Turpentine is hiring a GM of Events, and a GM of Newsletters to help launch new business units for our growing media platform.
Currently, Turpentine’s core product is a podcast network. We have launched 21 shows to date that bring in 250k unique monthly listeners, and until now…
.
@pmarca
on the one thing he believes that very few others believe: "The decline and fall of the United States is completely overblown. The 21st century will be another American century."
.
@vkhosla
forecasts the future of technology:
-Fusion boilers to phase out coal and gas plants
-Billion bipedal robots revolutionize labor
-Free doctors and tutors for all
-Billion programmers
-Next-gen protein sources beyond soy and corn
-Mach 5 air travel
.
@PalmerLuckey
calls on the U.S. to create a Space Force Navy.
"Patrol the high seas of space to ensure freedom of communication, freedom of movement and freedom of operation in space."
.
@vkhosla
on
@TurpentineVC
: "If you're cash flow break-even, you never need to depend on outside capital."
"Maximizing profitability is an admission of guilt that you don't have great investment opportunities."
.
@rabois
won't invest in remote-first startups.
"You need to build a startup based upon undiscovered talent. Undiscovered talent means they need learning by osmosis."
"Learning by osmosis is one of the most impossible things to do on Zoom because mentoring is unstructured."
On this episode on Upstream:
@eriktorenberg
is joined by
@LynAldenContact
, an investment strategist known for her unique blend of engineering, tech, and finance expertise.
They discuss her book Broken Money, macro trends, and her best advice in the face of an uncertain economic…
.
@PalmerLuckey
to
@jacobhelberg
: Chinese tech like TikTok is a national security threat and represents unfair business practices.
"Why allow Chinese companies to come to the U.S. and sell us ads and social media tools when they prohibit us from doing the same in their markets?"
On today's episode of Turpentine VC:
@mhdempsey
, Managing Partner at
@compoundvc
, joins
@eriktorenberg
to discuss thesis-driven vs founder-driven investing, Compound’s AI thesis, company building opportunities, ways to win at venture, advice for emerging managers, and much more.…
This week
@mamoonha
and
@ilyaf
of
@kleinerperkins
joined
@eriktorenberg
on Turpentine VC to make the case for the craftsman approach to venture capital, and it's a must-listen.
Our top takeaways:
1. KP holds firm in their belief in the craft approach to VC, which isn’t too…
🔥 On episode 10 of Turpentine VC,
@traestephens
of
@foundersfund
joins
@eriktorenberg
to chat through how the firm's focus on independent thinking and debate culture has been key in helping them build an enduring fund. They touch on:
➕ Founders Fund's deal-making process, or…
In this episode of Turpentine VC,
@eriktorenberg
talks to
@vkhosla
about his contrarian bets at
@khoslaventures
, the firm’s strategic thinking about the future, and why his “venture assistance” is different than other funds.
They also discuss his investment thesis in AI…
.
@ChrisJBakke
on Turpentine Finance predicts build in public content creators like
@levelsio
and
@buffer
are the future of social media.
"I think a lot of the next great accounts will be in that arena."
E8 of Econ 102 w
@noahpinion
breaks down the economic carnage ahead for China. Noah and
@eriktorenberg
discuss:
• What China's recession means for the US
• 'Extend and Pretend'
• Why Xi Jinping is like Steve Ballmer
• What Chinese unrest will look like
Links in comments
In this episode of HR Heretics:
@kellidragovich
and special guest co-host
@Chiefpplofficer
go from 0 to 100 with
@dhh
, creator of
@rails
and co-founder of
@37signals
(Basecamp).
The discussion covers 37signals’ radical policies and the “no politics at work” policy that got…
🔥 New episode of Live Players with
@SamoBurja
and
@eriktorenberg
is up! They discuss:
➕Technological feats and regressions in ancient civilizations i.e. Greek fire, the Bronze Age collapse
➕Europe's past, present, and future
➕the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Links to full…
.
@reidhoffman
to
@danshipper
: "[A] background of philosophy is more important for entrepreneurship than an MBA."
"It's understanding how to think crisply about what are theories of human nature ... and as they may be modified by new products and services, and new technologies."
In this episode of Autopilot:
@WillSummerlinAI
sits down with
@aphysicist
, CEO and Cofounder of
@atomic_inc
, a company using AI to automate tool and die creation in manufacturing.
They discuss the challenges of modern manufacturing in the tool and die-making field, the current…
New episode of Econ 102 is out!
