Podcast · 148 episodes
Y Combinator Startup Podcast, page 3
by Y Combinator · English
We help founders make something people want. The Y Combinator Podcast is where builders talk about building. From the earliest days of an idea to scaling a company that changes the world, YC partners and founders share real stories, lessons, and tactics from the frontlines.
All episodes, page 3
The New Way To Build A StartupIn the AI era, startups are winning not by hiring more staff but by automating as many internal functions as possible.14 Feb 2026 · 8 min · 4 chapters
OpenClaw And The Future Of Personal AI AgentsIn this episode, Raphael Schaad interviews Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, an open-source AI assistant that has rapidly gained popularity.7 Feb 2026 · 23 min · 13 chapters
We're All Addicted To Claude CodeIn this episode, Calvin French-Owen, co-founder of Segment and a former engineer on OpenAI's Codex team, discusses the evolution and impact of coding agents, particularly Claude Code.6 Feb 2026 · 46 min · 25 chapters
How To Get Your First CustomersIn this episode, YC General Partner Ankit Gupta discusses the importance of creating not just a minimum viable product (MVP) but a minimum evolvable product (MEP) that can adapt to the needs of early…14 Jan 2026 · 6 min · 4 chapters
Inside The Startup Building Reusable RocketsWe help founders make something people want.8 Jan 2026 · 16 min · 9 chapters
What Surprised Us Most In 2025What Surprised Us Most In 202522 Dec 2025 · 30 min
How Intelligent Is AI, Really?In this episode, Diana Hu interviews Greg Kamradt, the President of the ARC Prize Foundation, at the NeurIPS 2025 conference.17 Dec 2025 · 12 min
The End of the Designer–Engineer DivideIn this episode, Ryo Lu, the Head of Design at Cursor, discusses his journey in design and technology, the evolution of Cursor as a leading AI code editor, and his vision of breaking down the divide…12 Dec 2025 · 42 min
From Pivot Hell To $1.4 Billion UnicornIn this episode, James Hawkins, the CEO and founder of PostHog, discusses the evolution of his company from its inception to becoming a unicorn valued at $1.4 billion.10 Dec 2025 · 39 min
The Best Consumer Startup Ideas Were "Impossible" Until NowIn this episode, Michael Mignano, co-founder of Anchor and partner at Lightspeed Ventures, discusses how AI technology is set to revolutionize consumer startups, particularly in media and music…28 Nov 2025 · 40 min
Cursor Head of Design Reviews Startup WebsitesIn this episode, Ryo Lu, Head of Design at Cursor and former product designer at Notion, Stripe, and Asana, discusses the essential elements of effective product websites.20 Nov 2025 · 36 min
Inside The Startup Launching AI Into SpaceInside The Startup Launching AI Into Space13 Nov 2025 · 13 min
How To Recruit The Best Engineers And Sales RepsDavid Paffenholz, Co-founder & CEO of Juicebox7 Nov 2025 · 43 min
From Idea to $650M Exit: Lessons in Building AI StartupsIn this episode, Jake Heller, co-founder and CEO of Casetext, discusses the journey of creating an AI legal startup that was acquired by Thomson Reuters for $650 million.28 Oct 2025 · 39 min
Transformers: The Discovery That Sparked the AI RevolutionThis episode discusses the evolution of AI, focusing on the transformer architecture that underpins many modern AI models, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok.23 Oct 2025 · 9 min
YC Partners Answer Your Questions | Office HoursIn this episode, YC partners Pete Koomen, Brad Flora, Nicolas Dessaigne, and Gustaf Alströmer respond to real questions from founders.21 Oct 2025 · 39 min
What Everyone Is Getting Wrong About AI And JobsThis episode explores the conflicting narratives surrounding AI's impact on employment.14 Oct 2025 · 8 min
How To Design Products That Truly Stand OutIn this episode, Karri Saarinen shares insights from his extensive design experience at notable tech companies like Coinbase and Airbnb, and discusses how these experiences shaped the design…13 Oct 2025 · 36 min
The World's First Commercial Mobile Carbon Capture DeviceIn this episode, Paul Gross, founder and CEO of Remora, discusses his innovative approach to tackling one of the largest climate challenges: carbon emissions from transportation.9 Oct 2025 · 13 min
Every AI Founder Should Be Asking These QuestionsJordan Fisher, Co-founder & CEO of Standard AI7 Oct 2025 · 41 min
Anthropic Head of Pretraining on Scaling Laws, Compute, and the Future of AIThis episode features a conversation between Y Combinator General Partner Ankit Gupta and Nick Joseph, Head of Pre-training at Anthropic.1 Oct 2025 · 1 h 4 min
Fintech 3.0: Now Is The Best Time To Build In CryptoIn this episode, Y Combinator's Harj Taggar and Base's Jesse Pollak discuss the emergence of Fintech 3.0, emphasizing the current opportunities in the crypto space due to regulatory clarity, consumer…23 Sep 2025 · 42 min
Aaron Levie: Why Startups Win In The AI EraIn this episode, Box co-founder and CEO Aaron Levie discusses the ongoing transformation of technology and its impact on startups, particularly in the age of AI.16 Sep 2025 · 40 min
The Future of Software Creation with Replit CEO Amjad MasadThe Future of Software Creation with Replit CEO Amjad Masad12 Sep 2025 · 42 min