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Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

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Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#51

Post by swaggyBoatswain »

fsloth wrote: post #25
yread wrote: post #13

Monetizing game modding?! Nooo

That's what Roblox is basically already doing. Except it's more like "create your own game from these blocks" kind of thing, the content there seems to be of remixing lot of existing ideas and concepts. The monetization apparently works there: https://venturebeat.com/2017/07/21/the-deanbeat-robloxs-kid-...

I must be getting old because I didnt even know this market segment was so large

First thing I thought of was Skyrim modding, modding through steam workshops(e.g. rocket league), and garrys mod

Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#53

Post by sampl »

marmadukester39 wrote: post #47
chatmasta wrote: post #44

There are maybe, maybe 10 promising companies in the mix these past two days. YC has really lost its prestige by diluting its batches so much, IMO. There are better pathways to funding nowadays for promising startups that don’t require surrendering 7% equity.

I'm curious as to your opinion on the better ways right now.

Me too.

One possible option: no accelerator at all. YC doesn’t fund you that much, and you don’t need a demo day to pitch investors. The network and advice can come others ways too: from working for startups, and increasingly online (see YCs own startup school).

Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#54

Post by maxerickson »

roadbeats wrote: post #46
statictype wrote: post #3

In depth analysis here: https://twitter.com/pinboard/status/1031952446795522048

I wouldn't call that tweetstorm "deep analysis". It's just pinboard arguing about other people's startups, meanwhile its own search doesn't function properly.

Pinboard isn't a startup, it's one snarky guy.

Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#55

Post by chatmasta »

marmadukester39 wrote: post #47
chatmasta wrote: post #44

There are maybe, maybe 10 promising companies in the mix these past two days. YC has really lost its prestige by diluting its batches so much, IMO. There are better pathways to funding nowadays for promising startups that don’t require surrendering 7% equity.

I'm curious as to your opinion on the better ways right now.

Skip the accelerator and go straight to seed funding via convertible debt. No need to give up any space on your cap table until series A, and you can probably raise more than $150k or whatever YC is giving these days.

Of course this discounts other benefits of YC, but those are arguably becoming less useful as the batches have been diluted with so many lackluster startups. At this point YC almost seems like something people do not for their startups, but for themselves. It attracts prestige collectors that are more concerned with how they look on paper than how they perform in reality.

Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#56

Post by jimmy1 »

eaenki wrote: post #37

I can't help but wonder what would happen if YC and all its influence was to be focused on only a bunch of startups per year doing truly far fetched things - namely space, biotech, finance, robotics, computing and VR. Is focusing on social networks for grandkids, instant food, the 50th sticker app and countless B2B products truly worth it when it could be directed towards the former? Who could possibly, genuinely wan…

> Who could possibly, genuinely want to work at such places by the way (I mean, for anything else but money)?

People who find their meaning outside of their work rather than through their work -- ergo most people.

I am thankful for my employer that provides a salary for me to allow me to do fun things with my family and take vacations and all the fun stuff that actually create memories that I will cherish when I am older and no longer working.

Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#58

Post by ngokevin »

codegladiator wrote: post #24
duncanawoods wrote: post #6

I can barely read a list of 60 new start-ups without melting my mind. The names and value props turn into soup after about 20. I can't imagine being there, making decisions about all 60 and then coming back repeating for a second day! Does demo day work for the audience?

Demo day is i guess spread across a couple of weeks ? > making decisions about all 60 Numbers game for them now ?

It's back to back days...back to back to back if you count Alumni Demo Day where all startups go in one day.

Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#59

Post by ReverseCold »

muhneesh wrote: post #8

Anima seems really cool and ambitious; modernizing design code seems like an obvious necessity and next step to modernize workflows in the front-end. My prediction would be that, if successful, this would empower designers and commoditize front end developers (or optimistically, let them focus on more complex logic) Good luck to the team.

I never understood why that isn't the way it's always worked. Some design software lets you define things in a similar way to how you would program it, but there is no easy pathway between them.

Even a code generator that's wrong 50% of the time would be pretty useful.

Re: Startups that launched at Y Combinator’s S18 Demo Day 2

#60

Post by ReverseCold »

fsloth wrote: post #25
yread wrote: post #13

Monetizing game modding?! Nooo

That's what Roblox is basically already doing. Except it's more like "create your own game from these blocks" kind of thing, the content there seems to be of remixing lot of existing ideas and concepts. The monetization apparently works there: https://venturebeat.com/2017/07/21/the-deanbeat-robloxs-kid-...

Same with Minecraft-except instead of kids making money, the random companies that got there first a few years ago are making money.
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