@noahpinion
is joined by Age of Miracles hosts
@packyM
and
@juliadewahl
to discuss:
➕The future of energy sources
➕The cases for nuclear, solar, & wind energy
➕What Texas and Japan are doing right with batteries
Links in the comments:
🔥 Exciting episode of Turpentine VC just dropped with
@chadbyers
of
@SusaVentures
. Chad and Erik Torenberg talk about Susa's re-launch and:
+ Their new vision and why Susa isn't becoming multi-stage
+ Why Susa won't pursue the maximal AUM game
+ The trade-offs of investing in…
.
@Noahpinion
on the
@Econ102_Podcast
lays out the top priority for enhancing U.S. preparedness for World War III: "Resuscitate our defense industrial base."
The process
@kleinerperkins
uses to determine how well they’re doing compared to other competing firms, explained by partners
@mamoonha
and
@ilyaf
:
"Every Monday we look at the prior week of Seed, Series A's, and Series B's that got done by our peer set. And we just mark it as:…
Now live: a special episode of
@Econ102_Podcast
with
@Noahpinion
and
@eriktorenberg
on the war in Israel.
They cover:
- Iran and Saudi Arabia
- Moral problems of the new left - technological advantages
- why this event marks the waning of US power
Watch here:…
In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution:
@labenz
and
@humanscotti
, Head of Neuroimaging at
@StabilityAI
, explore the cutting-edge world of AI-powered brain imaging with the MindEye2 Project.
Discover how researchers are reconstructing images from fMRI data, offering…
This week's episode of Live Players is all about the Chinese and American elite.
@samoburja
and
@eriktorenberg
discuss:
➕ China as America's mirror: how they are converging
➕ The waning prestige of American universities, while Chinese students increasingly choose to study at…
In this episode of History 102,
@whatifalthist
and
@eriktorenberg
explore the rise of Rome, from its origins as a small settlement in Central Italy to becoming a dominant force in the known world, drawing parallels between historical events and modern-day societal patterns.…
There’s a lot of coverage on the “who” and the “how much” of Silicon Valley’s top VCs. But there’s very little on how they actually build their firms.
@bhorowitz
shared about how he thinks about the business of building
@a16z
and where the firm (and the future) is going on the…
In today's episode of History 102: Rudyard Lynch, creator of the enormously popular YouTube channel
@whatifalthist
joins
@eriktorenberg
every week to offer a deeper understanding of critical moments in history.
Together they identify patterns in order to predict the future and…
🇸🇬This week's Live Players is a deep dive on Singapore with
@SamoBurja
and
@eriktorenberg
. They discuss:
➕Singapore's post-colonial rise to a city-state
➕Why city-states are more oriented to prosperity
➕How being a city-state influences law enforcement, ruling, and…
In this episode of Sourcery:
@MollySOShea
interviews
@2112Power
, Founder & CEO of
@HadrianSpace
, a vertically integrated deep tech manufacturing company.
Hadrian recently raised a $117M Series B to support its mission of revitalizing American manufacturing. The company…
🔥 Today's episode of Turpentine VC features a long-awaited guest,
@infoarbitrage
of IA Ventures.
@eriktorenberg
and Roger talk about:
➕ IA Ventures' firm strategy and how that's allowed them to generate 10x fund returns
➕ The future of venture and whether it will favor…
.
@jasonlk
on the
@TurpentineVC
podcast: "Way too many people are trying to build too many income streams."
"Too many charlatans on Twitter are claiming, 'Hey, I've got 11 SaaS businesses, each putting out ~$500K a year, so I'm making $6M personally.' Bless their soul."
Peter Thiel: "Buzzwords are a tell, like in poker, that the company is bluffing and undifferentiated."
"I think the things that are underrated are the ones where there are no buzzwords and it doesn’t actually fit into any pre-existing categories."
The latest episode of Live Players is all about dynasties in our modern age.
@SamoBurja
and
@eriktorenberg
discuss:
➕A breakdown of the key aspects of succession for the Sulzberger family of the
@nytimes
, the Samsung family, and Sweden’s Wallenberg family
➕The case of…
In this episode of History 102,
@whatifalthist
and
@eriktorenberg
delve into critical historical moments and patterns, focusing on the Spanish Empire's unique and often overlooked role in shaping the modern world.
This episode challenges common historical narratives by…
.
@tferriss
to
@david_perell
: "Reputation and credibility are the new gold. There is a finite amount of trust that any person can put into other people. They are going to choose the people with the highest signal of credibility."
On today’s episode of the Cognitive Revolution:
@drmichaellevin
, Distinguished Professor of Biology at
@TuftsUniversity
, joins
@labenz
to discuss embodied minds, his research into limb regeneration and collective intelligence, cognitive light cones, and much more.
