What they forget to mention about overnight success is the years of work it took to get there. Y Combinator 2023-07-11 | ...
The Tempting Belief Killing Startups Y Combinator 2023-06-30 | When it comes to building a startup you’re never doing it entirely from scratch. Inspiration and ideas can come from a variety of places, including other successful startups. But there’s a thin line between borrowing smart ideas and copying them blindly - otherwise known as Cargo Culting. In this episode Dalton and Michael break down the problem with Cargo Culting and offer advice on the right way to draw inspiration from other successful companies.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Coming Up00:19 - Cargo Culting00:35 - What Is It?01:47 - Classic Variety02:18 - Google Obsession04:24 - Facebook Playbook05:33 - Spend Like Uber06:41 - Why It Worked?10:27 - A New Problem12:11 - A Superficial Facade13:15 - The Three Levels13:41 - Focus On The User14:48 - Copy And Paste
Critiquing AI Startup Websites with YC President Garry Tan Y Combinator 2023-06-15 | In the crowded field of AI related startups, it's important to get your website just right. You probably have a lot to say, but not a lot of time to say it. For this episode of Design Review, Group Partner Aaron Epstein invited YC President and CEO Garry Tan to break down what’s working (and what’s not) on the websites of five different AI startups. Watch along as they provide concrete advice that will help you improve your own site designs, regardless of what type of company you’re building.And if you'd like to have your startup's website reviewed, please submit your info here: https://shorturl.at/wIJS0. We’re especially interested in checking out mobile site designs for an upcoming episode.Thank you to these companies for volunteering: Rosebud (rosebud.ai)Magicflow (magicflow.ai)Reality Defender (realitydefender.com)Pump (pump.co)Voiceflow (voiceflow.com)Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro01:01 - Rosebud05:51 - Magicflow10:41 - Reality Defender15:44 - Pump20:09 - Voiceflow23:35 - Outro
Tracy Young on the importance of representation and recognizing unconscious bias. Y Combinator 2023-06-14 | ...
Setting KPIs and Goals | Startup School Y Combinator 2023-06-08 | YC Visiting Partner Divya Bhat talks about how to set your KPIs (key metrics) and how to prioritize your time. This talk helps founders launch faster and set goals in order to make real progress.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - KPIs and Prioritization for an Early-Stage Startup04:48 - How to Prioritize Your Time in the Startup05:29 - Setting the Right KPI Goals for Prioritization08:33 - Simple Framework to Optimize KPI Goal 10:04 - 5 Things That Should & Should Not End Up on Your Task List15:55 - Choosing the Right KPIs for your Startup18:58 - How to Set Targets22:14 - Setting Targets - Top Down & Bottom Up26:15 - Exceptions To Revenue KPIs: Hard Tech
How To Go From Startup Dream To Reality Y Combinator 2023-06-07 | It can be very easy for founders to fall into a trap of denial in the early stages of a startup’s life. But in order for your company to really take off, it’s critical to be honest with yourself and to build a community of friends and collaborators who are willing to challenge groupthink. In the first episode of our new series “The Main Function,” YC President and CEO Garry Tan explains how founders must face hard truths in order to take their company from dream to reality.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:14 - Encanto Movie00:53 - Don't Live a Lie02:06 - The Truman Show Scene03:10 - Dreamland03:53 - Reality05:26 - Surround Yourself With People Who Tell The Truth06:43 - Outro
How Generosity Built Tech Giants Y Combinator 2023-05-30 | The core secret to startup success isn't fundraising or growth hacking - it's solving your customer's biggest problems. But most founders are afraid to really understand those problems. What if that fear is holding your startup back? In this video, Group Partners Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel share how companies like Google, Twitch, and Microsoft succeeded by first giving more value than they captured - and how you can too. Learn why your MVP might suck on purpose, how to change your customer outreach, and why you should understand exactly how your customers make money. Because when you solve the right problems, fundraising and scaling become the easy parts.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:19 - Business 10100:46 - Success Stories01:34 - Minimal Value02:31 - Fear of Consulting03:42 - Early vs Late04:58 - Forget Your Fear06:01 - Customer Outreach07:32 - Historical Context09:51 - Takeaway
3 common YC interview mistakes Y Combinator 2023-05-23 | It's interview season for Y Combinator. Diana shares three common mistakes founders should avoid!Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobs
