This Week in Startups

• Inside Harvey AI’s $8 billion AI lawyer app, PLUS How OpenRouter unites the LLMs | E2207

  Register for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:Find out why AI is perfectly suited to legal tasks… despite being too fast for “billable hours”On today’s TWiST, Alex takes a deep dive into LLM Law with Harvey AI co-founder/president Gabe Pereyra. It turns out, much like software development, doing legal work relies on learning specialized language and sifting through a dense and expansive corpus of information… making it an IDEAL use case for LLMs.Buuuuut AI works so fast… the current structure of legal payments (billable hours) no longer applies. Find out how Harvey is working around these challenges — and what they plan to do if OpenAI decides to get into the legal game — in this fascinating interview.THEN, Alex chats with another AI visionary — OpenRouter co-founder and CEO Alex Atallah — who allows developers to plug and play all the major models into their applications. Find out why specialized LLMs trained for “resourcefulness” are coming into fashion… why benchmarks and evals have become so crucial to the industry… AND whether we’ll end up spending as much on AI inference as the human workers it’s replacing… in this essential discussion.PLUS Jason stops by for some more Founder Q’s!Timestamps:(0:00) Welcome back to TWiST!(1:32) Alex kicks off the show with Harvey AI co-founder and President Gabe Pereyra to talk about applying AI to the legal profession(4:52) How major international law firms (and their enterprise clients) fueled Harvey’s mega-growth(6:54) Why LLMs are perfectly suited for legal work(9:24) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.x and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.(17:22) Looking ahead: expanding beyond the law.(20:42) 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(21:44) The problem: AI can’t charge “billable hours”… it’s too fast!(23:44) Will the major AI players like Google and OpenAI build their own version of this?(29:53) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(30:41) Alex welcomes OpenRouter co-founder and CEO Alex Atallah, whose rankings he loves and uses all the time(33:10) Why Alex says we’re seeing more specialized LLMs trained for more “resourcefulness”(36:05) How increased competition and diversification makes things tougher for developers(41:09) Alex suggests that new models are exciting for users, like product launches used to be(42:29) OK, let’s get into it… How does OpenRouter make money?(45:38) Understanding what kinds of training data the AI companies want the MOST(47:47) The important currency of evals and benchmarks(49:13) Why OpenRouter is ramping up its LLM recommendation engine(53:44) Will AI inference spend end up costing as much as the humans it’s replacing?(56:49) Time for a Founder Q! What should founders do about quick vibe-coded competitors?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/alexwilhelmThank you to our partners:(9:24) Enterpret - Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.x and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.(20:42) 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(29:53) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

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• IPO Mania hits the TWiST 500! Three companies are ready to go public | E2206

  👉 Register here for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:*Three of our favorite TWiST 500 startups — Ledger, 1Password, AND Mercury — are circling IPOs. Find out why the cybersecurity space remains so hot… AND why Jason says you really need to have multiple banks.PLUS Marc Andreessen called The Pope an AI Doomer on X, then thought better of it. We’re tracking the entire viral controversy…SPEAKING OF viral feuds, allegations are FLYING around about recently-funded AI agent makers Giga. Does the startup pose some genuine red flags, or was it just a questionable launch video?AND why Alex and Jason remain optimistic the AI vibes could turn around, presentation maker Gamma is growing FAST, plus an update on Jason and Alex’s Polymarket IPO wager…Timestamps:(02:17) Jason is hosting the big show from Tokyo today (tonight for him)… Where is Founder U headed next?(04:03) Jason’s eating his way across Japan… what are his top “bang bangs” so far?(07:47) Is The Pope a Doomer? Why Andreessen called out His Holiness (then deleted it)(9:22) Quo - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get started free, plus get 20% off your first 6 months, at http://quo.com/TWiST(12:08)Why Jason still thinks mass AI job displacement is coming(17:48) Will AI-related job loss lead to an explosion in startups and small businesses?(19:24) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist(20:39) Have lots of Americans suddenly turned on AI Why?(25:30) Why Alex and Jason remain optimistic that the AI vibes could turn around(29:44) 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.(31:01) Alex’s new favorite definition of Product Market Fit, or “Market Pull,” as Jason clarifies(33:31) Delving into the Giga controversy… “ugly” talk, wild X allegations, etc.(46:11) THREE TWiST 500 are readying IPOs… Catching up with Ledger, 1Password, and Mercury(53:42) Why Jason and Alex think you need multiple banks(57:40) Why presentation maker Gamma is growing even faster than we thought!(1:00:37) Checking in with Jason and Alex’s Polymarket IPO bet…(1:03:44) Could startups become so richly valued that they become “uninvestable” without an IPO?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 partners:(9:22) Quo - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get started free, plus get 20% off your first 6 months, at http://quo.com/TWiST(19:24) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist(29:44) 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.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.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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• It’s a boat, it’s a plane, it’s REGENT’s Seafarer | E2205

