TWiST News: Tesla Robotaxis, Electric RVs, and How Startups are Helping Secure Elections | E2025

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Beehiiv. Power your newsletters with AI tools, referral programs, and ad network features—all in one platform. Get 30 days free and 20% off your first 3 months at ⁠https://www.beehiiv.com/twist Cloud Devs. Building the best remote team is tough, but you don’t have to do it alone. Visit https://www.clouddevs.com/twist for an unbeatable offer on hiring elite Latam talent today. * Todays show: Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to dive into Tesla’s Robotaxi event, highlighting Tesla's bold plans for a self-driving, bus-style vehicle (4:33). Then, Lightship RV co-founders Toby Kraus and Ben Parker talk about the future of electric RVs (25:04). Finally, Voatz CEO Nimit Sawhney shares how blockchain is being used to secure elections (51:35). * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show (4:33) The Tesla Robotaxi event (6:46) The potential impact of Tesla's bus platform (11:59) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (13:29) ChatGPT 4 with Canvas demonstration (18:23) Predictions on the future of self-driving cars (23:36) Beehiiv - Get 30 days free and 20% off your first 3 months at ⁠https://www.beehiiv.com/twist (25:04) Lightship RV co-founders Toby Kraus and Ben Parker join the show (27:55) Description and features of Lightship RV (33:58) Cloud Devs - Visit https://www.clouddevs.com/twist for an unbeatable offer on hiring elite Latam talent today. (35:05) Financing strategy and market potential for Lightship (39:00) Impact of market trends on Lightship (41:19) Lightship's unique selling points, competition, and market strategy (51:35) Voatz CEO Nimit Sawhney joins the show (54:48) Voatz's progress, voting process, and blockchain integration (1:02:25) Election fraud concerns and attack vectors (1:06:02) Voatz's business model and sales cycle (1:08:11) Discussion on Dominion Voting Systems and election security (1:10:15) The debate over voter ID requirements and voting transparency (1:13:38) Upcoming topics: Solar energy advancements (1:14:28) Twist 500 nominations and submission guidelines * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com * Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Check out: https://lightshiprv.com https://voatz.com * Follow Toby: X: https://x.com/kraus_toby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobykraus * Follow Ben: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminparker1203/ * Follow Nimit: X: https://x.com/yenhwas * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (11:59) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (23:36) Beehiiv - Get 30 days free and 20% off your first 3 months at ⁠https://www.beehiiv.com/twist (33:58) Cloud Devs - Visit https://www.clouddevs.com/twist for an unbeatable offer on hiring elite Latam talent today. * Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916