Dr. Levin…
.
@bhorowitz
on the existential threat wartime VCs are battling right now: regulation.
“The biggest war issue we have is actually the regulatory environment and some of the ideas of the current administration where they have become anti-innovation. We’ve already seen a pretty…
.
@VivekGRamaswamy
is on this week's episode of
@Upstream__Pod
@eriktorenberg
spoke to Vivek just before his rapid rise in the polls. The conversation goes deep on many of the soundbites you've heard.
- Culture war
- Climate Science
- Why Silicon Valley should abandon otherism
🔥 On episode 13 of Turpentine VC,
@sarahtavel
and
@ericvishria
of
@benchmark
join
@eriktorenberg
to talk about how Benchmark thinks about venture in 2023.
We talk about beliefs that are central to Benchmark in firm-building, including why they think platform teams exist to…
.
@lulumeservey
to
@lennysan
on how to gain attention using the concentric circles framework:
-Embrace underdog status, ditch old playbook
-Know audience, build distribution
-Craft message, tailor story to audience's cultural zones
-ID influencers; start from core message
🔥New episode of Turpentine VC features
@eladgil
in conversation with
@eriktorenberg
about what's next in 2024 and beyond.
They cover AI, crypto, social tech, ed tech, and health tech sectors. Elad also offers signature advice for who should start companies now and the best…
🔥 This week's Live Players is a deep dive on Japan with
@SamoBurja
and
@eriktorenberg
. They discuss:
➕ Japan's military stance + nuclear ambitions
➕ Japan's efforts to address underpopulation
➕ How Japan's homogeneity influences culture, law enforcement, politics, +…
In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution:
@labenz
sits down with
@WilliamBryk
, CEO of .
They discuss how
@ExaAILabs
enables complex, research-based searches that differ from traditional keyword-based search, how their AI uses neural and non-neural…
.
@alexandr_wang
to
@loganbartlett
on AI: "It's potentially the greatest economic engine that humanity will have ever invented. It's like as if we're inventing the steam engine times a million."
.
@Naval
: "If you want to operate at peak performance, you have to learn how to tame your mind. A clear mind leads to better judgment and leads to better outcomes."
On today's episode of Upstream:
@eriktorenberg
sits down with
@tylercowen
to discuss Harvard, AI, Javier Milei's legacy, the value of non-legibility in talent spotting, and more.
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(01:58) Tyler's new book GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all…
🔥Our next episode of Live Players just dropped.
@samoburja
and
@eriktorenberg
discuss:
➕Samo’s theory of Long History - he wrote about this in
@palladiummag
➕Why archaeologists are disincentivized to revise their theories about human history
➕How to prevent this…
On Turpentine VC this week,
@htaneja
of General Catalyst joins
@eriktorenberg
talk about:
+ Hemant’s approach to being the CEO of the firm
+ Why General Catalyst decided to operate like a true company
+
@generalcatalyst
's unfair advantage in healthcare
and more! Links to the…
Founders: be a pattern-breaker.
@justinkan
sold his first company on eBay, which caught then attention of
@m2jr
:
"I was like, ‘who does that?’ These are the kinds of guys that win because they're pattern breakers. They engage in behaviors and activitie that conventional…
On today’s episode of Live Players:
@SamoBurja
, founder of
@bismarckanlys
, and
@eriktorenberg
discuss AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and big pharma's dysfunction despite its enormous economic power, incentives behind scientific breakthroughs and the potential for improvement, and…
📈This week on "1 to 1000"
@chughesjohnson
, COO of Stripe (2014-2021), joins
@eriktorenberg
and
@jaltma
to chat through:
➕ How to fire well, quickly
➕ The fallacy of transparency
➕ Reorgs and how to do them right
➕ Why communication architecture is so important
and more…
On today’s episode of Econ 102: Economist
@elidourado
joins
@Noahpinion
and
@eriktorenberg
to explore the concept of the Great Stagnation and whether it is over, the challenges of scaling in America, the role of governance in hindering progress, the role of new technology in…
In this episode of History 102, hosts
@eriktorenberg
and
@whatifalthist
delve into the American Civil War, providing a comprehensive overview encompassing its causes, key battles, and the aftermath.
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:41) Exploring the Roots of the American…
Our newest show, Request for Startups, is the podcast version of a tech group chat.
Investors and founders share the companies they want to see in the world and the paths they’ve taken down the idea maze so you don’t have to start from scratch. 1st episode features
@jwmares
…
Turpentine is growing and we are looking for part-time junior producers to work across our shows like Upstream, Turpentine VC, and more.
