!00:42:20 Matt and Jason hope for a multi-model future — but we haven’t made progress!00:52:21 Jason has skepticisms about the Openclaw foundation00:52:59 Ryan predicts a new Openclaw fork coming from the shadows!00:54:21 Peter Steinberger is going to OpenAI, NOT to work with Openclaw… Will he “orphan” openclaw00:58:19 does raspberry AI stand a chance against Apple?*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/Check out the TWIST500: https://www.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*Thank you to our partners:Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at gust.com/twist Crusoe Cloud*: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit [crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.Uber AI Solutions -*Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist

Will OpenAI Tank OpenClaw? | E2251This Week In Startups is made possible by:Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistLemon IO - https://lemon.io/twistLinkedIn Jobs - http://linkedin.com/HiringProOfferToday’s show:*OpenAI hired OpenClaw creater Peter Steinberger. What does this mean for the future of the AI virtual assistant platform, and what can the OpenClaw community do TODAY to help protect their favorite free, open-source resource?Jason and Alex consider the future of OpenClaw alongside guest experts and founders Hiten Shah and Jesse Genet. Plus we’re taking a look at all of their OpenClaw creations. Check out demos of Hiten’s “personal CRM” for busy investors and Jesse’s family media aggregator.PLUS we’ve got “AI Scott Adams” creator John Arrow to talk about why he was inspired to create an AI clone of the iconic podcaster and “Dilbert” creator, and why he thinks it has so many internet commenters up in arms.Hiten Shahhttps://x.com/hnshahhttps://crazyegg.comJesse Genethttps://x.com/jessegenethttps://Lumi.comJohn Arrowhttps://x.com/johnarrowhttps://www.aiscottadams.com/Timestamps:(0:00) Introducing our guests Hiten Shah and Jesse Genet!(2:27) The panel’s biggest concerns about OpenAI hiring OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger(6:03) Jason gives us his most optimistic and pessimistic OpenAI takes(7:58) Why Jason thinks OpenAI will give everyone their own closed-source assistant(10:45) Jesse’s Mac Minis now outnumber her children!(15:28) What the OpenClaw community can do right now(17:08)  Can companies “hijack” OpenClaw via hosting and skills?(20:12)  Hiten live-trains an OpenClaw skill based on Jason’s book “Angel”(22:37)  How much is everyone spending on tokens anyway?(25:56)  How Jesse vibe-coded an app to aggregate non-Slop videos for her family(34:19)  Why Jason thinks Jesse’s app is a great potential business(37:27)  Hiten built the “personal CRM” busy people have always dreamed of having(44:12)  “We’re in an appless world.”(45:19) Why markdown files (.md) are perfect for humans and their AI agents(52:36)  So why are founders so obsessed with OpenClaw?(58:47)  John Arrow, the creator of AI Scott Adams, joins the show(1:02:44) How does AI Scott Adams get more like Scott Adams over time?(1:04:37)  The legal and ethical considerations around posthumous AI Clones

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Sentry - http://sentry.io/twistCircle - http://Circle.so/twistWispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twistToday’s show: What makes OpenClaw feel so much more ALIVE than other AI agents?On TWiST, we’re welcoming three amazing builders who are truly connecting with their OpenClaw bots, not just using them for productivity but getting to know them and their personalities on a deeper level.Serial entrepreneur Ryan Carson shows us Antfarm, which creates a team of agents with specialized roles, who work together to complete complex tasks.THEN David Im shows us Clawra, his AI virtual girlfriend that learns about you and your tastes, and even buys you presents!FINALLY, Alex Liteplo presents RentAHuman, a marketplace where bots can pay real people in stablecoins to complete IRL tasks.The future may not just be humans and AIs working side by side, but hanging out, being social, and learning from one another as well!Timestamps: (0:00) It’s a Friday show with Lon and we’ve got THREE awesome OpenClaw builders(6:41) First up, Ryan Carson shows off his open source too, AntFarm(7:57) What is a “Ralph Wiggum Loop”?(10:54) Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to http://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST(17:14) NOTI Q: What about security?!(18:13) David Im shows us his AI virtual girlfriend, Clawra(19:21) Circle.so -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist(20:33) Introducing your IRL girlfriend to your AI girlfriend(23:23) How to program an AI companion(28:26) Should Clawra be a best pal instead of a GF?(32:38) 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.(33:54) Jason’s Productivity Hack of the Month(36:17) Alex Liteplo shows us RentAHuman, where AI agents can hire real people(38:22) What are the bots hiring people to do, exactly?