This Week in Startups
This Week in Startups

One Genius Rule That Made This Coffee Brand Famous | EP 2262

March 13, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Speakers & Context

  • The Format: Host discussion with two guest segments.
  • The Key Players:
    • Jason Calacanis & Lon Harris: Hosts of "This Week in Startups." Jason provides the venture capital and founder perspective; Lon offers the tech and cultural analysis.
    • Mog & Dubbs: Co-founders of Hippias (Subnet 75), a decentralized cloud storage platform built on the Bittensor network. They are credible as technical builders navigating a nascent ecosystem.
    • Charlie Hurst, Tom Noble, & Will Sudlow: Founders of "Flat White or F Off" (FWFO). Charlie is a designer, Tom a content creator, and Will runs an experiential marketing agency. They are credible as a lean startup team executing a viral concept.
  • The Vibe: Energetic and exploratory. The Hippias segment is technical and forward-looking. The FWFO segment is playful and irreverent, with a sharp undercurrent of business strategy.

🎣 The Executive Hook

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: Lon Harris & Jason Calacanis**
  • 2 (03:22) **Segment 1: Tau Plus AI - Hippias (Subnet 75)**
  • 3 (37:56) **Segment 2: Flat White or F Off**
  • 4 (72:56) **Off-Duty: Oscars Predictions & Recommendations**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Legendary British ad man Rory Sutherland invented a fake business on a podcast, a coffee shop appealing to the busy commuter called “Flat White or F**k Off.”

But it’s one thing to have a post go big on TikTok or Instagram… but to turn that viral moment into an actual COMPANY is a very different challenge.

On TWiST, Jason and Lon chat with Charlie Hurst, Tom Noble, and Will Sudlow, founders of the online brand “Flat White or F**k Off,” about how they took a funny little slogan and turned it into a string of popular social media accounts, a line of merch, a pop-up café, and let’s face it, an entire lifestyle.

PLUS we’ve got Mog and Dubs from Subnet 75 — Hippius! Hear how they’re using the blockchain for decentralized storage, and providing server space much cheaper than their famous hyperscaler rivals.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:28 Plaud - If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!

00:03:22 What is "decentralized cloud storage"?

00:05:42 How Hippius came together

00:09:57 LinkedIn Jobs - Hire right, the first time. Post your first job and get $100 off towards your job post at https://LinkedIn.com/twist.

00:11:38 Incentivizing miners

00:14:25 How many people are contributing?

00:18:42 But where does the value accrue?

00:20:18 Wispr Flow - Stop typing. Dictate with Wispr Flow and send clean, final-draft writing in seconds. Visit https://wisprflow.ai/twist to get started for free today.

00:29:55 Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist

00:35:53 The best places to eat in Dubai

00:38:06 The inspo behind "Flat White or F Off"

00:42:16 From social media to IRL business

00:53:06 The secrets of experiential marketing

00:57:28 Hospitality's "Rule of 3s"

00:59:33 Inside the Flat White London pop-up

01:13:11 Lon and Jason's Oscar picks

01:26:06 Lon went "Inside the Manosphere"

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