If you're someone who is deeply curious about tech and investing and has an insatiable appetite for good, online content, please apply.…
.
@rabois
discusses the two management lessons that Peter Thiel taught him during his first week at PayPal.
1. Expertise-specific managers are better than general managers.
"The best engineer becomes VP of engineering and the best designer leads the design team."
2. Promote…
In the debut episode of Company Breakdowns,
@eriktorenberg
invites
@cjgustafson222
to dissect Rubrik's strategy in advance of its IPO on the NYSE on April 24, 2024.
Rubrik, initially a backup and recovery firm, transitioned to a cloud-based subscription model, expanding its…
In this episode of Live Players:
@SamoBurja
and
@eriktorenberg
discuss Alibaba after Jack Ma's exit and analyze the Chinese Economy. With 1.3 billion users and $135 billion in revenue, Alibaba is like China's version of PayPal, Amazon, and Walmart combined.
--
TIMESTAMPS:…
On today’s episode of Turpentine VC:
@eriktorenberg
is joined by
@fintechjunkie
, the founding partner of
@QEDInvestors
, a fintech-focused VC firm.
Frank provides a nuanced analysis of investing in fintech and neo banks, offers his view of the larger macro environment, and…
In this episode of Moment of Zen:
@mikedemarais
(co-founder of
@rainbowdotme
) joins
@eriktorenberg
,
@dwr
, and
@antoniogm
as they dive into crypto's future.
The conversation was prompted by the thesis that innovative social protocols like Farcaster are co-evolving with crypto…
.
@lessin
on yesterday's episode of Turpentine VC, explaining why the so-called "factory system" of venture capital is over.
"I think for the last 10 years, you and I have been part of what I call a factory system of venture capital that came together.
Seed investors put ideas…
This week
@ttunguz
of
@Theoryvc
joined
@eriktorenberg
and
@cjgustafson222
on
@TurpentineVC
to discuss the future of accelerators, fund concentration, and the biggest data trends in VC.
Two of our takeaways:
1. Theory aims to differentiate itself by understanding spaces “better…
📈📈This week on "1 to 1000"
@qasar
and Peter Ludwig join co-hosts
@eriktorenberg
and
@jaltma
to chat through people, team, and culture at
@AppliedInt
, their cognizance of their company values and the importance of living them out, product-market fit and how founders need to…
.
@pmarca
: "I don't think happiness is the thing to strive for. I think satisfaction is the thing. Happiness is a walk in the woods, an ice cream cone. Satisfaction is a deeper thing, which is like having found a purpose and fulfilling it."
.
@JoshuaSteinman
discusses w/
@iamjasonlevin
why he supports forcing TikTok's owner to divest or face a ban in the U.S.
"It's owned/operated on behalf of the CCP."
"It's like allowing the KGB to own the New York Times at the height of the Cold War."
📈📷This week on "1 to 1000"
@jaysimons
, president of Atlassian from 2011 to 2020 (through IPO), joins
@eriktorenberg
and
@jaltma
to chat through:
➕ What made Atlassian different from other VC-backed companies
➕ How to use pricing to differentiate in a hyper-competitive market…
Peter Thiel: "I’m much more worried about the humans trying to stop the AI than the AI destroying us."
"A force that’s powerful enough to stop the AI is probably a force that’s powerful enough to destroy the world."
In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution:
@thesephist
, AI product leader at
@NotionHQ
, joins
@labenz
to discuss his groundbreaking projects and unique approach to exploring AI systems.
He shares his toolkit and insights on language model capabilities, along with his vision…
On episode 15 of Turpentine VC,
@loganbartlett
of
@Redpoint
joins
@eriktorenberg
to dive into how Redpoint operates in venture and a discussion of the most consequential players in the overall ecosystem.
We talk about Logan’s biggest influences, the power of brand versus…
🔥 On episode 12 of Turpentine VC, the legendary
@Alfred_Lin
of
@sequoia
(invested in
@Airbnb
,
@DoorDash
,
@houzz
, and more) joined
@eriktorenberg
to dig into the unique ways which Sequoia operates as a venture firm.
We chat through:
➕ Why Sequoia doesn't actually track AUM
➕…
On today’s episode of Live Players:
@SamoBurja
, founder of
@bismarckanlys
, and
@eriktorenberg
discuss US government spending, regulation, and the importance of strategic restructuring for improved efficiency.