(50:02) Why robots might be better bosses than people…(50:51) Hiring 100 goth girls to hold signs in Times Square(55:25) OFF DUTY! Norwegian skier breaks down on live TV(58:01) Lon’s fav Best Picture nominees(59:08) Why Apple acquired “Severance.” Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/Check out the TWIST500https://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/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/*Follow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/*Thank you to our partners:(10:54) Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to http://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST(19:21) Circle.so -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist(32:38) 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.Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:NetSuite - https://www.netsuite.com/twistLuma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twistSquarespace - https://squarespace.com/twistToday’s show: On today’s epsiode of TWiST, Jason gets pitched by two top founders, Presh Dineshkumar and Peter Cetale! Presh used to work for Jason at Launch! When he left, Jason invested $200K into Presh’s new startup The Wellness Company. Presh pitches Jason on what he has been building, and Jason gives Presh advice for improving the product!Peter went through Andreesen Horowitz’s Speedrun accelerator program as CEO and co-founder of Sourcerer. Sourcerer uses AI agents to help US firms and distributors find the best prices for mass produced goods. Check out how Jason digs in with these founders!Timestamps:(0:00) Presh was originally a TWiST fan who emailed Jason!(1:59) Why Jason invested in Presh’s startup(3:19) Checking out the Wellness Company’s hot new app, Tempo(4:03) How Tempo monitors your health and offers proactive advice with consistency(9:10) Why Jason recommends adding a group or family feature to make it stickier(9:51) Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(11:28) The end goal: bringing app advice and guidance into the real world(13:34) Presh shares where his apps are finding the most engagement(14:13) The key importance of Product Velocity and World-Class Design(17:27) Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with Ray3 Modify from Luma AI, the AI-powered post-production tool. Explore it at: https://lumalabs.ai/twist(18:38) Introducing Peter Cetale and Sourcerer!(19:32) How Sourcerer uses AI to help distributors and manufacturers automate their sourcing(22:48) How Sourcerer manages to actually bring costs down(25:02) Lining up REAL customers, not Letters of Intent (aka Letters of Nothing)(26:04) Peter’s experiences in a16z’s Speedrun accelerator(28:08) Working with agents on BOTH the supply and demand side(29:16) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twist(30:32) How has Tariff Mania impacted Peter’s business?(35:35) Why Peter thinks startups will keep getting leaner and compute will keep getting cheaper*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/*Thank you to our partners:(9:51) Netsuite - Get the free business guide Demystifying AI at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(17:27) Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with Ray3 Modify from Luma AI, the AI-powered post-production tool. Explore it at: https://lumalabs.ai/twist(29:16) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://squarespace.com/twistCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Hubspot - http://clickhubspot.com/twist2Deel - http://deel.com/twistIru - http://www.iru.com/Today’s show: Today on TWiST we’re joined by 3 founders building on Open Claw,  Presh Dineshkumar, Vishnu, and Sean Liu!First, long time friend of the pod, Presh Dineshkumar, shows us how he’s using Open Claw to automate his work at The Wellness Company. His Open Claw agent, Eywa, lives in his email and in his product, able to compile user lists at his discretion.Then, we’re joined by Vishnu, who brings Open Claw to the masses. Non-technical folks, it’s your lucky day! Time to get Clawd-shotted! Last, Sean Liu joins the show to tell us about how he’s connecting Meta glasses to his Open Claw instance to interact with context that users can physically see!Timestamps:(0:00) We’re joined by Presh Dineshkumar of the Wellness Company, another OpenClaw fanatic(1:50) We meet Presh’s Replicant — Eywa — who spies on all of his emails(2:53) How Eywa is helping Presh keep track of his app’s most active users(4:35) LLMs have become very smart but they are trapped in the corner(6:10) How Presh gave Eywa its own email address and avoids prompt injections(8:56) Using Presh’s Replicant to do daily research dives(10:40) 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(13:21) Presh also has Eywa hunting down and fix bugs in his apps, all from email(16:16) Way more startups can be profitable now that they don’t need 10+ person teams(19:15) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.(20:36) We’re joined by two more OpenClaw builders: Vishnu and Xiaoan (Sean) Liu(21:16) Sean hooked his Meta Ray Bans up to his OpenClaw!