The YC Demo Day almost turned investors away at the door — and that might’ve been the point. In this behind-the-scenes breakdown, Gabriel Jarrosson (Lobster Capital) and Laurie dissect the most exclusive Demo Day yet, revealing why this Spring 25 batch could be the best in years.

We explore YC's most AI-heavy cohort, debate sky-high valuations, and uncover what separates a good startup from a breakout unicorn.

You’ll learn:

Why YC Spring 25 had a record 0.8% acceptance rate

What caused Demo Day chaos at the YC office

How to evaluate traction vs hype in early AI startups

Why some investors are restructuring funds just to get into YC

How to get allocation in oversubscribed rounds

Gabriel’s method for revenue due diligence during Demo Day

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Lobster Talks: Behind the Scenes of YC Spring 25 Demo Day

00:21 The Unique Challenges of This Year's Demo Day

02:50 Impressive Stats and Trends from the Spring Batch

04:30 The Growing Influence of AI in YC Startups

09:03 Investor Insights and Revenue Due Diligence

15:33 Evaluating Founders and Early Traction

18:07 The Darwinian Approach to Startup Evolution

18:41 Revenue as the Ultimate Proof of Success

21:13 Navigating Competition and Investor Strategies

21:48 The European Angle and Hot Deals

23:12 Valuation Challenges and Investor Decisions

25:27 The Role of Media and Networking in Investment

26:40 High Valuations and Future Growth

32:16 Follow-On Strategies and Growth Metrics

35:22 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4m2K7ah

Apple: https://apple.co/4cZ8RMm

My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCahCIZ9KfmeK4rLosGNYpdg

He was getting sued. Now his startup helps millions fight back — and win.

In this founder-first, no-fluff conversation, George Simons breaks down how SoloSuit is dismantling a $3.5B legal industry — one lawsuit at a time. From bootstrapped beginnings and courtroom chaos to SEO-powered growth and AI-driven debt settlement, this episode is a crash course in building a business with compounding advantages and real-world impact.

What you’ll learn:

Why 90% of debt lawsuits are lost by default — and how SoloSuit flips the script

How George bootstrapped his first product in law school using free court data

The tactical role of SEO, YouTube, and content marketing in scaling user acquisition

How AI is being used to mediate settlements and unlock trust in the legal system

The business model shift that brought both debtors and collectors onto the same platform

Why growing “slow and steady” might be the best path to building a unicorn

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to The Lobster Talks

00:29 Introducing George Simons and Solo Suit

00:54 How Solo Suit Helps Consumers

02:52 The Evolution of Solo Suit's Services

04:08 The Legal Landscape and Solo Suit's Impact

07:20 Solo Suit's $4,700 Giveaway

09:55 Navigating Legal Challenges and Building Relationships

16:58 Customer Acquisition Strategies

25:02 Early Success and First Customers

25:29 Implementing Payment Systems

26:49 Growth and Customer Base Expansion

28:42 Business Strategy and Philosophy

30:06 Sustaining and Scaling the Business

36:52 Future Vision and AI Integration

42:01 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4m2K7ah

Apple: https://apple.co/4cZ8RMm

What if your non-technical team could ship code overnight?

In this fast-paced Lobster Talks roundtable, Gabriel Jarrosson sits down with Samraaj Bath (Ion Design) and Agree Ahmed (Flowglad) to unpack “Vibe Coding”—the AI-powered workflow that lets designers, PMs, and marketers iterate on real code. They clash over misconceptions, debate the future of frontend engineers, spin our Hot Take Wheel, and stake bold predictions on where AI will reshape product teams.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why “non-technical” teams touching code isn’t what you think

The real risks and rewards of design-first velocity

How AI is the “combine-tractor” moment for software engineers

Whether VCs should demand a design audit before writing checks

The one debate you need to have about skipping design thinking

Bold “Future Bets” on the next must-have AI design workflow

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

00:00 Introduction to No-Code Revolution

00:29 Meet the Experts: Samra and Agree

03:02 Debating Vibe Coding and Non-Technical Teams

04:47 Engineering Principles and AI's Impact

09:15 The Future of Vibe Coding in Organizations

11:19 AI-Driven Changes in Team Dynamics

14:33 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Tooling

19:44 The Role of Designers in an AI-First World

28:23 The Future of Design Roles in Startups

31:33 Hot Take Wheel: No-Code Tools and Front-End Engineers

33:38 VCs and Design Audits: A Necessary Step?

36:36 Vibe Coding and Startup Defensibility

44:45 Future Bets: AI-Driven Design Workflows

52:01 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Us

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4m2K7ah

Apple: https://apple.co/4cZ8RMm

You think you know where YC is headed? Think again—agents are rewriting the playbook.

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Gabriel debriefs Laurie on YC’s quarterly Request for Startups focused on AI agents. From “full-stack” AI challengers to personal assistants that go from to-do lists to done lists, we unpack the highs, the lows, and the hidden opportunities for founders and investors alike.

