Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Y Combinator Early Access Network

events.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 78 posts

Re: Y Combinator Early Access Network

#61

Post by tfehring »

jzelinskie wrote: post #37

This is interesting, but I think most enterprise AI buyers probably aren't looking to buy from the current batch; they're just too volatile at that stage. This does seem like an opportunity for cross-pollination where early start-ups get to test their product signals and enterprises get to see what's on the cutting edge. This seems more beneficial to the founders because the the enterprises could instead just choose…

Right, the point of this from YC's perspective is to identify and pre-qualify the minority of enterprise AI buyers that can move quickly. Even those buyers aren't going to research and inbound to early-stage YC startups very often. The startups aren't intentionally staying quiet, but often they haven't nailed product-market fit and/or messaging yet.

Re: Y Combinator Early Access Network

#63

Post by tfehring »

tptacek wrote: post #56
avaer wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

If you're an enterprise buyer I'm confident most pre-launch YC startups would be more than happy to talk to you about a pilot.

Relatedly, I think "acceptance" to this program will be easy, bordering on automatic, if you have an enterprise AI budget and purchasing authority.

Re: Y Combinator Early Access Network

#64

Post by figassis »

This is mostly AI companies needing a large investment (maybe larger than YC's standard 500k) to get off the ground, and so YC now starts acting as market maker (more than it already is), by literally getting people that are primed to buy (filling out the form where minimum amount is 500k, talking about their last funded pilot, company size, etc), so YC can now say this is the size of validated opportunities, so their (potentially higher) seed is now derisked, but also they don't have to wait for their startups to 10x in 3 years, they can 20x in 12 months.

The startup however, will do the thing they advised them not to do, which is tailor their roadmap to a large customer.

But yes, this is early exit/rugpull planning. If it weren't, it would not be AI exclusive and I don't think companies are that excited to know the latest and brightest AI companies. They can simply wait for the market. But they create FOMO, and now they open a small window, make calls to know how much you'll commit and all the FOMO execs will fly in. I'll be fun.

Re: Y Combinator Early Access Network

#65

Post by tptacek »

tfehring wrote: post #63
tptacek wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're an enterprise buyer I'm confident most pre-launch YC startups would be more than happy to talk to you about a pilot.

Relatedly, I think "acceptance" to this program will be easy, bordering on automatic, if you have an enterprise AI budget and purchasing authority.

It really seems like this is a program where the exclusivity would cut literally in the opposite direction, against the startups.

Re: Y Combinator Early Access Network

#66

Post by tmpz22 »

nostrebored wrote: post #12
ViktorRay wrote: post #2

Wonder if people going to this will have the same infamous sense of arrogance and entitlement that is common to Y combinator folks? Source: https://x.com/mcuban/status/692595120969875456

Having been through YC, there's certainly some of this, but the overwhelming majority of founders were pretty down to earth. People generally just want to solve hard problems.

Genuine question, I haven't been, is the motivation "solving hard problems" or is it "receive external validation and get-rich-quick by solving hard problems"?

Re: Y Combinator Early Access Network

#68

Post by charliewarren »

4lx87 wrote: post #39

Help me understand. The purpose is to help founders get sales contracts? What's the value for the buyers? Acquire people before they become competitors?

understand what founders are building, which helps them deploy AI internally. you'd be surprised how hard this is to do in a big (tech) company. also, yes there is a peer group aspect.

Re: Y Combinator Early Access Network

#70

Post by charliewarren »

HolyLampshade wrote: post #43
listic wrote: post #30

Being about 'AI' is mandatory now, I guess?

This isn’t just AI…it’s ‘enterprise-AI’. It’s AI, but with more bureaucracy and politics.

haha. we plan to do other events, but focused on B2B first. hence "enterprise AI"
Post reply on HN