(29:53) Iru unifies identity, endpoint security, and compliance into one platform. Book a demo at http://iru.com/(31:05) Some dystopian thoughts on how to use VisionClaw technology(32:47) What kinds of startups will get the most value out of OpenClaw?(34:43) Why Vishnu made a product to simplify OpenClaw set-up and security(37:34) What inspires people to stop considering OpenClaw and go “all in” on the tech(40:17) Will Vishnu and Sean quit their jobs and take Jason’s investment $125K investment deal… YESSubscribe 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/*Thank you to our partners:(10:40) 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(19:15) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.(29:53) Iru unifies identity, endpoint security, and compliance into one platform. Book a demo at http://iru.com/Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:LinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/twistEvery.io - http://every.io/Northwest registered Agent - www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show: Sean Liu gave his OpenClaw “eyes” by hooking the AI assistant up to his Meta Ray Bans. While Jason and Alex consider the implications… guest expert Alex Finn quickly loses interest…It’s another All-Clawdbot TWiST where we debate the most essential uses for the viral agent platform. For their part, Alex Finn and Matt Van Horn are building practical skills to help founders (esp. solo founders)… Alex has a brain trust of AI agents working round the clock to improve his organization and content, while Matt designed a skill for his agent to order sushi lunches (keeping them under $20).PLUS find out how Producer Oliver designed his “Model Council” based on Perplexity’s set-up, why running everything local is “illogical” for most people in 2026, AND why Jason’s next Founder U cohort will all be building with OpenClaw.Timestamps: (00:00) Why Jason is STILL Claw-pilled! We can’t get enough!(03:17) “Mr. Clawdbot” Alex Finn of Creator Buddy joins us! He’s Claw-Pilled too!(04:50) Sean Liu (@_seanliu) added OpenClaw to his Meta Ray Bans… Here’s why Alex doesn’t care!(8:33) Lost your job to AI? Maybe AI can make you a founder!(12:35) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.(13:34) “Last 30 Days” skill creator Matt Van Horn (@mvanhorn) joins the show(14:54) Why Jason wants to invest in Matt’s new project.(15:53) Meeting Alex’s organization of AI agents who collaborate on his projects autonomously(22:28) Is Alex planning to turn his OpenClaw set-up into a company? Maybe…(23:10) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/(25:16) Using OpenClaw to create a “lights out” startup(28:17) Deciding when to use local models vs. more powerful cloud-based models(29:52) 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 www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist(30:58) How Producer Oliver created a “Model Council” for LAUNCH based on Perplexity’s set-up(35:52) Why it’s so important to have an orchestrator that knows the right model for the right task(39:12) Why running everything local is “illogical” for most companies in 2026(41:15) Matt walks us through the latest and greatest incarnation of his “Last 30 Days” skill(45:57) Why Jason thinks recursive machine learning is the solution to human laziness(46:38) How Alex has supercharged his social media and his startup during OpenClaw Mania(50:15) Why Founder University is going ALL OPENCLAW next cohort(51:21) How big a jump over Opus 4.5 is Opus 4.6?(53:35) OpenClaw’s going to start scanning skills for malware… Will this help?(57:13) No one was SUPER impressed by the AI dot com Super Bowl ad… except JCal(1:01:11) Matt used his “Order Sushi” OpenClaw skill live on the show to get lunch(1:04:08) Polymarket’s sharps are wagering on Claude 5’s hotly anticipated releaseThank you to our partners:(12:35) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.(23:10) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit http://every.io/(29:52) 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 www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Crusoe Cloud - https://crusoe.ai/savingsLemon IO - https://Lemon.io/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistThanks to our guests:Alex Cheema of ExoLabs http://exolabs.netRyan Yanneli of NextVisit https://nextvisit.ai/Today’s show: It’s the Age of Ultron at TWiST and LAUNCH. We’ve given our OpenClaw digital Replicants the keys to all of our systems and we’re seeing how much of our jobs they can really do when left to their own devices.Producer Oliver stops by the show to give us a peek behind the curtain, at the new control panel and dashboard OpenClaw built FOR ITSELF (with a bit of human assistance).PLUS we’re joined by Alex Cheema of ExoLabs. His company helps everyday consumers run powerful frontier LLMs on their own devices, essential to protect your data and personalize your AI experience.ALSO congratulations to Ryan Yanneli from NextVisit on winning our Gamma Pitch Deck Competition! He walks away with $25K from LAUNCH and our friends at Gamma.Timestamps:(00:00) Introducing Alex Cheema to the show(3:17) Why it is so important to run AI on local hardware(6:58) Using OpenClaw Producer to automate TWiST(8:59) How to Train your AI(11:58) What is a Chron Job? (Hint: chron means chronological)(13:24) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(17:53) OpenClaw managing the LAUNCH/TWiST team(19:54)  Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(20:58) Turning AI into Ultron, self optimization(27:21) The Future: frontier models: running on your Iphone!