Understanding the UAE startup opportunity with Brad Gerstner and Ibrahim Ajami | E1751
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Today’s show:
Altimeter’s Brad Gerstner and Mubadala's Ibrahim Ajami join Jason to discuss their first UAE impressions (1:33), how the country is attracting startup talent, unclogging the capital allocator log jam, and more (19:43)!
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Follow Brad: https://twitter.com/altcap
Follow Ibrahim: https://twitter.com/IbrahimAjami
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Time stamps:
(0:00) Brad and Ibrahim join Jason
(1:33) First impressions of the UAE
(10:25) Veed - Head to https://www.veed.io/pricing?utm_campaign=TWIS&utm_medium=Marketing&utm_source=YouTube and start creating professional-quality videos in minutes!
(11:55) The story of Mubadala
(19:43) Attracting talent to the UAE
(26:53) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist
(28:21) The shifting perspective of the UAE and the opportunity it presents
(35:07) The level of curiosity in Abu Dhabi
(37:02) iConnections - Get 20% off iConnections Miami 2024 event at http://iconnections.io/twist
(38:21) Adjusting to the changing market
(41:58) Mubadala’s portfolio and investing in SoftBank’s Vision Fund
(49:40) Getting fit
(56:27) Unclogging the manager log jam and the denominator problem
(1:04:59) Investing in relationships
(1:11:38) The progression of the UAE
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Fireside chat with Jason Calacanis & Brad Gerstner hosted by Mubadala’s Ibrahim Ajami | E1746
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Today’s show:
Jason and Brad speak with Mubadala Capital’s Head of Ventures, Ibrahim Ajami, at Hub71 in the UAE. The three discuss how startups can survive and thrive in an economic downturn (1:02) before diving into the sacrifices that founders must make to create an incredible product. (14:16) They also explain how the AI revolution will affect software, startups, capital allocators, and more! (40:36)
Follow Mubadala: https://twitter.com/MubadalaCapital
Follow Ibrahim: https://twitter.com/IbrahimAjami
Follow Hub71: https://twitter.com/hub71ad
Follow Brad: https://twitter.com/altcap
Time stamps:
(0:00) Nick kicks off the show
(1:02) Surviving the downturn
(12:46) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST
(14:16) Sacrificing to build a great product
(26:34)Trovata - Use code TWIST at https://trovata.io/twist for 30% off one year of premium features, like AI forecasting
(27:47) Brad’s letter to Mark Zuckerberg and AI creating ultra-efficient startups
(39:02) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist
(40:36) The AI revolution
(50:48) The implications of AI on the software industry
(55:50) Creating the Silicon Valley culture
(59:32) Reflecting on the success of the Launch Accelerator
(1:06:23) Building culture within your firm and dealing with failure
(1:19:03) Opinions on WFH
(1:25:05) Recognizing product velocity
(1:29:11) Advice for young founders
(1:34:47) Advice for founders in emerging markets
Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo & Apply for Funding
Buy ANGEL
Great recent interviews: 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
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