Michael Seibel, CEO of YC, is doing an AMA

Post by mwseibel » Fri, Mar 17, 2017, 6:07 PM UTC

dre7413 wrote: post #116

Based on the S17 batch, what %age were People of color, women and LGBT?

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Mar 17, 2017, 6:09 PM UTC

ojosilva wrote: post #150

mwseibel wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The top 5 things I look for in an application are (in no particular order): 1) Can the team clearly communicate what they are working on? 2) Does the team have the technical talent to build and grow the v1 of their product? 3) Is the team moving quickly or are they waiting for approval from YC? 4) Did the founders have a personal or professional relationship before deciding to start the company together? 5) Does the…

> 4) Did the founders have a personal or professional relationship before deciding to start the company together? As I understand this is desirable, right? I wonder if there are any good successful stories of newly-acquainted, "JIT" founders? How about data that supports that being friends or colleagues equals success and greater valuations? My instinct tells me that a previous relationship is probably a good predict…

Post by mwseibel » Fri, Mar 17, 2017, 6:11 PM UTC

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #129

The tone of your comments makes it sound like you are really focusing on international investment. Did the recent elections lead to you making that your focus, or was it a focus beforehand?

Post by johnhenry » Fri, Mar 17, 2017, 6:11 PM UTC

tyre wrote: post #152

johnhenry wrote: post #124

Hi Michael, I'm wondering if you can comment on how you think the current political comment will affect the startup scene? For example, I remember reading (sorry, no source) that YC is starting to hold events in Canada in order to welcome those who may not be able to come to the U.S. due to the current administration's executive orders. It looks like this may push startups out of the United States. I'm hoping you can…

I think this is the source you're looking for: https://blog.ycombinator.com/us-visas/

Post by guelo » Fri, Mar 17, 2017, 6:11 PM UTC

mwseibel wrote: post #98

ryanSrich wrote: post #58

Seeing some of the recent startups that have come out of YC and learning about what they're working on; I can't imagine how they'd scale to a billion dollar business. Question: Is this a signal that YC is now investing in companies that don't have such lucrative paths? If so, how does YC justify such a decision to their partners.

To be honest - it was impossible early on to see how Justin.tv (a guy wearing a camera on his head 24/7) or Airbnb (airbed rental) could turn into billion dollar companies. Often times we invest in great teams and just see what they can do. Remember hindsight is 20-20.