They cover:
* Reasons why DARPA is a model for enhanced focus and…
🔥 Another episode of Turpentine VC just dropped with
@m2jr
of
@floodgatefund
. On today's episode, Mike and Erik dive into why:
+ It's so important to force a choice and not a comparison when differentiating
+ Discipline and patience are a form of arbitrage
+ Floodgate has…
.
@sama
shares his unconventional stance on seeking input from others: "I mostly got what I wanted by ignoring advice. Listening to advice from other people should be approached with great caution."
Our newest show drops today with
@bhargreaves
of Thesis Driven. 🚀
The first season of the Leader Series podcast consists of 12 interviews with the leading voices at the intersection of real estate, cities, innovation and technology.
They'll talk about how technology is going…
thrilled to kick off the first season of the Thesis Driven Leader Series, a podcast + video featuring top players at the center of real estate, innovation & cities
The first episode dropped today ft
@moseskagan
and
@reseedrhett
of
@ReSeedPartners
In this episode of Turpentine VC:
@eriktorenberg
sits down with
@jasonlk
, the founder and CEO of
@saastr
, a venture firm, podcast network, event series, and the world’s largest community for B2B/SaaS founders.
This candid conversation focuses on SaaStr's business model at the…
Sourcery is officially a part of the Turpentine podcast network.
@MollySOShea
's excellent newsletter and podcast, Sourcery, joins the Turpentine investing cluster of shows that includes
@TurpentineVC
from
@eriktorenberg
, The Riff from
@ByrneHobart
, Investing City from…
In this episode of Live Players:
@eriktorenberg
and
@samoburja
discuss the current state and future state of America, China, Russia, Ukraine, energy, the US dollar, AI, Peter Zeihan, Balaji Srinivasan, and more.
This episode was recorded in 2023 for Upstream with Erik Torenberg…
.
@vkhosla
on
@TurpentineVC
on how to achieve longevity in venture capital: Be driven internally, not externally.
"I don't need that ego benefit. I like making a difference."
"All of us like to win at games, but it's much more meaningful to win if it's consequential."
.
@m2jr
on the most recent episode of Turpentine with
@eriktorenberg
: YC's non-consensus economics, and why that risk leads to their super performance.
"What YC is doing that's non-consensus is their economics. A lot of people confuse non-consensus with contrarianism.…
We're back with a new episode of Econ 102 - where
@noahpinion
and
@eriktorenberg
discuss:
➕The politicization of science leading to pseudoscience
➕“Administrification” in America
➕The Trillion-Dollar Non-Profit Sector
Link in comments
In this episode of Turpentine Finance with
@sashaorloff
: founder and CEO
@blader
shares the arduous 3-year journey of iterating on the product from its inception during a meeting with the a16z team, working alongside early design partners, and the key inflection points that…
.
@webflow
's VP of Finance, Ivan Makarov, joins host
@cjgustafson222
on the second episode of Run The Numbers, where they go straight into the unfiltered.
They chat about what kept Ivan up at night in the early days at Webflow, the most misunderstood elements of startup equity,…
“Within one generation, we have the ability to slash incidence rates for so many major diseases.”
@noor_siddiqui_
's company
@OrchidInc
recently announced their whole genome sequencing capabilities for embryos. Noor and
@ErikTorenberg
discuss this technology and more on…
Stoked to announce that
@RyanReeves_
' excellent show Investing City is now part of the Turpentine network. 🚀
Whether it be a granular tear-down of
@nvidia
's value chain or an in-depth look at what topgrading is, Investing City helps you supercharge your journey as a student of…
In this episode of The Cognitive Revolution:
@NathanLabenz
sits down with
@elicitorg
co-founders
@stuhlmueller
and
@jungofthewon
to discuss their mission to make AI-assisted research more accessible and reliable. Learn about their unique approach to task decomposition, which…
In today's episode of The Cognitive Revolution:
@TheZvi
returns to the show to discuss OpenAI’s Sora model, Google’s Gemini announcement and why Zvi prefers Gemini to other foundation models, Anthropic’s Sleeper Agents, and more live player analysis.
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00)…
In this episode of Econ 102:
@Noahpinion
and
@eriktorenberg
are joined by
@bhargreaves
, the founder of
@hicommon
, co-founder of
@GA
, and writer of Thesis Driven.
They discuss the future of real estate and housing in America, the impact of regulations, and the potential of new…
On today’s episode of Age of Miracles:
@jordanbramble
and our own
@juliadewahl
, co-founders of
@AntaresNuclear
, dive deep into how Antares plans on manufacturing in mass micro-sized nuclear reactors to provide abundant energy for all.
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:10) Introduction
(03:50)…