11–20 of 38 posts
This is the ultimate linkbait title: "Sentence that is completed only if you ...".
Also, many of the 400 companies who have been through YC are very recent, and simply haven't had a chance to grow as much as Dropbox has.
Other than these questions, I think the article does make a few valid points - it does seem to me that there are a lot of programs around, and I'm not sure they are worth the time for most people. I'd be interested to know if the prevailing sentiment among VCs really is that most seed accelerators don't matter (discluding YC).
It's a mistake to think getting into an accelerator is about getting access to VC. VCs are probably the most connected people in the startup industry, pretty much anyone with a good startup can get an intro to any VC they want within two degrees of separation.
The point about pivoting is particularly wrong, a substantial number of YC funded startups have pivoted during their YC period and raised successfully on or before demoday.
Someone who argues mentors are no use while you're in the process of building your startup has obviously never built a startup.
Is it true that Dropbox/AirBNB make up most of YC's (monetary) value? I know they're the big ones, but it still sounds fishy. What about Reddit, for example? Heroku? The company that built Draw Something? (I forget their name). Also, many of the 400 companies who have been through YC are very recent, and simply haven't had a chance to grow as much as Dropbox has. Other than these questions, I think the article does m…
2) Yes, you basically need to do cohort analysis for meaningful results.
3) It depends what you mean by "most seed accelerators don't matter", certainly there's a big drop-off in quality in startups as you go further down the rankings of seed accelerators and VCs pay less attention to them. That doesn't mean that the accelerators aren't adding value to the startups though.
Of the twelve startups founded since 2007 that have reached a billion dollar valuation, two of them were funded by YC and another of them was founded by a YC alumni. It's crazy to say that's a bad outcome. It's a mistake to think getting into an accelerator is about getting access to VC. VCs are probably the most connected people in the startup industry, pretty much anyone with a good startup can get an intro to any…
Is it true that Dropbox/AirBNB make up most of YC's (monetary) value? I know they're the big ones, but it still sounds fishy. What about Reddit, for example? Heroku? The company that built Draw Something? (I forget their name). Also, many of the 400 companies who have been through YC are very recent, and simply haven't had a chance to grow as much as Dropbox has. Other than these questions, I think the article does m…
This is the ultimate linkbait title: "Sentence that is completed only if you ...".
I actually read the entire article and still not sure how to finish that sentence. Her main conclusion is "hustle", which has nothing to do with joining an accelerator.
Of the twelve startups founded since 2007 that have reached a billion dollar valuation, two of them were funded by YC and another of them was founded by a YC alumni. It's crazy to say that's a bad outcome. It's a mistake to think getting into an accelerator is about getting access to VC. VCs are probably the most connected people in the startup industry, pretty much anyone with a good startup can get an intro to any…
Can you list these 12 companies? (Which one was founded by a YC alumni?)
(Although depending on your criteria you might want to include Hulu, Vancl, Rovio and Wonga in that list too taking it to 16)
Pinterest founder Ben Silbermann previously founded MightyQuiz (YC W08).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you list these 12 companies? (Which one was founded by a YC alumni?)
Instagram, Pinterest, Square, Dropbox, Evernote, Yammer, Groupon, AirBnB, Gilt, LivingSocial, Nicira and Zynga (Although depending on your criteria you might want to include Hulu, Vancl, Rovio and Wonga in that list too taking it to 16) Pinterest founder Ben Silbermann previously founded MightyQuiz (YC W08).