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When I did YC in S16 I found it worth it, but IMO the biggest value of YC at the time was being able to work on building and selling product for 3 straight months without talking to investors, and knowing that funding was likely not going to be a problem at demo day week assuming you did exactly that. YC had already "vetted" your company for investors so that you didn't need to prove yourself in any other way than ha…
I hope if someone can provide some statistics on how many YC companies shutdown after X years. That would be very interesting.
This has info (year, exit / dead, one line description) of 1281 YC companies [0] Out of the 49 companies in the S11 batch, 10 exited, 17 are "dead", and 22 have no status. Most of the companies from the W16 batch have no status listed. [0]: https://yclist.com/
In our case, YC was super valuable. We've never been more focused than when going through the program. They make available so many resources you're desperate to grow and try things so you can get as much as possible out of the program.
Even though it has been a while since we were in the bay area for the program, we are still seeing many benefits by the huge and growing network of YC companies.
I can't speak for our co-founders but if we could go back in time, we would absolutely take part in the program again.
When I did YC in S16 I found it worth it, but IMO the biggest value of YC at the time was being able to work on building and selling product for 3 straight months without talking to investors, and knowing that funding was likely not going to be a problem at demo day week assuming you did exactly that. YC had already "vetted" your company for investors so that you didn't need to prove yourself in any other way than ha…
If i'm not mistaken, they reduced the 7% to 4%
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When I did YC in S16 I found it worth it, but IMO the biggest value of YC at the time was being able to work on building and selling product for 3 straight months without talking to investors, and knowing that funding was likely not going to be a problem at demo day week assuming you did exactly that. YC had already "vetted" your company for investors so that you didn't need to prove yourself in any other way than ha…
If i'm not mistaken, they reduced the 7% to 4%
YC will get you access to great investors, help you get better terms, think through business decisions, offer a great network, etc, but to be honest many of those things can be had through other accelerators/incubators/investors/schools/programs.
What’s truly unique about YC is the mindset and environment you’re in during your time there. If you’re open to embracing the experience, it’s absolutely worth it. Having a tight-knit group of fellow founders to push and encourage you through a hyper intense 3 month period leads you to accomplishing some amazing things. Things that you may not have thought were possible or pulled off otherwise. Of course you get a crash course in entrepreneurship and a great network, but I’d argue you also learn a ton about yourself, about leading, about how to truly focus on the right problem, and what you’re capable of.
Absolutely worth it. Always happy to chat with people if they’re uncertain.
Moving to CA kills it for me, if it has more small centers like other incubators I might give it a try locally.
$125K for 7% is a lot, for companies think that's a good deal, normally means that company has limited chance to succeed in the first place.
Still the location requirement is the one many can't afford,especially those who got married and/or have kids, had industrial experience and probably more likely to fly.
Plus, CA's booming time might be over, COVID-19 speeds up the trend.
Y Combinator has one of the strongest brands of any investor, which matters a ton for recruiting. It's very hard for engineers considering working at an early stage company to determine whether it's legit or not, and Y Combinator is probably a better known name than any VC. Personally when I was looking for jobs I'd immediately disqualify any company that wasn't backed by a relatively small list of investors and YC w…
Not a judging question - I understand the value of a good investor's due diligence and backing in improving the odds of sane leadership. But it's interesting to think how that can impact a successful, self-funded copmany's access to talent.