Even great startups sometimes need to pivot (feat. Francisco Cornejo of Theo) | E2214

Even great startups sometimes need to pivot (feat. Francisco Cornejo of Theo) | E2214

Author: Jason Calacanis November 24, 2025 Duration: 51:48

Register here for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff 👉🏻 https://luma.com/cm0x90mk


Today’s show:

The team from Familify had released a well-reviewed storytelling app for kids and parents… but it just wasn’t growing!

Then they noticed that Bible stories and faith-based content was particularly popular. So they decided released a brand new app, Theo, just for these sorts of lessons and stories. And the new product overtook Storybook in just a few weeks!

It’s a vital lesson for founders… Even if you succeed, you may be able to succeed EVEN MORE. Remain flexible and open to strong new ideas (especially if, like Francisco, your wife suggests them!)

PLUS we’re chatting with Collin from En Vérité about how AI can make do diligence much less painful for investors AND checking out our latest Gamma Pitch Deck competitor. Find out why Jason says Jake Triton from Pitch Prfct might just be closing in on Product Market Fit.

Timestamps:

(5:20) How Storybook, then Theo was motivated by a children’s mental health crisis

(5:46) Despite great reviews, Storybook wasn’t growing! Here’s what they did.

(7:13) The Power of Experiments: Theo overtook Storybook in popularity in JUST WEEKS

(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(11:04) Digging in to the decision to flip from all stories to Bible stories

(12:34) The difference in how users perceive prayer vs. meditation

(14:06) Will they make different Theos for different denominations of Christianity? Other faiths?

(14:55) Jason makes the case for the Theo app and its team

(19:59) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(21:50) Key lessons for founders from Francisco’s pitch today

(26:51) Collin Sebastian from En Vérité joins the show to tell us how En Vérité helps prepare founders for the due diligence process

(30:00) Enterpret: Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.

(31:03) Jason recalls some diligence horror stories from his past

(32:14) Where En Vérité gets their data and how they use it

(36:39) What Collin learned from his time at SoftBank

(39:44) The Gamma Pitch Deck Competition returns with Jake Triton from PitchPrfct [https://x.com/JakeTriton] @pitchprfctsms

(42:29) Why Jason thinks Jake is closing in on Product Market Fit

(45:51)How PitchPrfct plans to have AI help build your campaign and workflow


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


Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons


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:

(10:04) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST

(19:59) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(30:00) Enterpret: Enterpret turns feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.


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


Every week, Jason Calacanis dives headfirst into the swirling vortex of Silicon Valley and global tech with This Week in Startups. It’s a direct line to the conversations shaping our digital future, moving far beyond surface-level news. You’ll hear Jason’s unfiltered analysis on everything from market shifts and media trends to the underlying mechanics of building a business, all delivered with a blend of enthusiasm and seasoned skepticism. The core of this podcast, however, lies in the guests. Jason sits down with the very people driving change-founders who have scaled impossible heights, operators managing daily chaos, and investors who spot trends before they become obvious. These conversations are less like formal interviews and more like insider debriefs, pulling back the curtain on real strategies, painful failures, and unexpected successes. For anyone curious about how technology is built, funded, and ultimately changes the world, this series offers a front-row seat. It’s the context behind the headlines, providing a deeper understanding of the forces at play in startups and technology. Tune in for a consistently engaging and insightful look at the ecosystem, straight from someone who lives and breathes it.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

This Week in Startups
Podcast Episodes
SpaceX + xAI deal gets us one step closer to Musk Industries | E2243 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:11
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Uber - http://uber.com/twistDeel - http://deel.com/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show: SpaceX is buying xAI, forming a m…
Clawdbot is an inflection point in AI history | E2240 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:14
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Quo - http://quo.com/TWiSTLemon IO - https://lemon.io/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday’s show: Jason is back from Davos and T…
Avoiding buzzwords and marketing-speak (feat. Thomas McInerney) | E2236 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:25
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Lemon.io - https://lemon.io/twistDeel - http://deel.com/twistLinkedIn Jobs - http://linkedIn.com/twistToday’s show: Some pitches sound just like ads… and it’s a huge red flag for…
Japan’s Startup Revolution (feat. Kathy Matsui) | E2235 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:43
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Every.io - http://every.io/LinkedIn Jobs - https://www.linkedin.com/twistZite - http://zite.com/twistToday’s show: Why do 40% of Japanese students want to build a company rather…
How to Make Billions from Exposing Fraud | E2234 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:16
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Netsuite - https://www.netsuite.com/twistLumaAi - https://lumalabs.ai/twistSquarespace - https://squarespace.com/twistToday’s show: Government fraud and waste has become a promin…