Linktree introduces link scheduling and archiving, Substack announces new tools for international writers and audiences

Top News

Linktree announces new features, including link scheduling, archiving, and the ability to fetch your latest video from YouTube and TikTok automatically. - Link

Substack introduces new tools for international writers and audiences, including local payment methods, support for more currencies, and setting a default language for newsletters. - Link

Apple updates Shazam to support identifying songs from other apps while listening via wired or Bluetooth headphones. - Link

Refact to make code-generating AI more appealing to enterprises by answering natural language questions about code and recommending fixes to fine-tune and improve performance. - Link

The Browser Company releases ‘Arc Search’, a new mobile app focusing on the search experience. - Link

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Advice of the Day

The Rule of 40

David Sacks explains that the Rule of 40 implies that late-stage startups with a growth rate under 40% YoY shouldn’t be burning capital. However, most stick with a cost structure only justified by higher growth. This continues until there’s a forcing function, which is often too late. - Link

Startup Demo of the Day:

Layerpath enables users to capture and convert screen recordings into product tours, step-by-step guides, and videos. With features such as Playlists, Lead Forms, and Analytics, users can organize and measure engagement with interactive demos.

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

E1887: Aileen Lee talks with Jason about her journey in the male-dominated tech world and overcoming challenges as a woman. They discuss her role in popularizing the term "unicorns" for successful startups. The conversation covers the effects of the ZIRP era on the Unicorn Club, changes in VC trends, and insights into US unicorn founders. They explore key traits of successful startup founders and predict future unicorn status. - Watch

E1886: David Weisburd, Elizabeth Yin, Zach Coelius, and Jason Calacanis explore the current state of venture funds. Despite a slow market, venture funds are growing in size. The conversation touches on the performance comparison between smaller and larger funds, focusing on Hustle Fund's quantitative approach to evaluating startups. The group also discusses the resurgence of the Bay Area and the increase in the number of unicorns, although liquidity has decreased. The session concludes with a rapid-fire segment highlighting top recent investments. - Watch

E1885: Jesse Lyu from Rabbit joins Jason to discuss their latest innovation, the Rabbit R1, a compact AI device. They cover various aspects of the product, including its introduction, pricing, and the distinction between large language and action models. The video gives insights into Rabbit's early development, Jesse Lyu's journey, AI prospects, and a discussion about the product's timeline and getting it to early adopters. - Watch

E1884: Sunny and Jason discuss how AI is used at work, especially in remote settings. Sunny shows different AI tools like Hour One, Bland AI, Dinnerfly, and AI Comic Factory. They also talk about Apple's behaviour with smartwatches and share a short film called "Borrowed Time" made entirely with AI. - Watch

E1883: David Weisburd and guests delve into various aspects of the venture capital landscape, discussing positive trends in startup valuations for 2024, current valuation methods, and key considerations for investors. The conversation also explores strategies for securing competitive deals, examines controversial practices like round-tripping, and highlights recent developments in the industry, such as Lexington's successful $22.7 million secondary investment raise and increased mergers and acquisitions activity. - Watch

This Week in Startups Paid Partnerships

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