(28:37) Prompt injections: how people can hack your OpenClaw(30:25) 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(31:31) OpenClaw invites guests that join the show(40:29) Oliver shows off OpenClaw mission control dashboard(46:30) Stacking Apple Silicon vs. Running Kimi-K(50:18) How Exo Labs works — stringing together Mac Silicon(54:29) Ryan from Nextvisit wins Gamma Pitch Competition(59:10) Industry Season 4 reflects tech regulation*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/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/*Thank you to our partners:(13:24) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(19:54)  Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(30:25) 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/twistCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Circle - http://Circle.so/twistCaldera Lab - http://calderalab.com/TWISTLinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/twistToday’s show: There was a time, not long ago, when offices everywhere came to a standstill, and everyone became even more fixated on their phones than usual, each time HQ Trivia went live. The app-based game show was a massive viral hit… until suddenly, around a year later, it wasn’t.Now, HQ Trivia host Scott Rogowsky is back with a new concept: Savvy, another game show you play on your phone, this time inspired by the word puzzle hit Wordle. Is lightning about to strike twice? PLUS, Alex chats with Trevor Bennett of space transportation outfit Starfish Space. This comes off two major successes for the team: the Remora mission that proved Stafish’s autonomous rendezvous capabilities and the $52.5 Million dollar contract to dispose of low Earth orbit satellites.Timestamps: (00:00) How Scott first got involved with HQ Trivia(2:23) Why Scott thinks HQ Trivia struck such a chord with fans(4:12) Scott couldn’t get a job in late night, so he made his own show(5:31) Delving into the behind-the-scenes tensions at HQ Trivia(11:07) Circle -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist(13:53) The end of HQ Trivia and why Scott jumped ship(16:35) Savvy just had its series premiere: you play the game against the host(20:14) How to play Savvy and win cash(20:57) Why Jason thinks a subscription model is the future of Savvy(22:25) Whether you’re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.(23:31) Introducing Dr. Trevor Bennet of Starfish Space(24:04) What the Otter Spacecraft does: de-orbiting to clean up space(26:46) Why space will need hundreds of Otters in space(29:24) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.(30:23) Starfish Space’s business model: operating a starfleet(33:17) The success of the Remora mission: autonomous rendezvous in space.(43:47) The rise of the space economy(48:18) Starfish’s $52.5 Million dollar contract and what it means for the space ecosystem*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/*Thank you to our partners:(11:07) Circle -  the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://Circle.so/twist(22:25) Whether you’re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST) and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.(29:24) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist Terms and conditions apply.Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.com

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Quadratic - http://quadratic.ai/twistToday’s show: Don’t get distracted! Here are the MOST CRUCIAL aspects of running a startup, where founders need to keep their full and uninterrupted focus.- Make sure you’re saving up your cash- Why you need to just get started and build SOMETHING- Trust and reliability is EVERYTHING for new products- Why distribution should be your top priorityDownload all this practical and tactical startup advice from seasoned veterans Jason Calacanis, Amanda Bradford, and William P. Barnes in this Tokyo edition of TWiST.Timestamps:(00:00) Amanda and Will’s big takeaways from Founder U in Saudi Arabia and now Tokyo(3:19) Why cash flow management is so important before you find PMF(5:57) Why first-time founders get the order of operations wrong(6:45) Just build SOMETHING, even if it’s taped together(11:19) “Focus is everything in the early stages”(14:17) From a wedge to a bridge(15:50) Quadratic - Bringing the productivity boost of AI into your spreadsheets. Visit http://quadratic.ai/twist to sign up and use the code TWIST to get one free month of their pro tier subscription.