French investor Gabriel Jarrosson has raised a $12 million venture fund that invests exclusively in Y Combinator startups, leveraging his YouTube following and founder background to compete in the crowded YC ecosystem. Lobster Capital’s debut fund surpassed its $8 million target and follows Jarrosson’s successful angel syndicate that deployed $36 million into startups since 2020, according to recent SEC filings.
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The Y Combinator Advantage: Data-Driven Investment Strategy
Jarrosson’s exclusive focus on Y Combinator companies stems from compelling performance data. YC startups demonstrate significantly higher success rates than the broader venture market, with approximately 4.5% achieving unicorn status compared to 2.5% for other venture-backed seed-stage companies. The accelerator also boasts a 45% Series A conversion rate, substantially higher than the industry average of 33%.
“If you think about the VC math and the returns, these outcomes are obviously great for your portfolio,” Jarrosson told TechCrunch. “As investors, you have to ask yourself, can this company become the next unicorn? If the answer is yes, it’s often okay to invest even at a slightly higher valuation.” This conviction allows him to justify premium valuations that often deter other investors, recognizing that YC’s track record of 90+ unicorns justifies the price entry.
From YouTube to Venture Capital: Building Through Content
Jarrosson’s journey into venture capital began in 2017 when he launched a French-language YouTube channel to document his investment journey, frustrated by limited access to promising French startups. The channel evolved into one of Europe’s largest angel syndicates before culminating in Lobster Capital. His content strategy continues through podcasts featuring YC founders and a LinkedIn following exceeding 40,000 professionals.
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“I try to do well by founders. People also hear about the firm from social media, and as a former founder, they know I can help them because many funds are built by people who have not been operators before,” Jarrosson explained. This operator-founder alignment, combined with strong ratings on YC’s internal Bookface platform, helps him secure allocations despite intense competition during demo days that attract hundreds of funds chasing the same deals.
Riding the AI Wave and Portfolio Performance
Lobster Capital has capitalized on the surge of AI-first startups dominating recent Y Combinator batches. Jarrosson notes that three consecutive YC cohorts have shattered revenue growth records, with companies reaching millions in annual recurring revenue within months of launching. While some industry observers question whether this ARR traction reflects sustainable growth or inflated pilot programs, Jarrosson maintains that early revenue remains the most significant hurdle.
Through his syndicate and Lobster Capital’s first fund, Jarrosson has made more than 100 investments across B2B SaaS, fintech infrastructure, and AI tools. His portfolio includes two unicorns and several emerging stars, including Jeeves, Baubap, Flutterflow, Metriport, Alinea, and Jiga. The fund’s strategy aligns with broader venture trends showing YC’s increasing dominance in early-stage AI investing.
The Personal Brand VC Movement Gains Momentum
Jarrosson represents a growing cohort of investors building venture firms through personal branding and content creation. He cites Harry Stebbings, whose 20VC podcast helped him raise a $400 million fund this year, and Garry Tan, who grew Initialized Capital to $3 billion in assets under management before becoming YC’s CEO, as key inspirations. Like these predecessors, Jarrosson treats social media and content as both community-building tools and deal-generation engines.
This approach also attracts limited partners who often discover his fund through videos or podcasts before reviewing formal investment materials. While investing exclusively in YC companies isn’t novel—firms like Initialized Capital, Pioneer Fund, and Rebel Fund pioneered the strategy—Jarrosson’s content-driven differentiation provides competitive advantage in an increasingly crowded space. His success demonstrates how content creation is reshaping venture capital access and fundraising.
References:
SEC Edgar Database
Y Combinator Top Companies
PitchBook YC Demo Day Analysis
Initialized Capital
Harvard Business Review on VC Content Strategy
