Google adds a $20 monthly AI Premium plan to Google One, Apple launches a redesigned iCloud app for Windows

Top News

Google adds a $20 per month AI Premium plan to Google One, offering Gemini Advanced with the Ultra 1.0 model, and rebrands Duet AI as Gemini for Workspace. - Link

Apple launches a redesigned iCloud app for Windows to offer a better onboarding and content syncing experience for iPhone or iPad users who don’t own a Mac. - Link

Smart water bottle-maker Larq announces that it has been acquired by filtration giant, Brita. - Link

Crux is creating AI models that answer questions about business data in plain language like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. - Link

In 2021, 223 male-founded video game startups raised $4.1B, five women-founded startups raised $1.2M, and 62 mixed-gender startups raised $400.9M. - Link

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Advice of the Day

The S.P.A.D.E. Framework

With experience at Google, Facebook, and Square, Gokul Rajaram devised the S.P.A.D.E. framework to enhance decision-making processes. S.P.A.D.E. is an acronym for Setting, People, Alternatives, Decide, and Explain. It is a structured approach focused on decision-making and can be applied by following this outline:

1. Setting: Define the decision, including the 'What', 'When', and 'Why'.

2. People: Identify the individuals involved: those who consult, approve, and, most importantly, the person responsible for the decision.

3. Alternatives: Develop a set of feasible, diverse, and comprehensive alternatives.

4. Decide: After considering the alternatives, get feedback and make a decision.

5. Explain: Communicate the decision, reasoning, and implications.

This toolkit emphasizes accountability, clarity, and participation, streamlining and clarifying organizational decision-making processes. - Link

Startup Demo of the Day:

Wondera is a music app that lets users create an AI voice. This voice can sing any song and can be improved via its karaoke feature. Users can also create music with other AI singers and export songs for their own projects.

Founder University is a 12-week pre-accelerator program run by Jason/LAUNCH for builder founders. We're investing $25k in 20-30 companies from Cohort 7. Apply at founder.university/letsbuild.

This Week in Startups

E1894: Sunny Madra and Jason go through AI demos, starting with Hume AI, a toolkit for improving technology's emotional impact on humans. They also discuss Eleven Labs ChatGPT and AI's ongoing evolution and application across different sectors. - Watch

E1893: Jason, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit and Ron Biscardi of iConnections, discuss Reddit's history, potential IPO, and insights into venture capital and the future of iConnections. Alexis shares his experiences and advice for startups, while Ron talks about market dynamics and globalization in VC, emphasizing the importance of relationships with LPs and GPs. - Watch

E1892: Eric Migicovsky, from Beeper, discusses the company's mission to provide a universal chat app, challenges with Apple's iMessage ecosystem, and his vision for open messaging protocols. The episode highlights Beeper Mini's release and blockage by Apple, Migicovsky's experiences with platform restrictions, and speculation on future tech development. - Watch

E1891: Jason gives an update on the late-stage VC market and then Sahand Dilmaghani talks about founding Terra Kaffe and the benefits of the Terra Kaffe machines over pod machines. He explains what makes a super-automatic machine produce good coffee and discusses expanding the product's use in offices, schools, and homes. - Watch

E1890: Michael Kim and Jason discuss Fund of Funds, investor attraction in pre-seed and seed startups, and the rise of "micro VCs." The conversation covers alpha, beta, and quality indices, investor networks, current market trends, and the shift where seed is the new series-A. The episode ends with insights into founder demographics seeking investment. - Watch

This Week in Startups Paid Partnerships

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