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Artwork for Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Y Combinator
Artificial Intelligence
Y Combinator
Startups
Openai
Software Engineering
Cursor
Entrepreneurship
Artificial General Intelligence
Openclaw
Airbnb
Design
Claude Code
Nothing
Natural Language Processing
Chatgpt
AGI
Cloud Computing
Apple
Perplexity
Consumer Marketing

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.

PublishesDailyEpisodes347Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Latest Episodes

Google, Anthropic, and Databricks were all started by founders with PhDs. But they’re exceptions to the rule. Many of the instincts that help researchers succeed in academia can often work against them when building a startup.YC Visiting Partner Fran... more

Supabase has become one of the default backends for the AI coding era. The open source Postgres platform now has 13 million users, spins up more than a million databases every week, and roughly 70% of its new activity is coming from agents.As coding ... more

Marvin Schwaibold leads the product design studio at Shopify, where his team is rethinking some of the company’s most important products for the AI era. Before Shopify, he co-founded the design studio Molly, working with companies including Apple and... more

There’s a misconception that a successful launch video needs to cost tens of thousands of dollars and feel like a high-production commercial. But Farza Majeed has a different approach.

Farza is the founder of Clicky and previously built Buildspace, ... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Alex Danilowicz
Co-founder and CEO of Magic Patterns, a front-end engineer
Magic Patterns
Episode: How To Stand Out In A World Of AI Designs
Jeffrey Morgan
Co-founder and CEO of Ollama
Ollama
Episode: Open Models Change The Economics of AI
Anders Forslund
CEO of Heart Aerospace
Heart Aerospace
Episode: The World’s Largest Electric Aircraft Just Flew
Max Junestrand
Founder/CEO of Legora (formerly Leja), legal AI entrepreneur
Legora
Episode: Max Junestrand: You Need The Willingness To Learn Faster Than Anyone Else
Susan Kare
Iconographer and designer who worked on the original Macintosh at Apple
Independent designer / former Apple Macintosh team
Episode: Susan Kare: Designing Icons & Graphics For the Original Mac
Chelsea Finn
AI/robotics researcher and speaker
Not explicitly stated in transcript
Episode: Chelsea Finn: This is the State of the Art in Robotics
Peter Steinberger
Open-source software developer and creator of OpenClaw/Claude/related tooling; founder involved in early AI agent workflows and security-conscious open-source governance.
OpenClaw / related projects
Episode: Peter Steinberger: "Fun Is Velocity"
Max Hodak
CEO of Science, former Neuralink executive
Science
Episode: Max Hodak: How Startups Build Speed
Stephen Haney
Founder of Paper, an AI-native design tool
Paper
Episode: How To Design In The Agent Era

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 1.3k ratings
  • Such a good conversation 😊

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Simon Rabuogi
    2 months ago
  • It’s ok

    Some episodes are interesting, but the podcast overall just seems like a bunch of ads for their companies

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Murphycj
    United States9 months ago
  • Everyone is yc

    Thanks yc i always believe the future is bright, everytime hearing or reading about startups

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Goldenretrieverr
    Indonesiaa year ago
  • Eh

    YC used to be run by actual builders and founders

    Now it’s run by PM’s who got lucky at some tech startup and write substack articles for a living

    Not much to learn from this podcast

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    JJkollins
    United Statesa year ago
  • Huge ground-based knowledge

    Podcast Addict
    5
    OSCAR ORO
    2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many reviews emphasize the value for founders seeking practical strategies and market signals.
Listeners praise the show for actionable founder insights and high-quality guests.
Overall, the program is seen as essential listening for startup founders and tech builders.
Feedback highlights the strong host interview style and depth of technical discussions.
Some critiques point to audio quality and occasional perceived bias or ad-like content.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How To Stand Out In A World Of AI Designs
Q: What's your advice for how people should improve their prompts and get better results from them?
He recommends using the tool's features and bringing in relevant company context, such as skills, agents, a design system, and existing components, before prompting.
How To Stand Out In A World Of AI Designs
Q: What is Magic Patterns and what were your goals in building it?
Danilowicz describes it as an AI design tool that helps product managers, founders, and designers communicate ideas through prototypes, interactive mock-ups, and code-ready exports.
Paul Graham On Startups, Ambition, and Great Founders
Q: How did YC start, and why a batch-based model?
The idea evolved from an angel-investing concept to funding many startups at once to create a practical, repeatable system; this batch approach became core to YC as a way to build a community of founders and early adopters who learn from each other.
Max Junestrand: You Need The Willingness To Learn Faster Than Anyone Else
Q: What gave you the confidence to build a legal AI product on a model that wasn't good enough?
The strategy was to bet on model improvements over time while delivering immediate value by focusing on private European data hosting and compliant solutions, and to build for the near term with a plan to evolve as models improve.
Max Junestrand: You Need The Willingness To Learn Faster Than Anyone Else
Q: Does domain expertise not matter that much anymore?
The guest argues that domain expertise is not strictly necessary; a willingness to learn the market and spend time with customers can compensate, especially with a focus on speed of learning and customer engagement.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Y Combinator Startup Podcast

What is Y Combinator Startup Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A commercially focused show that features founder-focused discussions on building, funding, and scaling technology companies, with an emphasis on hard tech, AI-enabled workflows, open models, and ambitious infrastructure. Episodes frequently cover batch dynamics at a renowned accelerator, enterprise adoption of new tooling, and real-world case studies from startups moving fast in AI, robotics, and space-related ventures. Noteworthy is the blend of practitioner storytelling, technical depth, and strategic guidance from founders and YC-affiliated leaders, making it useful for listeners who want tangible tactics, market context, and signals on what investors and customers are prioritizing.

Distinctive strengths include deep dives into evolvin... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Y Combinator Startup Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Y Combinator Startup Podcast:

1. The a16z Show
2. The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
3. Training Data
4. No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups
5. Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

How many episodes of Y Combinator Startup Podcast are there?

Y Combinator Startup Podcast launched 9 years ago and published 347 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Y Combinator Startup Podcast?

Recent guests on Y Combinator Startup Podcast include:

1. Alex Danilowicz
2. Jeffrey Morgan
3. Anders Forslund
4. Max Junestrand
5. Susan Kare
6. Chelsea Finn
7. Peter Steinberger
8. Max Hodak

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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