The Immigrant Journey Behind A Silicon Valley Success Story Y Combinator 2023-05-16 | Today Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan sits down with one of the best founders of a generation, Tracy Young. She cofounded Plangrid which sold to Autodesk for $875M, and is back with her new startup called Tigereye. But since it’s AAPI heritage month, we’re talking about a different kind of origin story. The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Tracy Young's story will change how you think about what's possible. Despite facing immense hardships, Tracy persevered to build PlanGrid into one of Silicon Valley's biggest success stories. Her raw, honest advice is for anyone trying to overcome obstacles and achieve bold dreams.Tracy's Predictable Growth newsletter: linkedin.com/newsletters/7018963257554046976Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Immigrants - We get the job done00:43 - Coming to America02:48 - Strangers in a strange land06:03 - Starting up11:12 - Outro
How to Apply And Succeed at Y Combinator | Startup School Y Combinator 2023-05-12 | YC Group Partner Dalton Caldwell shares his strategies for how to think about applying to YC. This talk goes beyond the information on YC's website, and reflects Dalton's latest advice on the topic. (Fun Fact: An earlier version of this talk is frequently mentioned by YC founders as instrumental in their decision to apply to YC and to getting in!)Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:17 - Why It's Worth Applying to YC01:11 - Creating Luck02:16 - Weird Reasons Not to Apply to YC02:27 - I Am Too Early03:36 - Being a YC founder is different than watching YC YouTube videos04:42 - How to Stop Being Discouraged From Applying to YC06:21 - Other Reasons Why People Don't Apply to YC07:16 - Don't Overthink09:05 - YC's Application Tips10:37 - YC Application Reviewing: The Basics15:59 - What Are Your Odds of Getting an Interview at YC?18:12 - How to Prepare for Your YC Interview22:22 - What Makes a Successful Interview at YC?23:38 - Post Interview Feedback24:38 - Outro
The secret to better product demos Y Combinator 2023-05-07 | Your stale product demos may be hurting rather than helping. Pete Koomen shares how storytelling can help your customers connect with your product.
Secrets You Can Learn From Your Customers Y Combinator 2023-04-28 | YC partners Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell discuss how spending real time with your users can unlock insights and growth. Hear the stories of how Airbnb and Brex built billion-dollar companies by forging genuine connections with customers. Learn why having too much money and too many people can actually slow down learning. And discover how to accelerate insight into your product by making your users feel special. Successful startups don’t just build technology – they solve human problems. The key is listening to the people who really matter: your customers.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:30 - Having a Plan01:15 - How to Learn01:39 - Empathy for Users03:01 - The Gold Mine04:29 - You Can't Fake It05:18 - Brex Pivot06:47 - The Edge Cases07:33 - Caring More Than 008:18 - It's Complicated09:17 - Turing It Around09:55 - Starcraft10:23 - Asking What They What12:49 - It's Easy to Not Care13:20 - Caring = Learning14:17 - Takeaways
Being accessible is one of the major advantages startups have over big companies. Y Combinator 2023-04-26 | ...
Tips For Technical Startup Founders | Startup School Y Combinator 2023-04-21 | YC Group Partner Diana Hu was the CTO of her YC startup Escher Reality, which was acquired by Niantic (makers of Pokemon Go). She shares her advice for being a technical founder at the earliest stages - including topics like how to ship an MVP fast, how to deal with technology choices and technical debt, and how and when to hire an engineering team.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:09 - How to Build and Perpetuate as a Technical Founder01:56 - What Does a Technical Founder Do?04:38 - How To Build08:30 - Build an MVP: The Startup Process11:29 - Principles for Building Your MVP15:04 - Choose the Tech Stack That Makes Sense for Your Startup19:43 - What Happens In The Launch Stage?22:43 - When You Launch: The Right Way to Build Tech25:36 - How the role evolved from ideating to hiring26:51 - Summary27:59 - Outro
Your outreach emails should probably pass this test before you hit send. Y Combinator 2023-04-17 | ...
The Students Guide To Becoming A Successful Startup Founder Y Combinator 2023-04-14 | If you're a high school or college student with big dreams of starting your own company, this video is for you. Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel, two startup founders who started in the early 20s and are now top investors, sit down to share the hard-won advice they wish they had known back in high school.Whether you're already running your own startup or just have an idea you can't stop thinking about, Caldwell and Seibel will discuss the skills you need to learn now and how to set yourself up for success after graduating school. Their stories will give you a glimpse of what's truly possible at the intersection of ambition and opportunity in in today's world. This is a masterclass in entrepreneurship for the next generation.Why YC? ycombinator.com/why Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme) - 00:00 - Intro01:12 - Delayed Gratification02:23 - Learn to Code04:17 - Learn Design04:52 - Launch Products06:49 - Make Friends08:04 - School Sandbox09:13 - Learn To Care11:20 - Credential Game13:35 - Fads That Stick15:42 - Be Excited17:50 - Be Honest20:08 - Love The Long Games23:46 - Live Your Dream
Doing these things might feel good, but they won’t derisk your startup. Y Combinator 2023-04-11 | ...
