logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
50m 2s

LK-99 breakthrough with Varda’s Delian A...

Jason Calacanis
About this episode

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 openphone.com/twist

Crowdbotics. Great ideas can change the world, and Crowdbotics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code. Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist

Superside. Design and creative are crucial for growth. Tech companies like Shopify, Amazon, and Meta have found the perfect solution: Superside. Get $2000 off with Superside's Startup Accelerator package superside.com/TWIST

*

Today’s show:

Varda CEO Delian Asparouhov and R&D head Andrew McCalip join Jason to break down their recent experiment in replicating the LK-99 room-temp superconductor (4:19), the current state of material science (18;52), what the world would look like if this works (26:34), and more. Then, Krepling’s Liam Gerada joins Jason for an update on his business! (40:46)

*

Time stamps:

(00:00) Varda CEO Delian Asparouhov and R&D head Andrew McCalip join Jason

(1:21) The LK-99 superconductor and how Varda is involved

(4:19) Varda’s latest achievements in replicating the LK-99 superconductor

(8:05) Is this the real deal or just a strong diamagnetic effect

(11:00) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist

(12:30) Securing the material needed to run these experiments

(14:06) The increased interest in Varda and feedback from the community

(18:52) The culture shift in the tech industry

(25:06) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist

(26:34) Brute force science: How innovation emerges and receives funding

(30:17) How the venture model has continued to evolve

(34:28) Superside - Go to https://superside.com/twist to get $2000 off with Superside's Startup Accelerator package

(36:00) Questions from the live audience

(40:46) Krepling’s Liam Gerada joins Jason for an update on his business!

*

Check out Varda: https://varda.com

Follow Delian: https://twitter.com/zebulgar

Follow Andrew: https://twitter.com/andrewmccalip

*

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply

Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

*

Follow Jason:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

*

Follow TWiST:

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

*

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Up next
Nov 24
Even great startups sometimes need to pivot (feat. Francisco Cornejo of Theo) | E2214
<p>Register here for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff 👉🏻 <a href="https://luma.com/cm0x90mk" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://luma.com/cm0x90mk</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Today’s show:</p><p>The team from Familify had released a well-reviewed storytelling app ... Show More
51m 48s
Nov 22
Jason predicts a “major M&A moment” in the next six months! | E2213
<p>Register here to join Founder University Japan’s kickoff: <a href="https://luma.com/cm0x90mk" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://luma.com/cm0x90mk</a></p><p><br></p><p>Today’s show:</p><p>Google and Meta had their cases dismissed (or received a slap on the w ... Show More
55m 35s
Nov 20
Why data is the biggest AI bottleneck (feat. Arthur Mensch of Mistral AI) | E2212
<p>Today’s show:</p><p>The race for more compute gets all the headlines, but Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch tells us the REAL danger is running out of data!</p><p>On TWiST, Jason and Alex are chatting with the head of France’s largest foundation AI company, Mistral AI, about how en ... Show More
1h 5m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Multi-Billionaire’s Journey In India - Leadership, Culture, and Opportunity | Odoo | TRS 386
Check out BeerBiceps SkillHouse's Video Editing Course - https://bbsh.in/bb-launch-yt Use my referral code OFF40 to get a 40% Discount on a standard membership subscription. Follow BeerBiceps SkillHouse's Social Media Handles: YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2-Y36TqZ5 ... Show More
1h 57m
Feb 2024
E167: Nvidia smashes earnings (again), Google's Woke AI disaster, Groq's LPU breakthrough & more
(0:00) Bestie intros: Banana boat! (2:34) Nvidia smashes expectations again: understanding its terminal value and bull/bear cases in the context of the history of the internet (27:26) Groq's big week, training vs. inference, LPUs vs. GPUs, how to succeed in deep tech (49:37) Goog ... Show More
1h 20m
Feb 2024
#981 - How High Can Tech Fly? with Dave Mazza
🔥 SuperAI Singapore: Get 20% OFF tickets realvision.com/superai Dave Mazza, chief strategy officer at Roundhill Investments, joins Ash Bennington to discuss the recent market action after a record-setting week, where he sees the tech sector headed from here, and the outlook for ... Show More
40m 5s
Feb 2024
Microsoft's New Direction with Copilot, Data Management & Retention, Tech Skills Shortage
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The Transformation Ground Control podcast covers a number of topics important to digital and business transformation. This episode covers the following topics and interviews:</p> <ol><li>Microsoft’s New Direction with Copilot, Q&amp;A (Darian Chwialko ... Show More
1h 54m
Feb 2024
Ultra-Niche Positioning: How to Find Success By Going SUPER Narrow
<p></p><p><strong>I've just launched a </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdNXaHHVnVntg5gpveB-5_Q"><strong>new YouTube channel</strong></a><strong>!! The concept? </strong>I take real businesses struggling to stand the f*ck out, provide my positioning/branding/lea ... Show More
58m 5s
Feb 2024
Episode 108 - Diving into Amazon Q Builder with Clare Liguori
🚀 Dive into the world of AI with Morgan Willis, Principal Cloud Technologist for AWS, as she interviews Clare Liguori, a Senior Principal Software Engineer at AWS and one of the visionaries behind Amazon Q. Discover the secrets behind this groundbreaking Generative AI conversati ... Show More
48m 6s
Sep 2017
330: Gurbaksh Chahal - Gravity4 Launches Lydian, its BlockChain Marketing Cloud Token
Gurbaksh Chahal is a die hard entrepreneur with a passion for innovation & building amazing companies. He is the founder of ClickAgents, BlueLithium, RadiumOne, Gravity4 & The Chahal Foundation. Back in 2008, Oprah Winfrey introduced Gurbaksh to her audience by saying “My next gu ... Show More
32m 47s
Dec 2023
Евгения Альбац: Цивилизация проиграла вурдалакам? Или есть еще шанс? | Чичваркин и Фридлянд | Полный Альбац (2023-11-12)
Что ждет страну в 2024 году, как действовать на очередных выборах без выбора и остался ли шанс у оппозиции? Обсуждаем с предпринимателем Евгением Чичваркиным и финансистом и инвестором Алексеем Фридляндом в эфире программы «Полный Альбац» – включайте в 20:00 по московскому времен ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 19
Little Mix's Perrie Edwards: I’ve Never Spoken About THIS Before! And Why I Hated My Public Breakup
Little Mix star Perrie Edwards opens up about her journey from a shy girl in South Shields to global superstardom, and for the first time, the private battles she fought along the way. From life-threatening childhood illness and years of surgery, to panic attacks so severe she co ... Show More
1h 45m