YC just added one question that quietly changes what it means to be a founder.

And it’s not about your TAM. It’s not about your pitch. It’s about how you use AI to build.

In this episode of Lobster Talks, we break down YC’s newest application change, the rise of coding agents like Claude Code, and what this signals about where startup building, and venture capital is heading next.

We also go deep on YC Roaster, Lobster Capital’s new initiative helping founders improve their YC applications using AI + YC alumni review.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

- Why YC’s new “coding agent session” question is a founder filter

- How vibe coding is becoming table stakes in 2026

- What 20,000 YC applications really signal about global founders

- Why traction keeps rising as the YC acceptance bar

- How smart VCs are building internal tools and why most aren’t

- Why the best founders and funds pivot fast

This is a behind-the-scenes look at how YC evaluates builders today.

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

Chapters:

00:00 Claude Code Is Addictive: Why Everyone’s Vibe Coding Now

00:44 Sponsor Break: YC Roaster - Free, Brutally Honest YC Application Feedback

01:27 Welcome to Lobster Talks: What’s New in the YC World

02:00 How YC Roaster Was Built (Fast) + How the AI→Alumni Review Flow Works

03:37 Launch Results: Hundreds of Apps, MVP Bugs, and the V2 Relaunch Plan

06:23 What Applicants Look Like: Quality Spread, Global Submissions, and Reviewer Time Sinks

11:29 Why Build YC Roaster: Lobster’s “Helpful Fund” Flywheel + VCs Who Ship

14:20 YC’s New Application Question: Submit a Coding Agent Session You’re Proud Of

15:06 What YC Is Really Testing: Technical Bar, AI Fluency, and Advanced Agent Workflows

22:42 Founder vs Idea: Pivot Culture, Proof-of-Work, and How AI Changes Evaluation

27:06 VCs Need Tools Too: Internal Engineering, Interactive Marketing, and Fund Differentiation

29:28 YC Request for Startups: 2026 Themes - Agents, Stablecoins, GovTech, Spatial/Robotics

31:33 Wrap-Up: Subscribe, Reviews, and Next Week’s YC Founder

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1u1JyRKH8JYFjhBkvTUOAP

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

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

Most people treat their bodies like a car they only fix after it crashes.

Max Berthelot and Lucis are rewriting that script by turning longitudinal blood data into a high-margin, preventive software play.

In this episode, we sit down with Max Berthelot, founder of Lucis (YC S25), to discuss why "Function Health for Europe" is one of the most compelling arbitrage opportunities in the venture world.

We dive into the cultural shift of paying for health in Europe, the technical challenge of scaling doctor-supervised AI, and the relentless execution required to expand across five countries in record time.

What you’ll learn:

- Why blood data is the "Gold Rush" of the next decade.

- The YC strategy for conquering fragmented European markets.

- How to maintain "San Francisco Velocity" while based in Paris.

- Why AI + Wearables are currently overhyped (and what's missing).

- The 5-day fundraising sprint: How Lucis closed their round during YC.

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

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Preventive Health and Function Health

00:45 Welcome to Lobster Talks Podcast

01:32 Meet Max Berthelot and Lucis

02:23 The Importance of Longitudinal Health Tracking

05:02 Challenges and Opportunities in European Healthcare

09:14 The YC Experience and Decision to Stay in Europe

12:54 Maintaining YC Culture in Europe

18:13 The Role of AI in Healthcare

22:14 Expansion Across Europe

23:00 International Expansion Playbook

23:53 Challenges in European Market

25:35 Relentless Execution and Metrics

28:35 Trends in YC Healthcare Startups

32:22 Fundraising Journey and AI Impact

36:11 Overhyped Trends in Health Tech

39:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1u1JyRKH8JYFjhBkvTUOAP

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

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

Factories don’t buy hype. They buy uptime.

In this episode, YC-backed Cerrion CEO Karim Saleh explains why industrial computer vision is one of YC’s most underrated AI wedges, and why it can beat flashier “copilot” markets on sheer dollar-weight and defensibility.

Karim breaks down how Cerrion deploys camera-based AI agents to detect production issues in real time, why manufacturing is a $20T opportunity, and what most investors get wrong about selling into factories. If you’re building “real-world AI,” this is the playbook… from five paid pilots before code to scaling via workflows, not dashboards.

What you’ll learn:

• Why YC keeps funding industrial computer vision (even across hype cycles)
• The technical truth: every factory is different… and why VLMs change the game
• The go-to-market wedge that wins: small scope → fast ROI → expansion (NRR)
• How Cerrion embeds into daily factory workflows (shift meetings, handovers, owners)
• The biggest investor myth about manufacturing sales cycles, and the real unlock
• Why competition-heavy AI markets are a trap (and what to build instead)

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

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Manufacturing Market Opportunity

00:38 Welcome to Lobster Talks

01:11 Introducing Karim Saleh and Cerrion

02:16 The Evolution of AI in Manufacturing

03:47 Challenges and Solutions in Industrial AI

05:40 The Impact of US Reindustrialization

08:44 Customer Success and Expansion Strategies

15:44 Fundraising and Market Trends

26:07 Future of Industrial AI and YC Insights

36:07 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1u1JyRKH8JYFjhBkvTUOAP

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

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