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

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

Author: Jason Calacanis March 14, 2026 Duration: 1:30:27

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.

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Plaud - https://Plaud.ai/twist

LinkedIn Jobs - https://LinkedIn.com/twist.

Wispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twist

Northwest Registered Agent  - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist


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"

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

Check out all our partner offers: https://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: 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



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
When Will Openclaw go Mainstream? | E2252 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:26
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Gusto - Try Gusto today and get 3 months free at gust.com/twistCrusoe Cloud - Reserve your capacity for the latest GPU’s at crusoe.ai/savingsUber AI Solutions - Book a demo today…
Will OpenAI Tank OpenClaw? | E2251 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:33
Will OpenAI Tank OpenClaw? | E2251This Week In Startups is made possible by:Northwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistLemon IO - https://lemon.io/twistLinkedIn Jobs - http://linkedin.com/…
OpenClaw is Our Friend Now | E2250 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:28
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Sentry - http://sentry.io/twistCircle - http://Circle.so/twistWispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twistToday’s show: What makes OpenClaw feel so much more ALIVE than other AI agent…
Why J-Cal Invested to 200K in a former Employee | E2249 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:27
This Week In Startups is made possible by:NetSuite - https://www.netsuite.com/twistLuma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twistSquarespace - https://squarespace.com/twistToday’s show: On today’s epsiode of TWiST, Jason gets pitch…
How These 3 Founders are building on Open Claw | E2248 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:04
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Hubspot - http://clickhubspot.com/twist2Deel - http://deel.com/twistIru - http://www.iru.com/Today’s show: Today on TWiST we’re joined by 3 founders building on Open Claw, Presh…
We built OpenClaw Ultron to replace 20 people at our company | E2246 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:51
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Crusoe Cloud - https://crusoe.ai/savingsLemon IO - https://Lemon.io/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistThanks to our guests:Alex Chee…
Savvy is HQ Trivia + Wordle (feat. Scott Rogowsky) | E2245 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:41
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Circle - http://Circle.so/twistCaldera Lab - http://calderalab.com/TWISTLinkedIn - http://linkedin.com/twistToday’s show: There was a time, not long ago, when offices everywhere…
Where early-stage founders MUST focus to success | E2244 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:08
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Quadratic - http://quadratic.ai/twistToday’s show: Don’t get distracted! Here are the MOST CRUCIAL aspects of running a startup, where founders need to keep their full and uninte…
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…