What you’ll learn:

How “full-stack” AI companies can out-muscle incumbent software tools

Why AI agents like DeepResearch are already saving you a day’s work in an hour

The vision for a true AI personal assistant that manages your calendar, emails, and travel

Why voice interfaces (Super Whisper, Willow) are the dark horse for mainstream AI adoption

How big players (OpenAI, Apple, Google) threaten—and sometimes stimulate—new startups

The one metric (hint: $1M ARR) that de-risks AI investments in 2025

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:20 Diving into the Latest YC Request for Startups

00:48 The Year of AI Agents

01:10 Full Stack AI Companies

02:11 Historical RFS and AI Personal Assistants

05:21 Voice Interfaces and AI Tools

07:16 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Startups

14:14 Verticalization and Specialized AI Models

30:30 Investor Perspectives and Metrics

36:23 Conclusion and Next Steps

Revolutionizing AI Search: Ghita Alami's Vision for Zero Entropy

In this episode, we chat with Ghita Alami, founder of Zero Entropy, about her company's groundbreaking approach to rebuilding search systems for AI agents. Learn about early chaos theory, tactical product insights, and the future of intelligent retrieval systems.

00:00 Introduction to AI Retrieval Systems

00:07 Meet the Founder of Zero Entropy

00:43 Building a High Accuracy Search Engine

01:17 Challenges and Solutions in AI Retrieval

02:34 Specific Use Cases and Examples

08:09 Evaluating and Improving AI Systems

12:02 YC Experience and Building Zero Entropy

20:35 Technical Deep Dive: Measuring Accuracy

22:50 Challenges of Internet Search

23:33 Evaluating Retrieval Systems

24:02 Improving Recall and Precision

25:03 Advice for Founders on Search Issues

26:11 Leveraging LLMs in Tech Stacks

27:28 Staying Relevant in a Rapidly Changing AI Landscape

🎙️ Inversion Semiconductor: The Startup Taking On ASML with a Tabletop Particle Accelerator

What if the next leap in chip manufacturing didn't come from a trillion-dollar company — but from two founders building a compact particle accelerator in Berkeley?

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Gabriel Jarrosson sits down with Rohan Karthik and Daniel Vega, the founders of Inversion Semiconductor, a YC-backed deeptech startup building a radically new lithography machine. Their tech promises to manufacture the world’s most powerful chips — 15x faster than anything out there — and reshore advanced chipmaking to the U.S. for the first time in decades.

We get into:

How they shrunk a particle accelerator 1000×

Why ASML can’t (and won’t) build this

Fundraising for a moonshot in deeptech

The gap between U.S. and European startup ecosystems

Predictions on photonics, quantum computing, and the post-Moore’s Law era

Whether you’re a founder, investor, engineer, or just deeptech-curious — this episode is a wild ride through physics, ambition, and the future of chips.

📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

00:37 Meet the Founders: Rohan and Daniel

00:57 The Technology Behind Inversion

02:19 Why ASML Isn't Doing This

05:16 Backgrounds: From ARM to Particle Accelerators

08:44 The Inception of the Idea

12:52 Exploring Other Applications

15:54 Early Struggles and the Path to Validation

21:42 Why Build in the US?

24:49 Comparing Talent in Europe and the US

25:43 Challenges in European Investment

28:45 The YC Experience for Deep Tech Startups

35:02 Building Advanced Semiconductor Tools in the US

45:11 Future Predictions for Chip Technology

47:07 Conclusion and Farewell

🔗 LINKS

Inversion Semiconductor: https://inversionsemi.com

Follow Gabriel: https://twitter.com/gabjarrosson

#Semiconductors #DeepTech #YC #HardwareStartups #ASML #Chips #Photonics #QuantumComputing #MooresLaw #StartupPodcast

Join us for an intriguing discussion with Stef from Reditus Space as we explore the potential of zero gravity manufacturing. Learn how Reditus Space aims to revolutionize production by using reusable satellites to create unique and superior materials in space. Discover the challenges and exciting opportunities this new frontier presents, from pharmaceuticals to semiconductors, and even the possibility of organ manufacturing. Dive deep into the fascinating world of space factories, the impact of AI, reusability in space travel, and the future of space exploration.

00:00 Introduction

00:20 Meet Stef

00:34 Zero G Manufacturing

01:43 Challenges and Opportunities

05:38 Returning from Space

08:37 Future of Space Manufacturing

16:07 The Journey of Reditus Space

18:23 Upcoming Mission

20:38 Risk Mitigation

21:20 Economics

22:45 Reusability

25:43 Reentry

31:13 Future of Space Manufacturing

35:29 Human Presence in Space

37:50 Book Rec

In this episode of The Lobster Talks, we delve into the current state of the tech investment landscape, highlighting how fear and uncertainty in the market, partly driven by political factors like Trump's tariffs, influence investor behavior. Gabriel discusses the unique ecosystem of Y Combinator (YC) and its resilience during tumultuous times, noting that the best startups tend to thrive even when broader market conditions are bearish. The conversation also touches on the importance of investing during down cycles, the impact of AI on accelerating business processes, and the significance of founder passion and personal connection to their problem space. Gabriel also offers insights into the role of content creation and personal branding for founders, emphasizing how these elements can serve as powerful tools for customer acquisition and value creation.

00:00 Intro

00:51 Current Funding Landscape and Market Uncertainty

01:55 The Resilience of YC Startups

07:32 The Importance of Founder Passion and Connection

17:53 The Role of Pivots in Startup Success

22:55 Evaluating AI Investments and Technical Moats

28:56 The Power of Content and Personal Branding

33:41 Conclusion