YC F25 just produced one of the wildest Demo Days we’ve seen: AI everywhere, hardware roaring back, and a drone startup raising at ~$200M straight out of the batch.

If you care about where early-stage markets are really going, this is your field report.

In this episode of The Lobster Talks Podcast, we break down YC F25 Demo Day just hours after it wrapped.

We walk through the real themes behind the noise: AI as default, healthcare and finance getting rebuilt, deeptech and defense going mainstream, and why some YC valuations are starting to look… ambitious.

We also dig into Absurd (AI launch videos as a service), whether AI-powered services can be truly venture-backable, and what a $200M YC seed round means for fund math and future returns.

You’ll learn:

• Why “every startup is an AI startup” is no longer a hot take, it’s table stakes.
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• The under-discussed YC F25 trends: healthcare, financial services, “AI for the real world,” and deeptech/hardware.
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• How AI-enabled service providers like Absurd are rewriting the rules on what’s considered “venture-backable.”
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• The inside view on a YC F25 drone company raising at ~$200M and what that implies for fund-return math.
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• How YC valuations have quietly crept back up post-2023, and what that means if you’re raising or investing.
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• Why narrative, defense, space, and truly hard tech (Starcloud, Astroforge, Array Labs, Harper, etc.) are shifting what “normal” outcomes look like.
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📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Surprising Valuations and Market Dynamics

00:54 Sponsor Message: Stable's Business Address Solution

01:54 Welcome to Lobster Talks Podcast

02:45 Recap of YC F25 Demo Day

03:56 Diverse Categories in YC F25 Batch

05:31 AI's Impact on Various Industries

06:26 Deep Tech and Hardware Innovations

07:23 Consumer Startups in YC F25

09:53 The Rise of AI-Enabled Service Providers

16:11 Debate: Service Providers and Venture Backed Outcomes

22:44 Scaling Ad Production Challenges

23:11 The Future of Video Content

23:58 Absurd Valuations in YC Companies

24:21 Drone Company with a $200M Valuation

25:59 Investment Returns and Valuation Math

28:47 High Valuations and Market Trends

36:43 Ambitious YC Startups and Their Potential

39:17 The Cycle of YC Valuations

42:50 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes

🎧 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

This podcast episode is sponsored by Stable. Click here to sign up for a virtual address:

https://dashboard.usestable.com/onboard/begin?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=influencer_lobster&promoCode=lobster50

YC to 200K users without a marketing budget? HeRA is trying to become the Figma of motion design and put After Effects on notice.

This is a builder’s story: fast pivots, AI-native product, and a bold bet to scale from Berlin, not SF.

In this episode, Chia, co-founder & CTO of HeRA breaks down how they pivoted into AI motion design, grew to hundreds of thousands of users, and why they’re betting on an onsite Berlin team post-YC.

We cover PMF vs. virality, the UI/UX of AI video, the Figma vs. Adobe playbook, and how HeRA wants to power every SaaS launch video.

You’ll learn:

- Why the motion graphics wedge beat “all-in-one” AI video editors

- The YC pivot moment: prototype in two days → interview in a week

- Berlin vs. SF: talent, costs, and staying plugged into the Valley

- PMF litmus test for AI video: “1 min product video in less than 30 minutes”

- How HeRA generates code to animate motion (and why time makes it hard)

- The Figma analogy: AI-native UX vs. legacy add-ons—and why Adobe should worry

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

Chapters

00:00 The Origin of Hera: From Video Editor to Motion Graphics

00:29 Sponsorship Message: Stable's Virtual Address Service

01:28 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest

02:07 Chia's Journey with YC and Hera's Evolution

02:51 The Birth of Hera's Core Idea

05:25 Decision to Move Back to Berlin

14:53 Technical Insights: How Hera Works

19:46 Marketing Success and Product Market Fit

25:00 Creating Continuous Motion Graphics

25:22 Challenges in Long Video Generation

27:55 Competing with Adobe After Effects

30:28 The Future of Motion Graphics with AI

31:20 Collaborative Features and Market Vision

36:38 Trends in AI and Video Creation

43:23 Hera's Impact on the Industry

48:32 Closing Remarks and Future Outlook

🎧 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

This podcast episode is sponsored by Stable. Click here to sign up for a virtual address:

https://dashboard.usestable.com/onboard/begin?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=influencer_lobster&promoCode=lobster50

YC Fall ’25 Demo Day isn’t here yet, but the signal is already loud. We went through 150+ companies and picked the ones we’d fight to get allocation in.

From AI-native banks and eBay killers to fusion reactors in space and crowdsourced drug discovery, this episode is a pre–Demo Day breakdown of YC’s Fall ’25 batch. We go category by category (B2B, Consumer, Fintech, Healthcare, Industrial/Real Estate) and call our shots before founders hit the stage. No hindsight bias, just real-time conviction.

In this episode, we cover:

- Why AI video tool Waffer might become the Canva of motion, not just another Sora clone.

- How Sorce hit 500k+ users and got Drew Houston to Venmo them a $200K angel check.

- The AI-native consumer plays: SellRaze (the “AI eBay”) and Sunflower (sobriety companion that actually prevents relapse).

- Fintech 2.0 with Selfin (AI bank aggregator) and Fernstone (AI-powered insurance brokerage in a Berkshire-sized market).

- Wild upside in healthcare and deeptech: Exonic’s crowdsourced drug discovery and LunaBill’s AI phone agents for U.S. healthcare billing.

- The industrial moonshots: Axial Composites’ next-gen carbon fiber and Zephyr Fusion’s bid to do fusion… in orbit.

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

Chapters:

00:00 The Crazy Story of Sorce's Founding

00:56 Introducing Stable: The Business Address Solution

01:56 Welcome to Lobster Talks: Fall 25 Demo Day Preview

03:28 Diving into B2B Startups: Laurie's Top Pick

08:43 Exploring B2B Startups:Gabriel's Top Pick

16:31 Consumer Startups: Laurie's Favorite Pick

21:09 Consumer Startups: Gabriel's Top Pick

25:10 FinTech Startups: Laurie's Top Pick

28:43 AI Native Banking Revolution

29:45 AI in Insurance: Fernstone's Disruption

32:01 Healthcare Innovations: Exonic and LunaBill

38:21 Industrial and Real Estate Picks

42:21 Fusion Energy in Space: Zephyr Fusion

47:17 YC's Hardware and Deep Tech Push

50:36 Demo Day 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

This podcast episode is sponsored by Stable. Click here to sign up for a virtual address:

https://dashboard.usestable.com/onboard/begin?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=influencer_lobster&promoCode=lobster50