Inside The Most Powerful Startup Community In The World Y Combinator 2023-04-04 | Y Combinator is well-known for producing companies like Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase and more. But what's the real story behind the success of YC and the companies they fund? This is everything you need to know about the program.Why YC? ycombinator.com/why Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:57 - What's It Like to Be at YC?01:09 - Chapter 1 - Speeding Up02:08 - Product Market Fit02:44 - Chapter 2 - Exclusive Community Knowledge04:31 - Chapter 3 - The Capital
How Startup Fundraising Works | Startup School Y Combinator 2023-03-29 | YC Group Partner Brad Flora has seen startup fundraising from every angle: as a founder, as one of the most prolific angel investors in Silicon Valley, and now as a YC Group Partner. Brad has coached hundreds of companies on fundraising. In this talk, he shares stories and advice on how modern startup fundraising works.Paul Graham Fundraising Essays: http://www.paulgraham.com/fundraising.htmlhttp://www.paulgraham.com/startupfunding.htmlhttp://www.paulgraham.com/convince.htmlhttp://www.paulgraham.com/herd.htmlGeoff Ralston's Fundraising Guides: ycombinator.com/library/4A-a-guide-to-seed-fundraisingyoutube.com/watch?v=gcevHkNGrWQ&ab_channel=YCombinatorYC Fundraising Resources:ycombinator.com/library/2u-how-to-build-your-seed-round-pitch-deckycombinator.com/library/6q-how-to-pitch-your-startupycombinator.com/library/71-how-to-get-meetings-with-investors-and-raise-moneyycombinator.com/library/4O-raising-money-online-advice-for-startupsycombinator.com/library/3u-different-types-of-investors-and-their-incentivesApply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:27 - Fundraising resources02:13 - 7 fundraising myths04:06 - Raising money is glamorous06:51 - The need to raise money before starting a startup10:10 - My startup need to be impressive to raise money13:56 - Raising money is complicated, slow, and expensive.18:04 - I am going to lose control of my company21:58 - I need a fancy network to raise money23:43 - If investors reject my startup its a bad startup26:35 - Wrap up - This isn't for you
How to Build An MVP | Startup School Y Combinator 2023-03-15 | Y Combinator Group Partner, Michael Seibel, explains how to build a minimum viable product (MVP) for your startup idea. Using examples from real YC companies, Michael walks through how to determine your MVP feature set, build prototypes and demos for user testing, and present your MVP to early customers or investors.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - How to Build an Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?01:50 - Pre-launch Startup Goals04:26 - Founders Biggest Fear07:17 - Examples - Software MVP07:48 - Airbnb08:36 - Twitch09:15 - Stripe10:36 - Solving Hair On Fire Problem14:12 - Build an MVP Quickly15:51 - Outro
YC Fireside: Surbhi Sarna + Adam Elsesser - CEO of Penumbra Y Combinator 2023-03-06 | Few founders have managed to stay the CEO of their company, especially when it is publicly traded at a market cap of $10B. Adam tends to shy away from the spotlight, so we’re happy that he’s joining us to talk about how he got the company going, what drove him to stay in the CEO seat, and how to maintain a startup-like culture even when you have thousands of employees.Chapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro04:33 - Exploring the Uncertainty of Starting a Business13:34 - Investment and Funding experience15:12 - Without VC funds - Did it held you back?17:59 - Did you Think of Taking the Company Public21:41 - The Culture of Penumbra29:35 - Family vs Sports Team31:45 - Have You Had to Fire Someone?35:48 - Apple's Fight for Women in Engineering40:21 - Ringing the Bell Moment 44:16 - Q&A - How to Train Yourself to Love Uncertainty46:19 - How Did You Get Through the Regulatory Clearances and Capital Needed50:37 - Building Sales Teams52:21 - Describing the Traits of a Leader54:55 - Parting Advice
YC Fireside: Surbhi Sarna + Reshma Shetty and Jason Kelly - Founders of Ginkgo Bioworks Y Combinator 2023-03-03 | Reshma and Jason went through YC in the Summer of 2014 with Ginkgo Bioworks. Since then, they’ve become luminaries in the field of synthetic biology, and in 2021, they became the first YC bio company to take their company public. Reshma and Jason still run the company today. Join us to hear more about their founder journey and where Ginkgo Bioworks is headed.Chapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:26 - Ginkgo Labs02:08 - Bootstrapping to Success03:30 - Finding Co-Founder05:25 - Tips to Pull People Out of Academia09:12 - Founder-Led - Biotech vs Tech13:15 - Why Did you Join YC?17:53 - What Changed At Scale22:10 - Building Culture24:17 - Customers29:29 - Going Public31:54 - What is Synthetic Biology?37:24 - Parting Advice39:14 - Q&A - Let's Talk Dragons39:55 - Long Term Goal41:24 - Women Founder in Bio?43:30 - Boston vs Silicon Valley?45:14 - AI and ML in Synthetic Bio48:01 - Science vs Venture Capital51:21 - Current Partnerships52:46 - Outro
