Thinking Machines’ RECORD seed round, VC Geoff Lewis, and MORE | E2152

Today’s show: Jason and Alex tackle a full tech and business news docket on today’s show, including Jason’s big SF trip with Launch Accelerator’s 34th cohort, some peculiar social media posts from VC Geoff Lewis, a look inside the HUGE seed rounds being commanded by early-stage AI startups, crunching the numbers on how much compute data centers need to sell before they’re profitable, Polymarket asks who will be the next CEO of X and MUCH MUCH MORE. Join us for the longest-running and most in-depth podcast on Earth for startup founders. Timestamps: (00:00) INTRO (01:31) Jason’s in SF with LAUNCH Accelerator cohort 34… His take on the mood in Silicon Valley. (07:52) Odd X posts from Bedrock Capital’s Geoff Lewis… what does it all mean? (10:09) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist (14:44) Ask JCal: What founders can do to guard their own mental health and well-being (20:17) 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! (22:04) Thinking Machines Lab set a new record for a seed round: what’s going on with these MEGA deals? (28:51) Alex (and Kabir from LAUNCH’s research team) investigated the economics of data centers… just HOW MUCH can you make from selling compute? And how long does it TAKE to turn a profit? (30:52) Bolt - Don’t be left behind. Build apps quickly without knowing how to code with Bolt.new. Try it free at https://www.bolt.new/twist . (37:09) Superintelligence vs. AGI: Jason thinks we’re still more than 2-3 years away… (39:52) GPx is not a traditional VC fund: here’s what industry vet Brian Singerman is up to (49:37) The importance of setting your own corporate culture… before it gets set for you! (58:15) Polymarket has ideas for the next X CEO… see where Jason ranks on the list! (01:03:18) Reddit wants to know… Do investors judge founders negatively who rely on lots of AI tools? 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 Thank you to our partners: (10:09) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist (20:17) 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! (30:52) Bolt - Don’t be left behind. Build apps quickly without knowing how to code with Bolt.new. Try it free at https://www.bolt.new/twist . Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe , Steve Huffman , Brian Chesky , Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie , Sophia Amoruso , Reid Hoffman , Frank Slootman , Billy McFarland Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916