18VC Podcast

Conversations with the founders and investors shaping the student startup ecosystem.

Latest Episode

Andy Liu of Lullaby: Her Boyfriend's Bedtime Story Beat Calm, Headspace & Melatonin
Ep. 12Jul 4, 202657 min

Andy Liu of Lullaby: Her Boyfriend's Bedtime Story Beat Calm, Headspace & Melatonin

with Andy Liu

Andy Liu on building Lullaby — an AI sleep companion born from a 2 AM bedtime story — why she wants you off your phone, and how “sleep intelligence” is her moat against ChatGPT.

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All Episodes

Barry Li: He Ran a $1K/Week “Dark Market” at 15 — Now He Teaches Kids to Out-Build AI
Ep. 1159 min

Barry Li: He Ran a $1K/Week “Dark Market” at 15 — Now He Teaches Kids to Out-Build AI

with Barry Li

Barry Li — founder of OMNIAPATH and Wov3 — on running a $1K/week dorm “dark market” at 15, killing a profitable business the day he saw ChatGPT, and how to survive the AI era.

Jul 2, 2026Listen →
Founders, Foreign Markets, and Going Global from Korea with The Ventures' Ethan Cho
Ep. 1069:00

Founders, Foreign Markets, and Going Global from Korea with The Ventures' Ethan Cho

with Ethan Cho

Ethan Cho of TheVentures on building an AI-native fund, why “good companies” beat “good stocks,” and the brutal signals he uses to tell real founders from tourists.

Jun 29, 2026Listen →
With Model OS Founder Fernando Jia: The Doom of the “Rent Model” Era
Ep. 960:00

With Model OS Founder Fernando Jia: The Doom of the “Rent Model” Era

with Fernando Jia

Fernando shared with us his journey building the survival layer for AI Applications.

Jun 20, 2026Listen →
From a War Zone to Venture Capital — The "Chaos Native Strategist" Tigran Ghukasyan
Ep. 862:00

From a War Zone to Venture Capital — The "Chaos Native Strategist" Tigran Ghukasyan

with Tigran Ghukasyan

Tigran shared with us his story about growing up and learning to thrive in chaotic environments, and his journey from startup, corporation to venture capital.

Jun 17, 2026Listen →
Building Invisible AI with Bubbl Founder Tony Xiong: The AI Assistant With No App — It Just Texts You
Ep. 745:00

Building Invisible AI with Bubbl Founder Tony Xiong: The AI Assistant With No App — It Just Texts You

with Tony Xiong

Tony Xiong shared his journey of building an AI assistant that lives in your texts and pulls what actually matters out of your message chaos.

Jun 9, 2026Listen →
Building the AI Operating System for Apparel Manufacturing with ThreadLabs Co-Founders Rylan Jimenez & Diora Juraboeva
Ep. 675:00

Building the AI Operating System for Apparel Manufacturing with ThreadLabs Co-Founders Rylan Jimenez & Diora Juraboeva

with Rylan Jimenez, Diora Juraboeva

Rylan and Diora shares their journey as student founders building the OS for apparel manufacturing.

Jun 3, 2026Listen →
"You can't AI your way out of bad taste" — Diana Melencio (GP, XRC Ventures) on building the next $100M consumer brands
Ep. 545:00

"You can't AI your way out of bad taste" — Diana Melencio (GP, XRC Ventures) on building the next $100M consumer brands

with Diana Melencio

"You can't AI your way out of bad taste." Diana shares with us her take on how AI will reshape the next $100M consumer brand.

May 30, 2026Listen →
With Sabrina Li: “Question the Status Quo” — A Gen Z Investor's Playbook
Ep. 468:00

With Sabrina Li: “Question the Status Quo” — A Gen Z Investor's Playbook

with Sabrina Li

Sabrina Li shared her playbook as a Gen-Z investor.

May 29, 2026Listen →
Building the Robotic Workforce: Yondu AI's Michael Chen on Warehouse Robots, Teleoperation & Going from MIT to YC
Ep. 365:28

Building the Robotic Workforce: Yondu AI's Michael Chen on Warehouse Robots, Teleoperation & Going from MIT to YC

with Michael Chen

We dive into Yondu AI's story on how they are reshaping the warehouse workflow using humanoid robots.

May 27, 2026Listen →
With Founding GP Jack Crawford at CerraCap Impact Venture Capital: Bridging the Gap Between Market-Innovating Startups and Market-Leading Corporations
Ep. 273:00

With Founding GP Jack Crawford at CerraCap Impact Venture Capital: Bridging the Gap Between Market-Innovating Startups and Market-Leading Corporations

with Jack Crawford

Jack shared his journey into founding CerraCap Impact Venture Capital and his investment philosophy.

May 5, 2026Listen →
Revolutionizing Allergy Management with Immuny.ai Co-founders Luna Li & Mackenzie Dennill
Ep. 161:00

Revolutionizing Allergy Management with Immuny.ai Co-founders Luna Li & Mackenzie Dennill

with Mackenzie Dennill, Luna Li

Luna and Mackenzie shared their vision of "curing" allergy and their story of initiating Immuny.ai

Apr 18, 2026Listen →