(18:45) What to put on your “Not Right Now” list(19:11) Embracing simplicity(22:00) The importance of trust and reliability (especially for Uber!)(28:12) Why innovation needs a constraining variable(33:40) To really drive word of mouth, you have to overdeliver(36:32) Distribution is the primary job of a founder/CEO(38:19) Some of the panel’s favorite distribution hacks(45:54) Why Jason respects Japan’s commitment to excellence and competency(49:38) Looking for “high slope” in early employees(53:11) Transitioning your team from early-stage startup to growth(57:45) Whoever writes it down gets credit for the idea(58:04) Q: Has the meaning of money changed for the panel now that they’ve had successful exits?*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/*Thank you to our partners:(15:50) Quadratic - Bringing the productivity boost of AI into your spreadsheets. Visit http://quadratic.ai/twist to sign up and use the code TWIST to get one free month of their pro tier subscription.Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Uber - http://uber.com/twistDeel - http://deel.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show: SpaceX is buying xAI, forming a mega-corp that plans to launch data centers into SPACE. Will Tesla also join up, fulfilling Elon’s destiny to become real-life Tony Stark, with his own Musk Industries? Jason and Alex break down the future of SpaceXAI in a breaking news report.THEN, we’re still celebrating OpenClaw (née Clawdbot) Mania! Oliver and Lukas return to TWiST to share their Almost Top 10 (okay it’s just a Top 6) favorite Skills so far. Learn how they’re using Replicants to summarize TWiST episodes, surf Reddit, produce original Gamma decks, train agents to make themselves smarter, and take care of LAUNCH’s administrative and operations tasks.Timestamps:(00:00) BREAKING: SpaceX bought xAI! (1:56) Why it will be cheaper to generate compute in space than here on Earth(8:19) Will Tesla eventually join the club, forming “Musk Industries”?(11:36) 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/twist(12:37) ALSO BREAKING: We’re still obsessing about Clawdbot/OpenClaw(14:58) So is OpenClaw and all of its various skills secure yet? NO.(16:42) Today we’re looking at our picks for the Top 6 OpenClaw skills(17:13) Alex’s first pick: Reddit (read only), which makes it easier to track down what you want on the aggregator(19:35) Reddit hates bots! But maybe they’ll change their tune?(21:47) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.(22:46) Our Replicant summarized the last few episodes of TWiST… but at what COST? (18 cents)(26:40) Lukas taught our Replicant to make Gamma decks for us(29:23) 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(30:21) Our Replicant has ALL the Polymarket data now! The power!(34:14) AI agents are also playing cards together on ClawPoker(35:07) Oliver tested out our pal Matt Van Horn’s (@mvanhorn) self-improving “Last 30 Days” skill(38:22) Why memory is so crucial for getting models to improve themselves over time(40:33) Yo dawg I know you like monitoring tasks so I built you a task monitor that monitors your tasks so you can task monitor your tasks(41:40) What makes OpenClaw so powerful is also what makes it dangerous!(49:12) If you want to really learn about OpenClaw, you need to make your own skills(50:03) Jason’s advice for OpenClaw’s suddenly famous creator: Peter Steinberger (@steipete)(56:31) What would be the best way(s) to monetize OpenClaw?(57:54) Will an OpenClaw agent sue a human in court?*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/*Thank you to our partners:(11:36) 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/twist(21:47) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.(29:23) 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/twistCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Deel - http://deel.com/twistLinkedIn Jobs - http://linkedin.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show: On Today’s action packed episode of This Week in Startups, our team is going full AI!Jason is joined by Oliver Korzen and Lukas Durand from the LAUNCH team, alongside Rahul Sood, founder/CEO of Irrevernt Labs and founder of Voodoo PC.With the rise of Clawdbot/Moltbot, the question on everyone’s mind is how fast, how much and how safe! Lukas and Oliver show off the ways that This Week in Startups are automating the hours of research and administrative tasks that take up our days and the what this means for running a podcast and venture firm.Timestamps:(00:00) Why we’re so obsessed with OpenClaw (Clawdbot)(00:47) LAUNCH’s own Lukas Durand has joined the pod for the first time… Here’s how he and Jason met…(02:26) Oliver is also here… check out his new series, This Week in AI(03:11)How LAUNCH has its OpenClaw bot set up (without all the details!!!)(06:03) The first few services that LAUNCH authenticated with our OpenClaw… And why!(6:59) How OpenClaw is helping Oliver to book the show(11:06) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.