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I'd argue that the resources a YC company has available extend far beyond the $200K in funding; even if you ignore the effect YC's 'seal of approval' has on fut

by ZoF 11y ago

I'd argue that the resources a YC company has available extend far beyond the $200K in funding; even if you ignore the effect YC's 'seal of approval' has on future rounds. Compared to other incubators I don't think it's a stretch at all to consider them extremely well resourced. No comment on the hit rate.

ryanSrich 11y ago
The non-monetary resources provided to YC companies are mostly freely available to any company (startup school, how to start a startup, pg's blog, sama's blog, AmAs, etc.). Sure, you could argue that being a YC alum helps you raise that first round, but even YC companies that raise smaller-ish rounds fail all the time. I feel like people think if you're in YC you're a sure bet. That's not the case at all. First and foremost you need a product that's going to be better than anything that currently exists. At the end of the day YC is just an angel investment firm with a great track record.
- ZoF 11y ago
  >I feel like people think if you're in YC you're a sure bet. Did not mean to imply I feel YC makes success a sure bet, that is obviously and demonstrably false. That said; non-monetary resources made available to YC companies are 'mostly' available to every startup? Really?[0] -Regular founders dinners(networking, helps with initial traction) -Free legal counsel -AWS/Azure credit well above what the respective companies offer non-yc startups. -Being YC alum helps with future funding rounds. ->but even YC companies that raise smaller-ish rounds fail all the time. Yes...Of course they do, that's the point of VC Yes blog posts and AMA's are great learning material, but I'd argue they aren't nearly as valuable as regular 1on1's with the people that wrote them. I'm not trying to say YC is a magic bullet or that YC alum 'have it easy', it's hard as hell to create a successful startup. I am saying that there are not-so-trivial advantages to being incubated at/by YC [0]http://www.fastcompany.com/3042861/the-y-combinator-chronicles/the-secret-million-that-y-combinator-invests-in-all-its-startups http://www.fastcompany.com/3042861/the-y-combinator-chronicl...

by ZoF 11y ago

ryanSrich 11y ago

The non-monetary resources provided to YC companies are mostly freely available to any company (startup school, how to start a startup, pg's blog, sama's blog, AmAs, etc.). Sure, you could argue that being a YC alum helps you raise that first round, but even YC companies that raise smaller-ish rounds fail all the time. I feel like people think if you're in YC you're a sure bet. That's not the case at all. First and foremost you need a product that's going to be better than anything that currently exists. At the end of the day YC is just an angel investment firm with a great track record.

ZoF 11y ago
>I feel like people think if you're in YC you're a sure bet. Did not mean to imply I feel YC makes success a sure bet, that is obviously and demonstrably false. That said; non-monetary resources made available to YC companies are 'mostly' available to every startup? Really?[0] -Regular founders dinners(networking, helps with initial traction) -Free legal counsel -AWS/Azure credit well above what the respective companies offer non-yc startups. -Being YC alum helps with future funding rounds. ->but even YC companies that raise smaller-ish rounds fail all the time. Yes...Of course they do, that's the point of VC Yes blog posts and AMA's are great learning material, but I'd argue they aren't nearly as valuable as regular 1on1's with the people that wrote them. I'm not trying to say YC is a magic bullet or that YC alum 'have it easy', it's hard as hell to create a successful startup. I am saying that there are not-so-trivial advantages to being incubated at/by YC [0]http://www.fastcompany.com/3042861/the-y-combinator-chronicles/the-secret-million-that-y-combinator-invests-in-all-its-startups http://www.fastcompany.com/3042861/the-y-combinator-chronicl...