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/@GJarrosson

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

Hospitals are bleeding $260 billion a year to denied insurance claims — and AI is making it worse. One YC founder decided to fight back, using AI to beat insurers at their own game.

In this episode, we dive deep into how Aegis, a Y Combinator startup, is using AI agents to help healthcare providers recover billions lost to claim denials. Founder Ong shares his journey from Calcutta to Carnegie Mellon to YC, the inside story of getting into YC at the last minute, and how his team is tackling one of healthcare’s most entrenched problems.

What you’ll learn:

- How YC companies are attacking trillion-dollar industries with AI

- Why healthcare loses $260B a year to denied insurance claims

- The hidden incentives driving insurers to deny payments

- How Aegis built real traction in just 10 weeks

- What YC really teaches founders beyond the playbook

- The power of the YC network and why it still compounds after demo day

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

Chapters:

00:00 The YC Application Journey

00:48 Introducing Krishang from Aegis

01:21 Krishang's Entrepreneurial Background

02:30 The Birth of Aegis

04:53 The Power of YC Content

07:03 Getting into YC: The Application Process

10:00 The YC Batch Experience

14:25 Maintaining Momentum Post-YC

17:59 Advice for Aspiring YC Applicants

19:09 Tackling the Healthcare Industry

21:41 Targeting Medical Billing Companies

22:07 AI in Insurance: A Growing Challenge

22:21 The Impact on Hospitals

24:31 Investor Perspectives on AI in Healthcare

26:48 Strategies for Success in Healthcare Startups

33:12 The YC Advantage

33:49 The Power of the YC Network

38:14 Silicon Valley's Collaborative Ecosystem

39:58 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/@GJarrosson