Vol.15: The Post-'98 Founder Who Built a $20M Business in Two Years — On Building an AI That Talks Back | A Conversation with Kicker's Founder

Vol.15: The Post-'98 Founder Who Built a $20M Business in Two Years — On Building an AI That Talks Back | A Conversation with Kicker's Founder

April 7, 2026

🎙️ Show Intro

The last generation of founders used digital products to optimize efficiency. This generation is using AI to create something with "life."

Twice a college dropout and now 28, Alex (Jiabei Liu) has produced viral "ten-thousand-word essays" that racked up millions of reads, and built a game with 500,000 DAU that attracted investment from a top 100 North American DJ. This time, instead of chasing the "efficiency" logic of tools, he built an Agent that talks back — Kicker.

It connects to your email and calendar. When you procrastinate, slack off, or avoid life's mundane tasks, it needles you: "You want the power out, or the WiFi gone?" True to its name, Kicker aims to, well, kick you at the critical moment — to get you moving again.

In episode two of Yunqi Capital's Y Transformers post-investment series "Y Talk," we sat down with Alex to trace his entrepreneurial path and explore how an AI product that both roasts you and gets you was designed.

We also use this AI-native startup as a case study — through the dual lens of founder and investor — to understand something bigger:

When the post-'98 generation builds AI products, what are they actually changing? And understanding these builders may be how we understand where we're all headed.

💡 What You'll Hear This Episode

  • A continuous entrepreneurial arc from content to gaming to Agent
  • The product logic behind an AI that both challenges and understands you
  • The critical shift for AI-native products: from "efficiency tool" to "relationship product"

🎁 Big Giveaway This Episode: 1 Mac mini

Three simple steps to enter:

  1. Comment below: Reply "entering giveaway" in the comments, plus your thoughts on Agent products
  2. Use Kicker: Try Kicker (https://www.usekicker.com/get-started) and screenshot your most interesting interaction (roasts welcome!)
  3. DM our assistant: Add WeChat YunXiaoQi2014, send your screenshot + feedback to lock in your entry

Note: We'll announce winners in the comments by April 25

🎙️ Guests

Jiabei Liu (Alex)

  • Founder & CEO of Kicker, Yunqi Y Transformers portfolio company
  • Serial entrepreneur; founded "Suyuan Yuxin," pioneering the "ten-thousand-word essay" format
  • Former overseas game founder; 440+ games in his Steam library

Gavin Wei

  • Investor, Yunqi Frontier Technology Team
  • Lead investor, Y Transformers

Host: Linda Li

  • Managing Director, Yunqi Capital

🎧 Timeline

【01 | Founder Journey: A Case Study in Constant Hustle】

03:44

From content to gaming to AI

  • The "ten-thousand-word essay" and a 500K DAU product
  • Core competence isn't the vertical — it's continuous validation and transferability

【02 | Key Insight: Why Users Say "You Get Me"】

10:02

"Useful" doesn't equal "understood"

  • What truly moves people is being seen and responded to

【03 | Kicker: An Agent That Kicks You Into Gear】

24:52

From tool to proactive life coach

  • Actively intervenes in your life rather than passively responding

【04 | Relationship Products: A New Paradigm for AI-Native】

29:32

The path to "getting" someone

  • Memory, prioritization, and long-term context accumulation

【05 | Behavior & Motivation: Why Users Let Themselves Be "Managed"】

34:15

Not efficiency — growth-driven

  • Gamification's essence is intrinsic motivation, not rewards

【06 | Product Experience: Why "Snark" Actually Works】

36:56

Moderate provocation feels more real

  • AI starts influencing behavior, not just reminding

【07 | Technical Inflection Point: What OpenClaw Enabled】

41:45

From workflow to Agent

  • Six days to rearchitect — acceleration, not starting over

【08 | Product Moat: Long-Term Defensibility for AI Applications】

46:37

Not features — context

  • The longer you use it, the harder to replace

【09 | Investor Perspective: What Makes an AI Application Worth Building】

48:05

Moats come from process, data, and scenario

  • Code is no longer scarce; understanding the world is

【10 | Generational Differences: What Post-'98 Founders Are Doing Differently】

52:13

From "efficiency" to "experience"

  • More global, more attuned to aesthetics and human texture

【11 | Closing: Core Competencies for AI-Native Founders】

01:01:01

Product definition > storytelling

  • Can you continuously understand needs and iterate fast?

【12 | Bonus: Rapid Fire & Giveaway】

01:05:46

On ambition, choices, and alternate paths

  • Special giveaway: Mac mini (see pinned comment for details)

Kicker product link: https://www.usekicker.com/get-started

🚀 Join Yunqi Y Transformers

If you're a post-'98 AI founder, we invite you to join Yunqi Capital's Y Transformers investment program. We bring more than capital — we're committed to helping you find your "certainty" in the AI wave.

🏢 About Yunqi

Founded in 2014, Yunqi Capital is a leading early-stage investor focused on digital intelligence and hard tech. We've been repeatedly ranked among China's top 10 early-stage investment firms by Zero2IPO, ChinaVenture, 36Kr, and others.

Over the past 12 years, we've backed 200+ tech startups, including MiniMax, JD.com, Manycore Tech, DeepRoute, Neolix, Keenon, X Variable Robotics, Astribot, RealMan, Noematrix, PingCAP, Zilliz, Yushi Space, and XTransfer.

📩 Contact Us

  • BP or partnership inquiries: community@yunqi.vc
  • WeChat official account: 云启资本 (ID: yunqipartners)
  • Xiaohongshu: 安福路云小启

View episode transcript on Xiaoyuzhou