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

Lawyers hate tracking time. PointOne turned that universal pain into an AI wedge, and used the YC playbook to move fast in one of the most conservative, high-ARPU markets on earth.

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Katon Luaces (YC ’24) breaks down how PointOne built an “AI time platform” for law firms, why “hard thing first” compounds, and what investors routinely misread about early traction vs. real product validation.

You’ll learn:

- Why “why now” is the only filter that matters for AI startups

- How PointOne got early users fast with aggressive cold outbound

- The “hard thing first” strategy—and why it creates real moats

- The truth: early traction validates the problem, retention validates the solution

- How to sell AI into skeptical industries with “stepping-stone” adoption

- Why AI law firms are real… but “one law firm in the future” is unlikely

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The Importance of Long-Term Customer Retention

00:33 Welcome to Lobster Talks: Featuring Katon Luaces

01:09 Introducing PointOne: Revolutionizing Time Tracking for Law Firms

01:54 The Magic of Technology: Making the Impossible Possible

02:46 The YC Journey: From Idea to Execution

03:59 Balancing Technology and Market Demand

05:52 Navigating YC: Maximizing Traction and Growth

07:29 Building a Complex Product: Challenges and Strategies

11:51 Post-YC Growth: From Zero to Exponential

13:18 The Philosophy of Tackling the Hardest Problems First

16:35 The Reality of Startup Life: Persistence and Iteration

21:22 Selling AI to a Traditional Industry: Overcoming Resistance

26:31 Innovative Business Models in Law Firms

27:06 Impact of AI on Legal Practice

28:07 AI Tools and Job Transformation

30:31 Competing with AI in Legal Services

31:59 Challenges and Opportunities for AI Law Firms

35:17 Future of AI in Legal and Other Sectors

37:41 YC's Role in AI Legal Startups

41:52 Overhyped and Underpriced AI Investments

47:19 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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

🎧 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

Focus groups used to take 6–8 weeks and cost around $30–50k.

Motives is a YC Summer ’25 company that does it in a day, and is doing it the hard way: with real humans, not synthetic personas.

In this episode of Lobster Talks, we sit down with Sean (Motives, YC S25) to unpack how AI-native companies are replacing legacy services, why YC is doubling down on agents, and the real tradeoffs of building outside San Francisco.

You’ll learn:

• Why Motives can run focus-group-grade research in 1–2 days vs 6–8 weeks
• The truth about synthetic users vs real humans (and where each wins)
• YC’s real “secret” (spoiler: it’s not a secret) and why it maps perfectly to agents
• The underrated founder problem: sales vs customer success once you have traction
• Why “unlimited research” pricing can create addiction-level usage
• London vs SF: customer density, talent economics, and survivability as a founder
• 
  

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

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Motives: Revolutionizing Consumer Research with AI

00:31 Welcome to Lobster Talks: Meet Sean from Motives

01:01 Deep Dive into Motives: How It Works and Its Advantages

01:49 The Evolution of Market Research: From Traditional to AI-Powered

03:52 Comparing Human and AI-Driven Consumer Research

09:58 The YC Experience: Building AI-Native Businesses

14:57 Challenges and Strategies for AI Startups

24:07 Sales and Customer Success in AI Agent Businesses

28:10 Reflecting on Client Payments and Capital

28:35 Testing the Unlimited Plan

28:57 Challenges and Learnings from AI Research

32:14 Quality Control and Automation

34:36 The Importance of Customer Feedback

36:20 Choosing London Over San Francisco

38:16 Advantages of Being in London

44:02 Balancing Work and Personal Life

47:38 Cultural Differences in Tech

52:40 Final Thoughts and Reflections

🎧 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