Blog
Writing from Lobster.
Long-form essays from Lobster Capital, published on Substack.
Lobster Capital1 min readThe Co-Founder Paradox: Are Investors Missing a Trick?
There exists a paradox in investor preference for co-founded startups: 65% of startup failure is because of founder conflict, making it the #1 predictor of failure.
May 27, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readAre YC founders building on the wrong side of the model layer? Here's how we know.
Founders building AI-native companies today have unconsciously slotted into one of two positions:
May 21, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readThe Great VC Catfishing
How the signals VCs rely on became the easiest things to fake, and what investors look for instead
May 13, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readARR Is Broken.
How creative ARR is damaging for both founders and investors and what we look for instead.
May 6, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readLobster Capital – Q1 Update
I’m pleased to share highlights from our April 2026 quarterly update.
April 27, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readWhy Higher YC Valuations Hurt Most Founders (Even if They’re Good for Investors)
Congratulations on Your Round. Now You’re Stuck
April 15, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readThe Third Era of Y Combinator: From Accelerator to Operating System
In June 2025, YC held its first AI Startup School, gathering 2,500 computer science students who hadn’t yet founded a company.
April 9, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readHow YC is Stress Testing Venture Math
Venture capital brands itself as the asset class for risk takers, but the psychology of today’s investors has drifted toward capital preservation rather than asymmetric…
April 2, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readYC’s Record Breaking W26 Demo Day Recap
Why Investors Are Paying Double
March 28, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readIs Your Startup Worthless?
You just shipped your product.
March 17, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readYC W26: The Definitive Investor's Guide
What to Watch, What to Skip, and Where Lobster Capital Is Placing Bets
March 12, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readOur $50M Markup Shows Why Small Business Is the Last AI Frontier.
Harper, the AI-native insurance brokerage we backed coming out of YC W25, raised a $47M Series A led by Emergence Capital.
March 5, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readAccess vs Sourcing in VC and YC
A lot of funds say they invest in YC companies.
February 26, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readThe New Due Diligence for VCs: AI Coding Ability
YC is famous for its application process.
February 19, 2026- Lobster Capital1 min read
A Robot Just Folded Someone's Laundry. The Company Behind It Is Worth $39 Billion.
A robot just folded someone’s laundry in a demo video, and the company behind it is worth $39 billion.
February 17, 2026 - Lobster Capital1 min read
How Google KILLED ChatGPT in 2 years
Remember eighteen months ago?
February 12, 2026 
Lobster Capital1 min readAnnouncing YC Roaster: Free, Brutally Honest YC Application Reviews
Every YC batch, we see the same thing happen again and again.
January 29, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readBrex and The Scoreboard for Startup Success
Brex just sold to Capital One for $5.15B.
January 27, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readThe $800 Billion Question: Why You’re Missing the Best Returns in Venture
In 2009, at the peak of the global financial crisis, a small group of startups emerged from a Y Combinator winter batch.
January 22, 2026
Lobster Capital1 min readBuild It, Use It, Forget It
Why Personal Software Is Eating Commercial Software
January 20, 2026
