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Y Combinator Startup Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Y Combinator
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.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks agoconversational29 min5-min read
Robot-Use Agents: Why General-Purpose Models May Win in Robotics
The podcast explores how large language models (LLMs) are being leveraged to control robots, marking a shift toward general-purpose 'robot use agents.' Founders of Waddle Labs and RoboCurve discuss how advancements in code-as-policies, in-context learning, and pre-training on diverse data (like computer use and CAD) are enabling LLMs to generalize across physical tasks with minimal robotics-specific data.
- 2 weeks agonarrative36 min6-min read
The State of Startups in 2026
We're in a pivotal moment where AI is accelerating both software and hard tech innovation, enabling solo and experienced founders to build faster and more effectively than ever before. The state of the art isn't just smarter models—it's how they're reshaping company formation, revenue growth, and entire industries like robotics, defense, and semiconductor infrastructure.
- 2 weeks agosolo12 min5-min read
8 Ways To Improve Your Outbound Sales
Founder-led sales are critical in early-stage startups, and improving outbound success hinges not on automation or perfect copy, but on meticulous manual outreach, precise targeting, and leveraging founder credibility. By focusing on the right prospects, crafting concise, problem-centric messages, and iterating based on real customer feedback, founders can dramatically increase reply rates and close early deals.
- 3 weeks agointerview57 min6-min read
Open Models Change The Economics of AI
Open-source AI models are rapidly gaining enterprise adoption, driven primarily by cost savings and the need for customization, with Ollama emerging as a critical infrastructure layer that simplifies deployment across local and cloud environments. The future of AI in business will likely involve a hybrid model where open-source models handle the majority of token volume, while frontier models are reserved for the most complex tasks.
- 4 weeks agointerview21 min6-min read
Paul Graham On Startups, Ambition, and Great Founders
Paul Graham reflects on 21 years of Y Combinator and 47 startup batches, emphasizing that the core of startup success remains unchanged: formidable founders driven by ambition and the relentless pace of shipping. While AI has transformed technical capabilities, the fundamentals of building startups — from funding to execution — remain strikingly consistent.
- 4 weeks agonarrative14 min5-min read
The World’s Largest Electric Aircraft Just Flew
This episode documents the journey of Anders Forslund and his company Hart Airspace, which has built the world’s largest electric aircraft — a 30-passenger hybrid-electric plane with a 100-foot wingspan — marking a pivotal moment in sustainable aviation. After seven years of development from a 3D-printed model to a functioning aircraft, the team achieved its first flight, symbolizing a shift toward cleaner, cheaper regional air travel.
- Aug 29, 2026interview59 min7-min read
Max Junestrand: You Need The Willingness To Learn Faster Than Anyone Else
Legora, an agentic operating system for lawyers powered by AI, grew from a rejected Y Combinator application to achieving $100 million in ARR within 18 months by focusing on customer needs, rapid iteration, and building a high-velocity team culture. Its success stems not from legal domain expertise but from technical founders who immersed themselves in the legal industry and bet early on the trajectory of large language models.
- Aug 28, 2026solo51 min8-min read
Susan Kare: Designing Icons & Graphics For the Original Mac
Susan Kare, the pioneering iconographer and designer behind the original Macintosh's visual language, reflects on her journey from art major to tech legend, emphasizing how constraints foster creativity, metaphors shape intuitive design, and meaningful ideas precede form. Her work — from the Happy Mac to the command key symbol — laid foundational principles for user interface design that still resonate in today’s AI and digital product landscape.
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About Y Combinator Startup Podcast
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.
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