(14:08) Why OpenClaw sometimes struggles with context and memory, and how to work around it(16:03) Understanding how to set up “cron jobs”(20:19) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist That’s http://linkedin.com/twist. Terms and conditions apply.(22:23) How OpenClaw works as our virtual podcast producer, and how much time we’ll save(24:40) Can OpenClaw also help us prep the podcast agenda (aka THE DOCKET)?(28:32) Lon chimes in to talk about how Claude helped him prep Jason’s Davos interviews(31:30) 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 www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist(32:28) How many “Replicants” or AI agents does one company really need?(36:09) Why Jason asked his OpenClaw bots to self-report on what they’re learning(37:14) What OpenClaw WON’T do… Where did these guardrails come from?(39:44)The hardware side… How much of this can you do from a Mac Studio?(43:29) Zombie Staffers: How OpenClaw can “revive” long-lost employees…(48:09) We’re putting OpenClaw in charge of the TWiST 500(51:18) Rahul Sood joins us to talk about the dangers of OpenClaw and how to stay protected(53:01) Why so many OpenClaw skills have major vulnerabilities(1:00:00) Moltbook: Where bots hang out with other bots and share info(1:06:44) Why powerful AI agents will make creative work by humans so much more important.(1:07:22) Rahul’s final recommendations for max possible OpenClaw security(1:14:00) Is OpenClaw going to bring hiring to a halt?(1:21:10) Why getting comfortable with AI tools will become essential for every employeeThank you to our partners:(11:06) Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit http://deel.com/twist to learn more.(20:19) LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at http://linkedin.com/twist That’s http://linkedin.com/twist. Terms and conditions apply.(31:30) 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 www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/

This Week In Startups is made possible by:Gusto - http://Gusto.com/twistZite - http://zite.com/twistCircle.so - http://circle.so/twistGuest links: Andrew Duffy, Founder and CEO, http://sparkplug.app — Retail incentives and brand partnerships platformFord Smith, Founder of http://Ultranative.com — Investing in transformative startupsSocrates Rosenfeld, Founder and CEO of http://iheartjane.com — One stop shop for cannabis productsToday’s show: On TWiST’s first Cannabis Roundtable, Jason is joined by three top Cannabis founders and investors: Ford Smith of Ultranative, Andrew Duffy of Sparkplug, and Socrates Rosenfeld of Jane.How will the regulatory environment and the move to Schedule III change the industry? Are those regulations shaping consumption? How are investors thinking about cannabis startups given the difficulty with exits? Most importantly, what’s the deal with the increasing potency of cannabis?Each guest has their own perspective, Andrew sees it as a natural reaction from CPG brands to power users, Ford points to “flyover” operators unconcerned with long-term health of the industry, while Socrates refers to moonshine drinking during the prohibition to say that regulations create these problems.Speaking of moonshine, alcohol consumption is dropping dramatically among Gen-Z, with many pointing to cannabis consumption as a substitute. Some perceive cannabis as healthier and lacking caloric nature of alcohol, which could explain why there are now more daily smokers than daily drinkers!Timestamps:(0:00) Guest Introductions for the Cannabis Roundtable!(2:50) Why Jason invested in Sparkplug(6:44) How Ford Smith got into Cannabis investing — is it Cannabis a good investment?(11:40) Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at http://Gusto.com/twist.(12:46) Socrates breaks down building a major cannabis marketplace(18:13) Canadian legalization and tailwinds for cannabis.(20:25) How Cannabis startups are pivoting to deal with high competition and regulatory pressure(21:47) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to http://zite.com/twist to get started.(27:07) Who benefits from legalization of cannabis? Healthcare? Retail? Banking?(28:03) How the alcohol industry is getting crushed by cannabis usage(31:27) Circle.so -  The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off Circle’s Professional Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.(32:47) Is new cannabis too potent? Is high potency cannabis a result of illegal rules.(42:05) Why heavy consumers are driving CPG startups to high doses(44:14) Cannabis psychosis and the problem with brands selling potency items.*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/*Thank you to our partners:(11:40) Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at http://Gusto.com/twist.(21:47) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Go to http://zite.com/twist to get started.(31:27) Circle.so -  The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off Circle’s Professional Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/