Crypto, the Midas List, and democratizing VC with Delian Asparouhov and Mel Williams | E1952

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠ Coda. A new doc that brings words, tables and teams together. All your valuable data, plans, objectives, and strategies in one place. Go to https://www.coda.io/twist to get a $1,000 credit! Northwest Registered Agent. Northwest Registered Agent will form your business quickly and easily. In just 10 clicks and 10 minutes, set up your entire business identity—name, address, mail service, phone, email, website, and domain. For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today. * Todays show: David Weisburd hosts Mel Williams, Delian Asparouhov, and Jason Calacanis to discuss discuss crypto regulation (17:05), AI spending (27:21), and immigration's role in startups (55:43). * Timestamps: (0:00) David Weisburd intros Mel Williams, Delian Asparouhov, and Jason Calacanis (3:46) WSJ reports that top crypto funds are back in the market (9:38) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠ (10:54) Jason's proposal for a "sophisticated investor test" for crypto investments (17:05) The limitations of current SEC regulations and the potential political impact of crypto regulation (26:03) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist (27:21) AI spend is up across the board in 2024 (39:42) Northwest Registered Agent - For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today. (41:01) GPT-4o demos and the rapid commoditization of AI technology (48:29) The impact of AI on the economy (55:43) Immigration and its impact on the startup ecosystem (1:06:11) Self-censorship and the importance of a free society * Follow Mel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mel-williams-00584a5 Check Out: https://truebridgecapital.com * Follow Delian: X: https://x.com/zebulgar LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delian-asparouhov-87447742 Check out: https://foundersfund.com https://www.varda.com * Follow David: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/DWeisburd⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd⁠ Check out: ⁠https://10xcapital.com * Follow Jason: X: ⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (9:38) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠ (26:03) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist (39:42) Northwest Registered Agent - For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today. * Check out the Launch Accelerator: https://launchaccelerator.co * Check out Founder University: https://www.founder.university * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast