Board Talk Empire with GRIN's Brandon Brown, Founder Hacks & SEC Memecoin Clarity? | E2091
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 1 March 2025
⏱️ 75 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today’s show: Jason and Alex break down the latest head-scratching SEC ruling on meme coins—did they just legalize pump-and-dumps to protect Trump’s token? Plus, they dive into why venture debt can destroy startups, the rise of AI-driven companies, and how Tesla is gearing up to challenge Waymo in the self-driving car race. Then, Brandon Brown from GRIN joins the show to talk about scaling to 8-figure revenue, surviving brutal market corrections, and why he’s stepping down as CEO after a decade. This one’s packed with insights for founders, investors, and anyone watching the future of crypto, startups, and AI unfold.*
Timestamps:
(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show!(1:39) Palmer Luckey feud, and supporting Trump in Silicon Valley(9:36) AI's impact on startup growth and job displacement
(10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(12:20) Product market fit and Salesforce productivity(15:01) Howey Test and its application to cryptocurrencies
(20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups(26:13) Jason's libertarian views on meme coins
(31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.com/startups(32:16) Meme coin regulation and political implications(37:22) GRIN's Brandon Brown interview and company evolution(46:10) Leadership changes and challenges at GRIN(53:28) Venture debt risks and business cycle preparedness(59:00) Leadership skills and defining reality(1:04:13) Updates on Waymo and autonomous rides(1:09:06) Tesla and the global autonomous vehicle market
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*
Check out GRIN: https://grin.co/
Checkout Angel University with Jason Calacanis & Mike Savino: https://www.angel.university/
Check out the Founder Friday City Competition: https://www.founderfridays.tech/city-competition
*
Follow Brandon
X: https://x.com/Brandon_Brown
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-brown-0898731/
*
Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
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Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Thank you to our partners:
(10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups(31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.com/startups
*
Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
*
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*
Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | there was some SEC notes about meme coins and the Howie test. |
| 0:05.0 | Yes, there it is. |
| 0:06.5 | Security is an exchange commission with a doge dog on it. |
| 0:09.8 | Okay, here we are, folks. |
| 0:11.2 | We went from too cold in the Goldilocks zone with Gensler. |
| 0:16.4 | And I guess we're now going into the too hot under Trump. |
| 0:19.8 | Maybe? |
| 0:20.3 | I don't know. |
| 0:21.2 | So essentially what they're saying is you could launch Jason, dollar sign Jason. |
| 0:25.2 | Okay. |
| 0:25.6 | You could pump it. You could lobby to get Coinbase to list it. You could hold 80% of it yourself |
| 0:31.2 | and you could dump your bags on the community that bought your token. And that is all entirely |
| 0:36.2 | copacetic, legal and safe. And to me, that is not entirely copacetic, legal, and safe. |
| 0:38.9 | And to me, that is not the case. |
| 0:40.5 | Everybody can have their own opinion on this and what makes a great democracy is that we debate |
| 0:44.0 | stuff. |
| 0:44.3 | This feels like, to me, I'll just say it in no uncertain terms, that this was written and |
| 0:50.1 | designed to get the Trump coin and the Melania coin out of hot water. |
| 0:57.6 | This weekend startups is brought to you by Paddle. Self-Serve software is global by default, |
| 1:04.1 | but selling to every country is complicated. Paddle's merchant of record manages payment, sales |
| 1:08.0 | tax, chargebacks, and refunds so you don't have to. Wherever you want to take your business, go there with Paddle. |
| 1:12.8 | Go to paddle.com slash twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period. |
... |
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