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Startup School – YC’s Online Class

blog.ycombinator.com

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Re: Startup School – YC’s Online Class

#51

Post by dang »

ploggingdev wrote: post #6

> Build a community of entrepreneurs who can encourage and teach each other Working towards the mentioned goal can start right here on HN by adding a navbar link titled "MOOC" like what YC did with "Apply HN". I am curious to know if YC considered involving the HN community directly like they did with the Fellowship. I remember the whole controversy involving pinboard and YC receiving a lot of flak for it, but I hope…

Thanks, that's a great suggestion and it does seem like there should be ways for the HN community to plug into this. It's probably also the case that we should let the new thing grow a bit before trying to extend it. But I'll talk with Sam about this the next time I see him.

Re: Startup School – YC’s Online Class

#53

Post by [deleted] »

ChicagoBoy11 wrote: post #42

I was laughed off of HN when I suggested a few years ago that YC was en route to becoming the world's first true 21st century university. Applying pg's question of "What Microsoft Is this the Altair Basic of" to YC itself, the answer to me has always been a modern university. From the regular cohorts, to nascent investment in basic research, to residential component, to doing things that make a big impact on the worl…

[deleted]

Re: Startup School – YC’s Online Class

#54

Post by saycheese »

yurisagalov wrote: post #48
ChicagoBoy11 wrote: post #42

I was laughed off of HN when I suggested a few years ago that YC was en route to becoming the world's first true 21st century university. Applying pg's question of "What Microsoft Is this the Altair Basic of" to YC itself, the answer to me has always been a modern university. From the regular cohorts, to nascent investment in basic research, to residential component, to doing things that make a big impact on the worl…

You would be happy to know that in fact I believe PG has said as much himself :) https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/21/sam-altman-taking-over-as-...

Related text from the above link:

>> At a fundamental level, though, Graham says that the YC experience for startups will largely be unchanged. “A big misconception is that Y Combinator is Paul Graham,” he said. This change, he says, should finally dispel that public perception and build a bigger future for YC modeled in part after organizations that have stood the test of time.

>> “It’s rare for a company to last 100 years, but for a university it’s nothing. The reason for the difference, I think, is that product companies always have in their DNA some assumption about the kind of thing they’re building, and about their market, and that eventually ends up becoming false. But a university is just a nexus of people...people go there because of the people that are there,” he said. “Now, I’m not claiming that Y Combinator is going to last for centuries. But it could.”

Re: Startup School – YC’s Online Class

#55

Post by rgovind »

I find it quiet surprising that none of these startup classes teach how to do market research and market sizing. Yet when a new batch of startups demo every six weeks, the first thing they talk of is, size of opportunity. Market opportunity is one of the things to consider before deciding on a problem to work on. Please consider adding this info to your classes.

Also, None of them teach how Sam or any YC partner or any VC would approach or start thinking whether a startup is worth investing in or not. That would be hugely beneficial to some of us as it will help us in channeling our thoughts.

Re: Startup School – YC’s Online Class

#56

Post by [deleted] »

ChicagoBoy11 wrote: post #42

I was laughed off of HN when I suggested a few years ago that YC was en route to becoming the world's first true 21st century university. Applying pg's question of "What Microsoft Is this the Altair Basic of" to YC itself, the answer to me has always been a modern university. From the regular cohorts, to nascent investment in basic research, to residential component, to doing things that make a big impact on the worl…

[deleted]

Re: Startup School – YC’s Online Class

#57

Post by sama »

rgovind wrote: post #55

I find it quiet surprising that none of these startup classes teach how to do market research and market sizing. Yet when a new batch of startups demo every six weeks, the first thing they talk of is, size of opportunity. Market opportunity is one of the things to consider before deciding on a problem to work on. Please consider adding this info to your classes. Also, None of them teach how Sam or any YC partner or a…

I am planning to cover both of those!
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