Telegram rolls out new update, HSBC to release an international payments app

Top News

Telegram’s new update includes animations and enhancements, introducing improved calls with a new design that uses less of your phone’s battery. - Link

HSBC plans to debut an international payments app challenging the dominance of fintechs like Revolut and Wise by offering cheap foreign exchange. - Link

Meta cuts prices for the Quest 2 headset and accessories, dropping the 128GB version from $299 to $249 and the 256GB version from $349 to $299. - Link

GitHub makes Copilot Chat available in the sidebar in Microsoft’s IDEs, Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio — included as a part of GitHub Copilot paid tiers, letting devs ask questions about code. - Link

Giga ML offers its own set of LLMs, the “X1 series,” for tasks like generating code and answering common customer questions. - Link

Vanta is a compliance system specializing in simplifying the journey to SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance so you can build trust effortlessly. They automate up to 90% of the compliance process, saving you time and money. Enjoy $1,000 off at vanta.com/twist! Ad

Advice of the Day

The Importance of Hiring High-Agency people

Naval Ravikant highlights the critical need for high-agency individuals in startups, defining them as proactive problem solvers who work independently without needing frequent guidance or asking trivial questions. He underscores that a startup's success is largely determined by its team's ability to tackle constant challenges. Drawing on his experiences with Airchat and AngelList, he likens an ideal team to a Navy Seal unit, where each member is competent, self-reliant, and low-maintenance. This approach maximizes a company's problem-solving capacity and efficiency in growth. - Link

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

E1871: Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman covers key aspects of the residential real estate market, including tips for first-time home buyers, solutions for the housing crisis, and innovative concepts like "developer homes." He also discusses Redfin's success, simplifying business operations, and adapting to remote work dynamics for sustained productivity and company culture. - Watch

E1870: FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr joins Jason to discuss regulatory harassment, Starlink subsidies, and China’s LOE ambitions. Topics include Amazon's position in the satellite internet race, the emergence of 5G, and the digital divide. - Watch

E1869: Author Steven Berlin Johnson joins Jason to speak about the significance of document organization and the concepts and features of "sources" in NotebookLM, a platform that gives you a personalized AI, grounded in the information you trust. - Watch

E1868: Avi Schiffmann of Tab AI discusses the origin and capabilities of Tab, a wearable device focused on building a mental model of the user. The conversation covers topics such as Apple's new wearable, Humane, safety concerns with wearables, Tab's supportive role, achieving positive change, and a comparison with Rewind AI. - Watch

E1867: Sunny Madra joins Jason to discuss a viral post from Digi.ai about building animated characters for relationships, exploring the concept of AI companions and their societal effects. The conversation also covers the monitoring of AI conversations, confidentiality, and security concerns, along with demonstrations of tools like Vercel, Pika, and Outfit Anyone that showcase AI capabilities in generating code snippets, animated video clips, and creative remixes. - Watch

E1866: Jason and Kelly Schricker introduce Founder University's contestants, including Abe (GolfGolf), Mircea (Cicada), Spencer (dotflo), and Shreyas (Clinic Assist). The event concludes with Jason making a $25K investment in one of the participating startups. - Watch

This Week in Startups Paid Partnerships

Lemon.io connects businesses with top-tier developers for projects of any scale. Enhance your development team with skilled professionals and get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time here.

Squarespace is a website building and hosting platform that allows individuals and businesses to create professional-looking websites without the need for extensive coding or technical skills. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at squarespace.com/twist.

OpenPhone brings your team’s business calls, texts, and contacts into one delightful app that works anywhere. Get 20% off your first 6 months at openphone.com/twist.