$60M Bet on AI Replacing Addiction Therapy

The recovery market is broken, and most VCs are too scared to touch it. Koby Conrad (CEO of Sunflower) joins the show to discuss why he’s betting his career on solving addiction using AI.  After a successful exit at Rupa Health, Koby moved to Buenos Aires with nothing but a backpack to "vibe code" the future of sobriety.  In this episode, we dive into the "no-meeting" SAFE phenomenon, why SaaS moats are dying, and how Sunflower reached $1M ARR in record time. What you will learn: Why the "Wellness" category is a trap for serious founders.How to raise capital in "emotionally difficult" or stigmatized markets.The strategy behind giving away software for free to monetize physical "atoms."Inside the YC Fall 25 batch: What has changed since 2019.Why AI sponsors are actually more effective for lonely users than human ones. 📌 Watch now and subscribe for more smart, fast, founder-first interviews. Chapters:  00:00 Choosing Mission Over Money 00:30 YC Roaster Sponsor Break 01:14 Why Addiction Is Underserved 02:08 What Sunflower Builds 03:24 Fundraising In A Stigmatized Market 05:14 Why Not A Wellness App 08:00 Stigma Parallels And Founder Backstory 10:37 YC Twice And The Compounding Effect 13:59 No Meeting SAFEs And Investor Alpha 18:31 Limits Of AI In Recovery 22:06 From Subscriptions To Clinics 28:14 Distribution Moats And Community 30:27 Community Network Moats 31:21 Software Is Not The Moat 31:57 B2B Pilots And Revenue Paths 33:18 Finding Product Model Fit 34:56 Why Start Over For Addiction 37:01 Backpack Minimalism Reset 39:24 Garry Tan As Group Partner 43:04 Rapid Fire AI Predictions 43:45 Gambling Addiction Rabbit Hole 46:34 AI Across Healthcare And Ash 50:59 Smarter Than The Robot 51:53 Where To Find Sunflower 🎧 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 Lobster Talks episode is brought to you by YC Roaster, a free tool helping founders improve their YC applications.  🔗 https://ycroaster.com