The Social Radars

Hosted by Jessica Livingston

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Nov 2026

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About the show

Jessica Livingston and Carolynn Levy are The Social Radars. Carolynn and Jessica have been working together to help thousands of startups at Y Combinator for almost 20 years. Come be a fly on the wall as they talk to some of the most successful founders in Silicon Valley about how they did it.

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November 6, 202647 min

Blake Scholl, Founder & CEO, Boom Supersonic: Part 2

In this Social Radars episode we talk with Blake Scholl about one of the cleverest business model transformations in the history of startups: Boom's move into building gas turbines. When Rolls Royce pulled out as Boom's engine supplier, it seemed to many like fatally bad news. But instead it not only helped Boom solve boomless supersonic flight, but also enabled them to tap a huge new revenue stream to fund development of the airliner.

May 21, 20261 hr 6 min

John Coogan, Co-Founder & Host at TBPN

In the latest Social Radars episode, we turn the tables on John Coogan of TBPN. Now he's answering the questions instead of asking him. We especially liked talking to John because he shares a similar philosophy to us: instead of attacking your subjects, which is easy and boring, ask them the question that will yield the most interesting answers.

April 28, 20261 hr 22 min

Ron Conway, Founder, SV Angel: Silicon Valley Bank Crisis

In today's Social Radars episode we talk to Ron Conway about one of the most momentous events in recent Silicon Valley history, the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, and the frantic behind-the-scenes efforts that prevented it, with just hours to spare, from triggering a Depression-style financial panic.

April 15, 20261 hr 5 min

Justin Kan, Cofounder, Twitch

In this episode of The Social Radars, we talk to Justin Kan, who has spent his whole adult life in startups, much of it around YC in some way. We've funded him three times, the first time in the very first batch, and he's been a YC partner too. So Justin has seen it all, and because he's so candid, he tells it all too.

March 19, 20261 hr 2 min

Paul Graham, Founder, Y Combinator

Paul Graham is back in the latest episode of The Social Radars. This time we focus on what was going on behind the scenes at Y Combinator back in the early years. If you really want to understand what YC is like and what made it that way, this is the episode for you.

March 3, 20261 hr 7 min

Peter Reinhardt, CEO & co-founder, Charm Industrial; CEO & co-founder, Segment

In the latest episode of The Social Radars, we talk to Peter Reinhardt, who has the distinction of having started two iconic companies that are completely different from one another: Segment, which does web analytics, and Charm Industrial, which catches CO2 before it can return to the atmosphere and buries it in the ground.

February 17, 20261 hr 9 min

Tom Blomfield, Partner, Y Combinator; Co-Founder, Monzo

In today's episode of The Social Radars, we talk to Tom Blomfield, founder and original CEO of the transformative British fintech startup Monzo, and now a YC partner. The striking thing about this interview is simply how much has happened to him. Tom has spent his entire working life in startups and it has been a remarkably wild ride even by startup standards.

February 3, 20261 hr 16 min

Spenser Skates, Founder & CEO, Amplitude

In this episode we talk with Spenser Skates of Amplitude. Amplitude is a spectacular example of a something people talk a lot about in Silicon Valley: the pivot. Their initial idea failed because they depended on technology they didn't have enough control over, but the new one was so successful that they took it all the way to an IPO.

January 20, 20261 hr 7 min

Christina Cacioppo, Founder & CEO, Vanta

In this episode of The Social Radars we talk to Christina Cacioppo of Vanta. Christina is a case study in agency. She actually did all the things founders know they ought to do but don't have the discipline to. She taught herself to code. She solved an unsexy but real problem. She focused on talking to customers instead of investors. She even put put off raising a Series A (despite inbound interest) till Vanta had $10M in ARR.

January 7, 20261 hr 11 min

David Kirtley, Founder & CEO of Helion Energy

In today's episode we talk to the founder of a startup that will have momentous consequences for the whole world if it works: David Kirtley, Founder & CEO of Helion Energy, who is building an actual fusion power plant. Fusion has always been something that was 20 years in the future. Not anymore. The new Helion model, which they're constructing right now, is going to achieve net electricity production.