Disasterproof

What does it take to build something that survives? In episode one of the Disasterproof Podcast, hosts Kat Mañalac and Bill Clerico sat down with Y Combinator co-founders Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston to find out.From the 2008 financial crash to COVID-19 to the current AI moment, Paul and Jessica share how YC has weathered uncertainty, why they look for "cockroaches" in their portfolio, and how the founders who thrive are the ones who learn to get stronger from the chaos."There's always some kind of disaster going on. It's almost a rule of thumb at Y Combinator — just like in a hospital, there's always somebody who's coding." - Paul Graham."Adaptability is a really key trait to have always as a founder, but especially in these sort of unknown times when you don't know what the future holds" - Jessica Livingston.Thanks to our partners the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Chapters00:00 Welcome to Disasterproof 01:35 How to be an expert in a changing world06:35 Building resilient companies: what YC looks for 16:00 What keeps YC resilient after 20+ years 24:03 Bill's wildfire origin story 27:45 Climate investing and the hard tech opportunity35:38 Guilt vs. greed39:55 Personal resilience and sticking to your North Star 47:00 Are you a prepper? 48:10 What do you hope for in the next 10 years? 51:32 What keeps you up at night? AI and climate changeDisasterproof Hosts: Kat Manalac and Bill Clerico Co-Directors: Maya Craig & Nick Stone SchearerCamera Operator: Isara KriegerSound Mixer: Myriam BoisselleEditor: Nick Stone Schearer

In wildfire response, speed is everything. By the time firefighters reach many fire starts, the fire is already too large to easily contain. In 2018, the Camp Fire showed how quickly a small ignition can turn into a catastrophic disaster—destroying an entire town in less than a day. That is why many fire experts believe the most important window is the first few minutes after a fire is detected. In this episode of Disasterproof, we visit Seneca and its founder Stuart Landesberg to see how autonomous firefighting aircraft could change that. Their drones are designed to launch quickly, find fires on their own, and suppress them before they spread. At the test range, we watch the system in action—and explore a future where fleets of autonomous aircraft help protect communities from wildfire. Subscribe for new episodes:  disasterproof.com  Chapters 00:00 A first flight for a wildfire drone 01:08 The lesson of the Camp Fire 01:30 Why the first 10 minutes matter 03:10 Inside Seneca’s new firefighting aircraft 04:28 Preparing for the live fire test 05:01 How the aircraft suppresses fire 06:03 The autonomous flight test 07:12 Nature's sprinkler system 09:06 Seneca’s vision for wildfire response 10:43 A future of autonomous fire protection Disasterproof Hosts: Kat Manalac and Bill Clerico Director/Producer: Zach Both Cinematographer: Matt Piniol Assistant Camera: Colt Bradley Editors: Josh and Amanda Deisler Motion Graphics: Jules Verardi

Wildfires are putting more towns and critical infrastructure at risk every year. In 2024, the largest wildfire in Texas history spread rapidly toward the town of Borger until it reached the edge of town and just… stopped. The town was spared because months earlier the Borger Fire Department had deliberately set fire to the land surrounding the town. This is called prescribed burning, an ancient land management practice designed to remove the vegetation that fuels catastrophic wildfires.Today, the challenge is safely doing prescribed burning at the scale needed to protect modern landscapes. Luckily, there are people working to provide a modern solution to this problem. In our first episode of Disasterproof, we visit BurnBot’s headquarters to meet CEO Anukool Lakhina and see the machines designed to make prescribed fire faster, safer, and more scalable. We also sit down with Archie Stone, the Wildland Fire Coordinator who advocated for the prescribed burns that ended up saving the town of Borger. Together, they make the case that the best way to fight fire is with fire.Subscribe for new episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@disasterproofhq?sub_confirmation=1Disasterproof Hosts: Kat Manalac and Bill ClericoDirector/Producer: Zach BothCinematographer: Matt PiniolAssistant Camera: Matt Breetzke Editors: Josh and Amanda DeislerMotion Graphics: Jules Verardi