  Register for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:*The key to avoiding long airport delays? Low-altitude sea planes! Why didn’t you think of that?We’ve got an awesome line-up of TWiST 500 founders giving us an inside glimpse inside their startups on this Friday special edition.FIRST: Billy Thalheimer of REGENT introduces us to their aircraft/boat hybrid The Seaglider, and walk us through how it all works, AND why they’re operating in BOTH the commercial and defense sectors from their Rhode Island HQ.THEN, we’ve got Convexia co-founder Ayaan Parekh showcasing how they’re using a collective of specialist AI agents to exploit other pharma labs’ leftovers and turn them into new drugs and treatments for rare diseases.FINALLY, Hunter Leath of Archil joins the show to tell us why efficient utilization of cloud data remains a surprisingly complex, and unsolved problem. His solution? Caching-as-a-Service! Find out how it all works, and why pre-caching is SO difficult to do, in this TWiST exclusive chat.Timestamps:(03:01) Billy Thalheimer of REGENT introduces us to the Seaglider(05:06) Inside the EV aircraft/boat hybrid’s three modes of operation(08:22) How REGENT uses low altitude flight to avoid airport-related hassles(9:42) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to ⁠http://sentry.io/twist⁠ and use code TWIST(13:57) The converging tech that makes Seaglider possible(18:20) How REGENT is operating in BOTH the commercial and defense sectors(19:39) LinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to ⁠http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups⁠ to claim your credit.(25:05) Why Rhode Island?!(29:23) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at ⁠https://pipedrive.com/twist⁠(31:04) Convexia co-founder Ayan Parekh joins Alex to discuss “the world’s first AI-maximalist pharmaceutical company”(33:02) Using AI agents to revisit leftover bio IP and unused data(33:22) Why so many drugs fail to reach market(35:46) Applying different agents to different kinds of tasks(44:26) The unique opportunities posed by rare diseases(46:58) On the road toward vertical integration(50:48) Hunter Leath of Archil tells us why utilizing cloud data effectively remains a complex, unsolved problem(51:56) What is “Caching as a Service”?(55:53) Why pre-caching is NOT obvious and “tremendously difficult to do”(57:00) Why the major cloud players didn’t built this themselves(01:00:37) Deliberately keeping the focus narrow… for now…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 partners:Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWISTLinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups to claim your credit.Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at https://pipedrive.com/twistCheck 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

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• Is investing REALLY the hardest job in tech? A TWIST VC Roundtable (ft. Deedy Das and Jay Eum) | E2204

