The 10 Best YouTube Channels Every Entrepreneur Should Watch in 2025

Starting a company is chaotic. You’re constantly learning, pivoting, and guessing what will work next. The best education doesn’t come from business school or courses but from people who’ve lived through it.

YouTube has quietly become the most valuable classroom for entrepreneurs. The right channels give you access to real founders, investors, and builders who talk about what actually happens when you try to create something from nothing.

These ten channels aren’t about motivation. They’re about learning from experience.

1. Y Combinator

Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/ycombinator

Hosts: Michael Seibel, Dalton Caldwell, and YC partners

What It Covers: This is the closest thing to a real startup education online. YC’s videos show how early founders think, what they focus on, and how they adjust when things break. It’s practical, specific, and rooted in real company stories. You feel like you’re sitting in a classroom full of people who are all trying to build something ambitious. 

What You’ll Gain:

• A clearer sense of how to test and validate your ideas

• Real fundraising lessons from people who’ve raised and rejected capital

• Insight into how top founders make decisions when they don’t have perfect data
  

2. a16z (Andreessen Horowitz)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@a16z

Hosts: Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and the a16z team What It Covers:a16z’s content is what you listen to when you want to understand where the world is heading. The conversations aren’t about quick wins as they’re about big shifts in tech, AI, and the economy. It’s smart, occasionally dense, but always thought-provoking. You get to hear how top-tier investors and founders actually think about opportunity. What You’ll Gain:

• A better feel for what investors care about and why

• Perspective on long-term market timing and positioning

• Ideas that make you question how your startup fits into the next decade
  

3. Stanford eCorner

Link: https://www.youtube.com/ecorner

Hosts: Stanford University faculty and guest entrepreneurs What It Covers: Stanford eCorner gives you a calm, thoughtful look at entrepreneurship. The talks aren’t about tactics, but they’re about people, purpose, and the realities of leadership. Many of the speakers have built massive companies and are honest about what they got wrong along the way. What You’ll Gain:

• Perspective on why mission and culture matter more than hype

• Lessons on leadership from people who’ve led through uncertainty

• Reflection on the balance between growth and personal values
  

4. Startup Grind

Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/StartupGrind

Hosts: Global founder and investor guests What It Covers: Startup Grind is where you hear what really happens between milestones. The interviews go beyond success stories and into the messy middle, such as co-founder conflicts, near-failures, and product pivots. It’s refreshing to hear founders talk honestly about what building actually feels like. What You’ll Gain:

• Perspective from founders who built outside traditional startup hubs

• Stories that remind you that every company struggles before it works

• Lessons that feel like advice from a peer, not a lecturer
  

5. Harvard i-Lab

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@harvardiLab

Hosts: Harvard Innovation Lab mentors and founders What It Covers: The Harvard i-Lab channel focuses on founders in the early stages like the ones still figuring things out. You’ll find real discussions about validation, storytelling, and finding early customers. It’s structured and grounded, ideal if you’re still defining your idea or building your first product. What You’ll Gain:

• A realistic view of what early progress looks like

• Advice on balancing purpose with practicality

• Guidance that helps you stay patient while testing ideas
  

6. This Week in Startups

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekInStartups

Host: Jason Calacanis What It Covers: This is one of the few shows where investors and founders talk honestly about the numbers, not just the narrative. Jason Calacanis asks sharp questions and gets real answers about what’s working in tech and what’s hype. It’s useful if you want to understand how the startup world looks from the inside. What You’ll Gain:

• Real investor insight without the buzzwords

• Clarity on how funding rounds and valuations actually work

• A more grounded view of the startup ecosystem
  

7. Lex Fridman

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@lexfridman

Host: Lex Fridman What It Covers: Lex Fridman’s interviews move slowly and stay deep. He brings on entrepreneurs, scientists, and thinkers, and lets conversations breathe. You start to notice how people at the top think, such as their curiosity, their calm, and how they connect ideas across fields. What You’ll Gain:

• A better sense of long-term thinking in business

• Mental models from leaders who think in decades, not quarters

• Appreciation for how curiosity shapes innovation
  

8. My First Million

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@MyFirstMillionPodcast

Hosts: Shaan Puri and Sam Parr What It Covers: This is one of the few business podcasts that’s both smart and genuinely fun to watch. Shaan and Sam throw around real business ideas, dissect trends, and break down how people are quietly making money online. It’s casual but sharp but a reminder that opportunity is everywhere if you pay attention. What You’ll Gain:

• New ways to spot and test ideas

• A sense that entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be rigid or traditional

• Encouragement to experiment without overcomplicating things
  

9. Noah Kagan

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@NoahKagan

Host: Noah Kagan What It Covers: Noah Kagan’s channel is pure practicality. He talks about what’s working for him right now — the experiments, the numbers, the mistakes. It’s not theory or mindset talk; it’s what you wish more entrepreneurs shared in public. You can learn something useful in every video. What You’ll Gain:

• Step-by-step tactics that actually work in the real world

• Honest insight from someone who’s built multiple businesses

• Motivation that comes from action, not hype
  

10. TED and TEDx Talks (Business)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

Hosts: Global thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators What It Covers: TED is the reminder that business isn’t just numbers and growth. The talks stretch your perspective and challenge how you think about leadership, communication, and creativity. Some of the best talks here stay with you for years, shaping how you see yourself as a leader. What You’ll Gain:

• A broader understanding of what leadership really means

• A reminder to connect logic with emotion when building something

• Ideas that help you see your business as part of something larger

Ready to Learn Like a Founder Who Builds, Not Just Watches?

At Ellenox, we help entrepreneurs turn insight into action. Whether you’re shaping your first product, refining your business model, or scaling for investment, our venture studio guides you through every stage of building with clarity and confidence.

If these channels inspire you to build smarter, Ellenox helps you execute faster. Grow with strategy. Build with focus. Learn with Ellenox Venture Studio.