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Startup School 2014 applications are open

blog.ycombinator.com

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Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#21

Post by rgovind »

cperciva wrote: post #5

Polling the community: Should I attend? I've watched videos of past events, and they seem to follow the TED model of being amusing and inspirational but not particularly informative; I'm too cynical to be interested in "inspirational". On the other hand, I get the feeling that the hallway track might be good.

There are too many startup related videos floating around. If you have watched them, after a point, you notice that they all say the same thing. Next step is to stop watching these videos and actually doing something. If you are already at the stage of noticing the pattern, you don't need to listen anything in person. If not, it might help you get there.

However, you will get to network with some good talent if you visit startup school.

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#22

Post by prostoalex »

crazypyro wrote: post #14
arjunnarayan wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I say don't attend. Startup school is good, but the delta over watching the videos is not. In essence, the content is great, but there's nothing that the in-person event offers over the content itself. I attended Startup School NYC, but would have got the same out of sitting down and watching the videos seriously. (The key is to actually do a serious viewing session instead of half heartedly watching them over microw…

I was under the impression that the networking aspect of Startup School is a major draw for a lot of people. Did you not find this to be the case?

It's a pretty busy day usually going into late evening. While you might get to talk to some people over lunch, and there are afterparties hosted afterwards, it's not the event I'd call the most beneficial to networking. Combined with introversion and shyness of half the attendees, it makes it a pretty tough proposition for networking.

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#23

Post by erikpukinskis »

fizx wrote: post #4
jjling wrote: post #3

Awesome. Application submitted. Anyone know what the typical acceptance rate is for this?

I've never seen a technical person rejected.

I've been rejected every time. I have a cs degree and was a technical founder for 5 years. I always wonder if it's worth applying again.

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#24

Post by pptr1 »

I think if your in the area or you know tons of people going; it might be worth going. I would't go out of my way to attend.

I went to the one in NYC few years back and it was not a good experience for me. I traveled from Boston and was super excited. Just a big let down.

PG was like a celebrity their. Impossible to get in anything with him. Same with other famous founders. Basically everyone was just circling and try to figure out who to talk to next. Was super awkward.

My takeaways from NYC:

1.) PG looks exactly like his pics and acts the same. It pretty hard to get to talk to him (due to all the people clamoring for his attention).

2.) Some famous YC alum are stuck up. Never met anyone as stuck up as the non-technical reddit co-founder.

3.) Justin Kan is the nicest person. Pure respect for him.

4.) In NYC at least hordes of MBA trolling looking for "technical cofounders". Met a really rude person who actually introduced himself as having an MBA from Harvard.

San Francisco might be different.

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#25

Post by leelin »

pptr1 wrote: post #24

I think if your in the area or you know tons of people going; it might be worth going. I would't go out of my way to attend. I went to the one in NYC few years back and it was not a good experience for me. I traveled from Boston and was super excited. Just a big let down. PG was like a celebrity their. Impossible to get in anything with him. Same with other famous founders. Basically everyone was just circling and tr…

> 2.) Some famous YC alum are stuck up. Never met anyone as stuck up as the non-technical reddit co-founder.

I highly disagree. The "non-technical reddit co-founder" is both humble and awesome -- but if it's the same event I'm thinking, you might have misinterpreted his joke about serving orange-colored kool aid at the event.

Also, June 2014 was the first NYC Startup School. You might be talking about the "YC in NYC" event in September 2011. That was more of a talk by PG about how NYC had overtaken Boston as a clear #2 startup hub, followed by what makes a startup hub work (basically startup and investor density, which creates more chance encounters). Other founders spoke, but those were hiring pitches, not really the same kind of advice talks you get at startup school.