How To Earn Customers For Life Y Combinator 2023-03-03 | In this first in-person episode, Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell reveal how startups can gain a competitive advantage by doing something deceptively simple. They share compelling stories of companies that built loyal relationships and achieved success by making personal connections with users. In contrast, they discuss the traps early-stage founders make by trying to emulate big tech. If you want to build a business that customers love and that thrives in the long run, this advice on why caring deeply about your customers is key.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:42 - Flailing01:43 - Horrible Emails02:33 - Customers as an End03:06 - Liking Your Users05:09 - The Takeaway06:19 - Being Accessible09:01 - Your Superpower10:03 - Learning to Care12:01 - Conclusion
YC Fireside: Surbhi Sarna and Tracy Young - Founder of TigerEye and PlanGrid Y Combinator 2023-03-02 | Tracy first went through YC in Winter 2012 with her company PlanGrid, a construction software company that was sold to Autodesk for $875M. She joined YC as a Visiting Partner before launching her second company TigerEye. Tracy and Surbhi will talk about some of the themes that come up in Without a Doubt – from overcoming imposter syndrome, to building a team and company culture, and how to redefine “work-life balance”.Chapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro03:01 - What's It Feels to Be a Female Founder06:53 - Male vs Female Leader Reaction to a Situation10:56 - How to Stop Being a Woman12:41 - High and Lows15:01 - Cultural values19:22 - Underlying emotion - Feeling fear22:30 - Starting a Family26:03 - Being a Founder While Breastfeeding29:48 - Discussing Personal Matters with Investors31:41 - What Are You Doing Different For Your Next Company?34:44 - Q&A - Manage Time With Kids37:07 - Fundraising Advice40:16 - Start a Company With Partner42:45 - What Do I Look For In Female Execs?45:50 - Books47:19 - Last Thoughts
The REAL potential of generative AI Y Combinator 2023-02-28 | What is a large language model? How can it be used to enhance your business? In this conversation, Ali Rowghani, Managing Director of YC Continuity, talks with Raza Habib, CEO of Humanloop, about the cutting-edge AI powering innovations today—and what the future may hold. They discuss how large language models like Open AI's GPT-3 work, why fine-tuning is important for customizing models to specific use cases, and the challenges involved with building apps using these models. If you're curious about the ethical implications of AI, Raza shares his predictions about the impact of this quickly developing technology on the industry and the world at large.Thanks to Raza and Humanloop for joining: humanloop.comApply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro01:30 - Large Language Models (LLM)04:32 - What is fine-tuning a model?07:38 - Build Apps using LLM09:46 - Future of the Developer Job11:32 - Breakthroughs15:17 - OpenAI Mission17:30 - LLM for Startups18:51 - Hiring at HumanLoop
The Hard Conversations Founders Dont Want to Have Y Combinator 2023-02-23 | In this video, Y Combinator partners Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell discuss the importance of having honest and difficult conversations with startup founders. While having hard conversations can be uncomfortable, Seibel and Caldwell argue that this transparency is essential for founders to grow and ultimately, these experiences help founders have their own hard conversations that they've been avoiding with the people around them.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a Startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Intro00:39 - Definition02:35 - Being likable03:52 - Validating decisions06:54 - Fundraising08:31 - Deep dives11:37 - Co-founders15:42 - Employees18:37 - Nobody's perfect19:50 - Outro
The Best Way To Launch Your Startup | Startup School Y Combinator 2023-02-09 | Kat Mañalac is the head of YC's Outreach team and advises early stage founders on their launches during the YC batch. She shares the multitude of ways to launch a product and how to get attention for them. Her talk provides tangible strategies and examples of startup launches and will change the way you think about launching.Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/applyWork at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobsChapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) - 00:00 - Launching Your Startup01:28 - When Should I Launch My Startup?03:42 - One Sentence Pitch05:19 - How to Create a Short Memorable Description09:17 - When is the X for Y Construction Not Too Cliche?12:05 - Types of Launches20:43 - Summary
