3 ms·

Maybe start at YC first?

by dear 11y ago

karlkatzke 11y ago
Except that YC is a very particular style of incubator: They're a growth incubator that pushes companies to grow fast over growing well. On the contractor's triangle (good/fast/cheap, pick any two), they're all the way over on the fast/cheap line. More experienced people tend to see the value in growing well AND fast at the same time. So more experienced engineers (aka, older folks) tend to always push away from the cheap and towards the fast/good side of the line ... or if cheap is a mandate, then they push towards the good/cheap side of the line. None of that is what YC is about.
- jegutman 11y ago
  "They're a growth incubator that pushes companies to grow fast over growing well." Any evidence for this comment? Any evidence that there's even a tradeoff you can make? Any evidence that your hypothesis (which seems to be that "growing well" is better) is supported at all? The reason (just guessing, not affiliated with YC) that YC feels like growing fast is best is that "growing well" might involve a greater investment before you've reached product-market fit. I will also add that age-diversity has almost nothing to do with founders. Founders are already slightly older on average. Plenty of companies founded by young founders have their average age go up quite a bit once they have found product-market fit and can hire more people.
peter303 11y ago
YCs bootcamp style tends to select recent students without families. Older marrieds have made it through, but are not the majority. (Based on reading Stross's YC book.)
- michaelZejoop 11y ago
  I am not familiar with Stross's book. If I remember correctly this subject is not part of the YC application (marital status, family...). I have applied three times including the latest for w2016. I have not been invited for an interview yet, so maybe it comes up in that context. For the record, I am single, no family, former aerospace engineer, laid off in my early to mid-fifties, several years ago. The topic of age diversity is of great interest to me. I believe there is a lot of engineering talent and experience laying dormant, waiting to be tapped - people laid off right before retirement. Adding to my defense systems engineering skills I've become a full stack developer for the project I am applying with, and I am ready to go! (edited for typo)

Maybe start at YC first?

by dear 11y ago

Maybe start at YC first?

Except that YC is a very particular style of incubator: They're a growth incubator that pushes companies to grow fast over growing well. On the contractor's triangle (good/fast/cheap, pick any two), they're all the way over on the fast/cheap line. More experienced people tend to see the value in growing well AND fast at the same time. So more experienced engineers (aka, older folks) tend to always push away from the cheap and towards the fast/good side of the line ... or if cheap is a mandate, then they push towards the good/cheap side of the line. None of that is what YC is about.

jegutman 11y ago
"They're a growth incubator that pushes companies to grow fast over growing well." Any evidence for this comment? Any evidence that there's even a tradeoff you can make? Any evidence that your hypothesis (which seems to be that "growing well" is better) is supported at all? The reason (just guessing, not affiliated with YC) that YC feels like growing fast is best is that "growing well" might involve a greater investment before you've reached product-market fit. I will also add that age-diversity has almost nothing to do with founders. Founders are already slightly older on average. Plenty of companies founded by young founders have their average age go up quite a bit once they have found product-market fit and can hire more people.

peter303 11y ago

YCs bootcamp style tends to select recent students without families. Older marrieds have made it through, but are not the majority. (Based on reading Stross's YC book.)

michaelZejoop 11y ago
I am not familiar with Stross's book. If I remember correctly this subject is not part of the YC application (marital status, family...). I have applied three times including the latest for w2016. I have not been invited for an interview yet, so maybe it comes up in that context. For the record, I am single, no family, former aerospace engineer, laid off in my early to mid-fifties, several years ago. The topic of age diversity is of great interest to me. I believe there is a lot of engineering talent and experience laying dormant, waiting to be tapped - people laid off right before retirement. Adding to my defense systems engineering skills I've become a full stack developer for the project I am applying with, and I am ready to go! (edited for typo)