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#26

Post by pptr1 »

leelin wrote: post #25
pptr1 wrote: post #24

I think if your in the area or you know tons of people going; it might be worth going. I would't go out of my way to attend. I went to the one in NYC few years back and it was not a good experience for me. I traveled from Boston and was super excited. Just a big let down. PG was like a celebrity their. Impossible to get in anything with him. Same with other famous founders. Basically everyone was just circling and tr…

> 2.) Some famous YC alum are stuck up. Never met anyone as stuck up as the non-technical reddit co-founder. I highly disagree. The "non-technical reddit co-founder" is both humble and awesome -- but if it's the same event I'm thinking, you might have misinterpreted his joke about serving orange-colored kool aid at the event. Also, June 2014 was the first NYC Startup School. You might be talking about the "YC in NYC"…

Ok thanks for clarifying the "YC in NYC". You are correct.

Though it is different event than the 2011 "YC in NYC". I hope you guys have worked out the logistics so attendees who have really went out of their way to be there can benefit in some way; different than just the talks which they can watch online.

I hope more people get benefits out of it.

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#27

Post by guiambros »

timr wrote: post #16
crazypyro wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was under the impression that the networking aspect of Startup School is a major draw for a lot of people. Did you not find this to be the case?

Networking at a startup event is pretty hit and miss. Conference networking is that way in general, but there's even less coherence when the only thing bringing together the attendees is an interest in running a business. If you ask me, the primary reason to attend startup school is that you'll see a lot of "famous" people who are just names to you, and you'll begin to realize that they're human. That's a worthwhile…

Couldn't agree more. I've attended the one in NYC last time. While I enjoyed some of the talks (I had seen the others before), it wasn't much different than watching the videos.

The hallway conversations and the networking was indeed vibrant and full of energy, but no different than any other startup event, or sxsw, or meetups, or...

I'd say that there are smaller and more focused events (Eyeo comes to mind, even though not free and much longer), that are more rewarding. Anyway, I'd probably go again if invited, mostly for FOMO (fear of missing out).

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#28

Post by ajiang »

pptr1 wrote: post #24

I think if your in the area or you know tons of people going; it might be worth going. I would't go out of my way to attend. I went to the one in NYC few years back and it was not a good experience for me. I traveled from Boston and was super excited. Just a big let down. PG was like a celebrity their. Impossible to get in anything with him. Same with other famous founders. Basically everyone was just circling and tr…

> 2.) Some famous YC alum are stuck up. Never met anyone as stuck up as the non-technical reddit co-founder.

Had to speak up on this. The non-technical reddit co-founder is one of the most helpful, humble, and down-to-earth person I've ever met. He does so much for so many people, so it's totally possible that he wasn't able to be helpful during the chaos of that particular event, but I wanted to tell you my experience having met him on multiple occasions.

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#29

Post by pshin45 »

HorizonXP wrote: post #12
cperciva wrote: post #5

Polling the community: Should I attend? I've watched videos of past events, and they seem to follow the TED model of being amusing and inspirational but not particularly informative; I'm too cynical to be interested in "inspirational". On the other hand, I get the feeling that the hallway track might be good.

I'll be flying in from Toronto. If you're going just for the talks, then I agree, just watch the videos. If you're going for the networking and/or to visit the area, then it's worthwhile. I'm taking a week, maybe 2, to visit old friends, explore, and network. Maybe some work too.

Shameless plug - If you're looking for other startup-related events to attend the week of Startup School, sign up for Startup Digest's weekly events digest[1].

It's a weekly email newsletter of startup events happening in San Francisco & Silicon Valley, and DISCLOSURE I am a volunteer "Events Curator" for it.

[1] https://www.startupdigest.com/digests (search for "Silicon Valley-SF Bay Area")

Re: Startup School 2014 applications are open

#30

Post by pshin45 »

goshx wrote: post #20

Are there other networking events happening during the same weekend? If not, maybe some locals could make them happen?

Shameless plug - If you're looking for other startup-related events to attend the week of Startup School, sign up for Startup Digest's weekly events digest[1].

It's a weekly email newsletter of startup events happening in San Francisco & Silicon Valley, and DISCLOSURE I am a volunteer "Events Curator" for it.

[1] https://www.startupdigest.com/digests (search for "Silicon Valley-SF Bay Area")

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