The Lobster Talks Podcast by Lobster Capital

What if you built a tool so powerful, it became the #1 repo on GitHub—twice?

That’s exactly what Daniel Farrell did with Onlook, an open-source AI-powered visual editor for code. From crashing Chrome extensions to crashing Hacker News, Daniel takes us through how he and his co-founder built momentum, community, and virality from nothing.

In this fast, founder-first conversation, we cover:

• How Onlook went from prototype to #1 GitHub repo

• Why Hacker News beat Product Hunt for traction

• The real benefits and tradeoffs of going o...

What if launching a tech startup was as easy as filling out a form?

Ben Collins, co-founder of Woz, joins Gabriel to unpack how his AI platform helps anyone — even non-technical founders — build full-stack software businesses. From betting against vertical SaaS to designing an AI cofounder you can trust, this conversation is a tactical deep dive into where startup creation is headed.

🔍 In this episode:

Why Woz pivoted away from a holding company model

What most AI-first code tools get totally wrong

How mobile...

YC isn't just about AI anymore — it's quietly becoming America’s new industrial engine. In this episode, Gabriel and Laurie break down how Y Combinator is doubling down on hardtech, defense, and energy — and why this matters more than ever.

From geopolitical risk to deep tech traction, we unpack how YC startups are shaping the future — and why top seed investors are scrambling to keep up. We also reveal how internal partner dynamics at YC shape which billion-dollar startups get funded.

🎙 This is your tactical, insider breakdown of what’s next for the world’s m...

What happens when a college student builds an AI tool that goes viral overnight — and changes how thousands of students study?

Summary:

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Gabriel sits down with David Yu, co-founder of YouLearn — the YC-backed AI tutor that transforms PDFs, class recordings, and YouTube videos into quizzes, notes, and a personal tutor. From a dorm-room side project to a viral social growth engine, this episode is packed with tactics, conviction, and bold bets on the future of learning.

You’ll learn:

How Yo...

What if your inbox didn’t just organize itself — it acted on your behalf?

Nizar Abi Zaher, founder of Zero, is building the AI-native email client that reads, replies, filters, and organizes without you lifting a finger. In this tactical, fast-paced conversation, we explore his path from Cal.com engineer to YC founder — and how he's going head-to-head with Superhuman.

From open-source strategies to voice-powered inboxes, Nizar breaks down how Zero is redefining email — and what it takes to ship fast, build in public, and stay top of mind.

In...

They didn’t sell to insurance brokers — they replaced them.

Dakotah Rice didn’t build AI tools for the industry. He built an AI-first insurance company — and now Harper is scaling faster than they can handle.

In this episode, Dakotah shares how Harper went from kitchen-table experiments to a high-growth, fully autonomous insurance brokerage. He breaks down the real bottlenecks, the AI architecture behind their workflows, and the bold bets that could reshape an entire industry.

What you’ll learn:

Why Harper ditched Sa...

What if a single AI voice agent could handle 100,000 calls a day and free up your entire support team?

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Gabriel sits down with Kevin Wu, founder of Leaping AI, to unpack how voice-powered AI is automating 50–70% of repetitive support calls, self-optimizing over time, and achieving 90% customer satisfaction. We dive into the origin story, technical stack, ROI metrics, human-in-the-loop safeguards, and bold predictions for 2030.

You’ll learn:

How Leaping AI began: from BCG ideation to the first major ente...

What if you could edit your face and voice like a Google Doc?

That’s exactly what Prady Modukuru is building at Sync—an AI company making video editing fully editable in post-production. No more re-recording. Just fix it like text.

In this high-velocity episode of Lobster Talks, we go deep on Sync’s origin story, how Prady and his team ship insanely fast, and why their AI-powered content tools are poised to redefine modern storytelling. It's a masterclass in product, research, and distribution.

🔑 You’ll learn:

Why t...

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...

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 firs...

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...

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...

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...

🎙️ 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. f...

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<...

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...

In this episode of Lobster Talks, I sit down with Ashi and Reza, the unstoppable founders of Spaceium—a YC-backed startup building orbital gas stations. 🚀

They share the raw and incredible story of how they went from nearly homeless right before YC to raising $6.3M, signing $86.5M in commercial contracts, and securing $1B+ in LOIs—all before launching their first mission to space.

We cover:

How they pitched an insanely hard idea and actually built it

The truth about LOIs and how they co...

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Gabriel dives deep into the groundbreaking Y Combinator Winter 2025 Demo Day. Discover how the latest YC batch shattered revenue records, including a startup already pulling in $50 million in profits and another hitting $2 million in revenue at demo day. They discuss why the quality bar is rising, the explosion of AI-powered startups, and whether the AI wave has peaked or is just getting started. Plus, get insights on what metrics truly matter beyond vanity revenue, navigating technical debt in the era of AI-generated code, and the strategic decisions founders face regarding fundraising and acquisitions...

00:00 - 00:50 Intro

00:50 - 01:23 What's StarCloud?

1:23 - 02:05 Why GPUs in Space?

02:05 - 03:35 Abundant Energy

03:35 - 05:50 Why No One Did It Before

05:50 - 07:30 Starship Economics

07:30 - 08:50 Philip’s Background

08:50 - 10:00 Can Anyone Start a Space Company?

10:00 - 12:30 Building in Space

12:30 - 13:20 Does Space Solar Affect Earth?

13:20 - 17:00 Raising an $11M Seed Round

17:00 - 19:00 Spending Habits

19:00 - 20:00 Hiring at StarCloud

20:00 - 21:00 Relocating

21:00 - 24:15 Hard vs. Easy Startups

24:15 - 25:35 Skepticism & Critics

25:35...

Join us on the Lobster Talks Podcast as host Gabrielle sits down with Michel Tricot, co-founder and CEO of Airbyte—the open-source data integration platform that skyrocketed to a billion-dollar valuation in record time. Michel reveals Airbyte’s origin story (including scrapping their first product in the midst of COVID), how they built a thriving open-source community, and their unique approach to monetization. Get ready for insights on scaling without burning cash, harnessing AI to automate the mundane, and the power of “making something people need. ” Don’t miss this episode if you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or tech enthusiast l...

In this episode of The Lobster Talks, I’m joined by entrepreneur-turned-investor Johannes Hatt. After founding and exiting multiple companies—including a SaaS startup scaled to 300 employees and 30M ARR—Johannes has invested in over 80 early-stage startups and over 10 venture funds. Now, he’s jumping back into the CEO seat!

We Discuss

• His journey from founding companies to investing in startups and funds

• How he analyzes opportunities—both as an angel and as an LP

• Why Europe’s startup ecosystem has potential (despite U.S. dominance)

• The “checklist” he u...

In this episode of The Lobster Talks, I chat with Varsha—co-founder of Offstream, a YC-backed startup helping big infrastructure projects (solar farms, data centers, and more) secure crucial carbon-compliance certifications. Varsha shares how her consulting background and direct experience with manual, PDF-heavy compliance processes inspired her to build a smarter, AI-driven solution—something she likens to “Vanta for Carbon Compliance.”

Key Topics We Cover

• Why Carbon Compliance Matters – How certifications unlock massive revenue opportunities for developers building solar facilities, renewable fuels, data centers, and more.

• Build...