  Register for Founder University Japan’s kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:*On TWiST, Jason welcomes an all-star VC panel — Deedy Das of Menlo Partners and Jay Eum of GFT Ventures — for a deep dive into the shocking scale of early-stage AI raises, a transitional moment for investors, the growing importance of the “prosumer” market, ChatGPT’s insane smile curves, and much much more.IN THIS EPISODEWhat the panelists make of Roelof Botha’s exit from Sequoia… and is he really going anywhere…Why Jason says VC is no longer the best way to get rich…Why so many private companies are growing SO HUGE before going public…And much more!Timestamps:(00:03:37) Jason is fresh from surviving Riyadh traffic but he’s here and introducing our all star panel(00:04:03) Why Jason compares Riyadh to Silicon Valley in the 1960s(00:05:21) Friend of the Pod Roelof Botha is stepping down at Sequoia… our insiders try to guess what might have happened…(10:00) Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(00:13:11) Deedy moved up at Menlo without being a venture native… he shares the secrets behind his rise.(00:19:09) Was Roelof wrong about “return-free risk”? Does more capital always = more great companies?(20:00) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(00:26:54) With so many private companies growing SO HUGE… when is the right time to go public? Considering the case of Glean and Stripe…(30:00) AWS Marketplace - If you’re ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.(00:30:07) Why Jason says venture capital is no longer the best way to get rich(00:32:34) Why AI apps are so appealing to enterprises after years of paying for SaaS(00:36:32) The growing importance of “prosumers”(00:37:31) Why Deedy says a smile curve is the most beautiful depiction of “Product Market Fit”(00:44:36) Why it’s still tough to raise pre-seed money, even during an AI “boom”!(00:46:08) Why Jason says the hardest job in the tech ecosystem is being an investor(00:55:52) “Time is one of the primary drivers of venture capital return.” - Jay Eun(00:57:42) Deedy on the shocking amounts being raised by early-stage AI companies(01:00:21) Just how much DO VCs work compared to founders? The panel compares notes.(01:02:53) Are some investors not doing diligence? Deedy on the speed of some AI deals.(01:16:51) The panel picks their fav portfolio company of the moment (or one of their faves)Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comFollow 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:Crusoe - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visitAWS Marketplace - If you’re ready to really accelerate your sales cycle, AWS Marketplace is your next stop. Head to https://aws.com/startups to learn more.Check 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.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

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• Sending datacenters into orbit | E2203

  👉 Register here to join the Founder University Japan kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday’s show:*Starcloud has started sending AI chips into orbit. So is this where the datacenters the power AI will one day live? And does wifi work in the vacuum of space? We’re asking the TOUGH questions.PLUS Jason and Alex are doing a deep dive on all this week’s OpenAI news. Will they ever be able to pay back all these GPU purchases? What happens to the wider economy on the off chance they don’t thrive? And what’s with these rumors that ChatGPT has stopped giving medical or legal advice?All that and a look at TrustMRR (and why Jason advises you not to publicly share your Stripe), why Jason thinks Netflix should buy CNN, our hosts favorite Nazi hunter movies, and MORE.Timestamps:(0:00) Would you trust an LLM with your health?(2:08) Jason is bringing Founder U to The Kingdom AND Japan, so he’s streaming in today live from Riyadh(4:20) Jason’s guide to mastering international travel. (Shoutout to Whoop)(5:05) Are the big AI companies going TOO HARD on GPUs? And does this matter?(11:30) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(14:53) What happens to the wider economy if ChatGPT FAILS? Who gets hit by the “contagion”?(18:22) Jason’s more likely scenario: What if ChatGPT becomes just one player in a larger market?(21:22) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.(23:57) ChatGPT can still give you general health and legal advice… just not a full diagnosis(31:57) Nexos.ai Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.(33:09) TrustMRR and startups sharing their Stripe data… Why Jason says total transparency might be too much(38:35) We’re really sending datacenters to space! Starcloud made it happen.(41:02) Does wifi work in space? A TWiST investigation…(47:01) Checking in with Polymarkets on the NYC mayoral election and the government shutdown(53:09) Legal AI startup Legora (from Sweden) is now a unicorn… why this niche is growing so fast(58:14) Netflix wants to buy WBD… Here’s why our hosts think they should keep CNN.(1:07:58) BUT WE DIGRESS: Lon and Jason’s favorite Nazi hunter movies(1:10:25) Founder Q’s! The best way to track runway and burn rate for early stage companies.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 partners:Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTPilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.Nexos.ai Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.

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