Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Vanta
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Agree
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YSecurity
YSecurity.io/TWIST
Today’s show:
Frontier AI models can ace PhD-level exams, but it’s still bad at tracking down the product you want in the style that suits you. Onton’s Zach Hudson tell us that the problem is that models are a black box.
His solution? A neurosymbolic model, Ontology 1, that learns about your taste and preferred aesthetic over time, then produces product searches tailored specifically to you, rather than just using keywords and relevant tags. How do neurosymbolic models work, and how does Onton understand your prompts and favorite design trends? And why aren’t the frontier labs working on neurosymbolic models of their own? Zach joins Jason and Lon to discuss.
PLUS, following a record-smashing SpaceX IPO, Ashi Dissanayake of Spacium makes the case that the real bottleneck in space isn’t launching rockets off the ground any more. It’s refueling in orbit.
Guests
Zach Hudson on X: ****https://x.com/nosduhz
Onton: onton.com
Spacium: spaceium.com
Spacium on X: https://x.com/SpaceiumInc
Relevant Links
Poolside’s journey to AGI: poolside.ai/vision/purpose
Startup Archive: Sam Altman on the Paul Graham advice that saved OpenAI: startuparchive.org/p/sam-altman-on-the-paul-graham-advice-that-saved-open-ai-always-make-an-api
Kelly Wearstler: kellywearstler.com
Ennis House: franklloydwright.org/site/ennis-house
Los Feliz Living: Ennis House profile: losfelizliving.com/los-feliz-historic-homes/ennis-house-los-feliz-hcm-149
Indiewire: Ennis-inspired “The Studio” offices: indiewire.com/features/craft/the-studio-production-design-interview-seth-rogen-1235114365
Monocle Magazine: monocle.com
Spaceium on Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/companies/spaceium-inc
Orbit Fab’s RAFTI: orbitfab.com/rafti
James Webb Space Telescope: science.nasa.gov/mission/webb
Houzz: houzz.com
Timestamps:
0:00 Zach Hudson joins: What is "neurosymbolic search"
3:23 Ontology 1 isn't a black box
5:51 Who is using Onton?
8:56 Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at vanta.com/twist
10:55 Could neurosymbolic models reach AGI?
12:39 Jason loves Wright's Ennis House
16:23 The shape of AI companies is changing
18:48 Agree.com - Stop chasing invoices and automate your entire contract-to-cash stack. Go to agree.com and tell them Jason sent you to get 50% off for life!
21:52 UGC as a data moat
25:23 The Dead Internet Theory
27:33 Ashi Dissanayake of Spacium joins
29:12 YSecurity - The on-demand security team for startups. Need enterprise-grade security without hiring a $400k CISO? YSecurity gives you 40+ expert engineers, matched to exactly what you need, by the hour, with your first six hours completely free. Go to YSecurity.io/TWIST
31:10 Storables vs. cryogenics: the zero-boil-off breakthrough
33:31 All kinds of propulsion requires refueling
35:29 Getting more value from LEO to GEO
37:48 Moving at rocket speed
44:14 Why demand is so acute
48:57 The investing climate for space, post-SpaceX
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
X: https://x.com/lons
Follow Jason:
X: twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check out all our partner offers: partners.launch.co
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: substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: twistartups.substack.com
This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Vanta
vanta.com/twist
Agree
agree.com
YSecurity
YSecurity.io/TWIST
Today’s show:
Frontier AI models can ace PhD-level exams, but it’s still bad at tracking down the product you want in the style that suits you. Onton’s Zach Hudson tell us that the problem is that models are a black box.
His solution? A neurosymbolic model, Ontology 1, that learns about your taste and preferred aesthetic over time, then produces product searches tailored specifically to you, rather than just using keywords and relevant tags. How do neurosymbolic models work, and how does Onton understand your prompts and favorite design trends? And why aren’t the frontier labs working on neurosymbolic models of their own? Zach joins Jason and Lon to discuss.
PLUS, following a record-smashing SpaceX IPO, Ashi Dissanayake of Spacium makes the case that the real bottleneck in space isn’t launching rockets off the ground any more. It’s refueling in orbit.
Guests
Zach Hudson on X: ****https://x.com/nosduhz
Onton: onton.com
Spacium: spaceium.com
Spacium on X: https://x.com/SpaceiumInc
Relevant Links
Poolside’s journey to AGI: poolside.ai/vision/purpose
Startup Archive: Sam Altman on the Paul Graham advice that saved OpenAI: startuparchive.org/p/sam-altman-on-the-paul-graham-advice-that-saved-open-ai-always-make-an-api
Kelly Wearstler: kellywearstler.com
Ennis House: franklloydwright.org/site/ennis-house
Los Feliz Living: Ennis House profile: losfelizliving.com/los-feliz-historic-homes/ennis-house-los-feliz-hcm-149
Indiewire: Ennis-inspired “The Studio” offices: indiewire.com/features/craft/the-studio-production-design-interview-seth-rogen-1235114365
Monocle Magazine: monocle.com
Spaceium on Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/companies/spaceium-inc
Orbit Fab’s RAFTI: orbitfab.com/rafti
James Webb Space Telescope: science.nasa.gov/mission/webb
Houzz: houzz.com
Timestamps:
0:00 Zach Hudson joins: What is "neurosymbolic search"
3:23 Ontology 1 isn't a black box
5:51 Who is using Onton?
8:56 Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at vanta.com/twist
10:55 Could neurosymbolic models reach AGI?
12:39 Jason loves Wright's Ennis House
16:23 The shape of AI companies is changing
18:48 Agree.com - Stop chasing invoices and automate your entire contract-to-cash stack. Go to agree.com and tell them Jason sent you to get 50% off for life!
21:52 UGC as a data moat
25:23 The Dead Internet Theory
27:33 Ashi Dissanayake of Spacium joins
29:12 YSecurity - The on-demand security team for startups. Need enterprise-grade security without hiring a $400k CISO? YSecurity gives you 40+ expert engineers, matched to exactly what you need, by the hour, with your first six hours completely free. Go to YSecurity.io/TWIST
31:10 Storables vs. cryogenics: the zero-boil-off breakthrough
33:31 All kinds of propulsion requires refueling
35:29 Getting more value from LEO to GEO
37:48 Moving at rocket speed
44:14 Why demand is so acute
48:57 The investing climate for space, post-SpaceX
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
X: https://x.com/lons
Follow Jason:
X: twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check out all our partner offers: partners.launch.co
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: substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: twistartups.substack.com
