In this episode of Dalton + Michael, the two discuss the secret killer of startups: low ambition. Founders must pull the world in a different direction, and an ambitious idea has the "horsepower" to do it. But many founders might not be dreaming big enough.
Discussion includes: what type of companies should raise venture capital, why VCs won't give you feedback about having low ambition, why the world wants dreamers, why your product should be 100x better than the alternative, Dalton meeting Elon for the first time, why ambition needs to be combined with intuitive logic and credible leaps, why the most curious founders often disagree with authority figures, and why working at an ambitious startup might a good idea.
Dalton + Michael is brought to you by @Standard_Cap
Standard Capital is the AI-native Series A fund.
Dalton Caldwell on X: https://x.com/daltonc
Michael Seibel on X: https://x.com/mwseibel
Channel: Dalton + Michael
Published: 2026-08-05
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozhRhElbVcI