How a Last-Minute YC App Became a Global Payroll Wedge

They applied to YC with 90 minutes on the clock—and got in. Then they pivoted into the most operationally gnarly corner of fintech: global payroll. Avi Konduru (Shor) breaks down how AI agents + stablecoins can vertically rebuild EOR, cut costs by an order of magnitude, and expand the market beyond today’s incumbents.

In this episode, we go deep on YC as an ambition amplifier, pivot mechanics under real pressure, price vs. TAM strategy, and why launch videos (done right) are still YC’s most underrated distribution hack.

You’ll learn:

• How a 90-minute YC application (and one-take demo) still cleared the bar
• The precise wedge: vertically owning entities + automating back office with AI
• Why “someone else’s margin is your opportunity” actually maps to EOR
• Pricing strategy: undercut to expand TAM vs. match to maximize margin
• How YC Launch video distribution compresses customer discovery into days
• The pitfalls: agent reliability, compliance debt, and scaling beyond the batch

Chapters

00:00 The Last-Minute Application Rush

00:42 Welcome to Lobster Talks

01:07 Introducing Shor: Reinventing Global Payroll

02:38 The YC Experience: A Rollercoaster Journey

05:02 The Pivot: From Stablecoin Infra to EOR

10:29 Bootstrapping Challenges and Lessons Learned

18:00 The Unexpected Turn: Applying to YC Again

23:27 Competing with Deel and Rippling

27:07 Understanding Reseller Margins and Fees

27:27 Deel's Automation and Disruption in Entity Management

27:46 Setting Up Entities in High-Traffic Countries

28:49 Challenges and Regulatory Issues in Global Payroll

30:06 AI Agents Revolutionizing EOR Operations

32:33 Pricing Strategy and Market Expansion

40:11 The Power of Launch Videos in YC

44:07 The Role of Influencers in Marketing

48:07 Future Challenges and Customer Acquisition

51:31 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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