Weekly Recap June 21-26: Praying for Exits, Vinny Lingham on Crypto, Hidden healthcare costs, Flying electric seaplanes

Hey Everybody, what a week!

Praying for Exits was back. Last time we had him on it was near peak valuations and he shared stories of founder excess. Now, with multiples coming back down we wanted to get his perspective. As the largest comedy meme account in VC (and a VC himself), he has access to one of the most powerful back channels.??

We previously covered Regent, the flying electric sea glider startup in a “We Live in the Future” segment. On Sunday, its?CEO Billy Thalheimer?joined Molly for This Week in Climate Startups!

Lon Harris was back again?to chat streaming on Thursday! He’s a fixture at this point. We are going to move that segment the back-half of the episodes to put tech news and startups front-and-center.?

Producer’s Pick(s)

• Capital RX CEO AJ Loiacono?explained a hidden trillion-dollar element of rising healthcare costs that I'd never fully grasped before.?
• Also, in a time of crypto craziness, Civic founder?Vinny Lingham?provided a rationale take that made me optimistic for the future.

Episode and interview recaps below

How to co-invest with other firms (VC School) + Electric Sea Gliders: REGENT Co-Founder Billy Thalheimer | E1493

?In VC Sunday School, Jason explains co-investing with other VC firms. In This Week in Climate Startups, Molly chats with Regent co-founder Billy Thalheimer about the path to get electric sea gliders into service by 2025.

Praying For Exits on Markets, Crypto, Startup Valuations + Anisha Sunkerneni of Cyphr VC | E1492

Praying For Exits discusses everything going on in markets, crypto, startup valuations post-crash, and even what was behind the All-in podcast controversy. Then, Producer Rachel sits down with Anisha Sunkerneni of Cyphr VC to talk about NFT NYC and navigating tech events.

Obi-Wan finale + Healthcare’s hidden money pit with Capital RX CEO AJ Loiacono | E1491

Lon Harris joins to discuss the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale. Finally, Molly chats with AJ Loiacono from Capital RX, who is laser-focused on increasing transparency in prescription drug pricing.

NFT NYC, Solend takeover, Why Non-Finance use cases are the key to Crypto, Magic Eden & more with Vinny Lingham | E1489

Vinny Lingham was an early investor in Solana and runs Civic, a startup that encrypts identity information on the blockchain. He explains what’s going on at NFT NYC now that crypto is cratering. He also clarifies some elements of the Solend protocol fiasco. We also discuss how South Korean prosecutors have instituted a flight ban for employees while they investigate the $40 billion collapse. Finally, we talk about how, despite all of this lost momentum, the Solana NFT Marketplace Magic Eden still raised $130 million at a $1.6 billion valuation.

Other news we covered this week?

• TikTok data security & the Chinese surveillance state?
• Amazon running out of warehouse workers

Best,?

Producer Justin

A special thanks to our partners (Deals below)

• Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at?https://Squarespace.com/TWIST?
• Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at?https://odoo.com/twist?
• Ourcrowd - Check out the deal of the week at?https://ourcrowd.com/twist?
• Microsoft for Startups Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at?https://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups?
• Swag.com - Visit?https://swag.com/twist?and use code TWIST for 10% off your order!
• Notion - Get started for free at?https://notion.com/thisweekinstartups?
• Coda - The All-in-one doc for teams, get a $1,000 credit at?https://coda.io/twist?
• Thorne - Personalized, scientific wellness. Go to?https://Thorne.com/u/TWIST?
• Intercom - Get advanced Intercom features and Early Stage Academy at a 95% discount?https://www.intercom.com/early-stage?
• BetterHelp - Get 10% off your first month at?https://betterhelp.com/twist?
• OpenPhone - Get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at?https://openphone.com/twist?
• AdQuick - Visit?https://adquick.com/twist?and mention TWIST to get $1000 off your first campaign.
• Vanta - Get $1,000 off automating your SOC 2 at?https://vanta.com/twist?