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Did they actually do anything besides donate money to the ACLU? I didn't see anything on the ACLU's website about it, which is strange given the arrangement YC

Did they actually do anything besides donate money to the ACLU? I didn't see anything on the ACLU's website about it, which is strange given the arrangement YC usually has with companies they "fund." Did anyone from the ACLU go to YC and participate? Is there a "demo day" presenation from the ACLU? I'm very confused.

binaryorganic 10y ago
The ACLU will be part of the winter batch of companies in YC, where it will receive mentorship, a network of powerful connections in tech and a chance to present itself to investors on Demo Day. Y Combinator will also provide some funding, though it won’t take an equity stake in ACLU because it’s a nonprofit. ACLU will not pay to participate." SOURCE: https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/31/ycaclu/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/31/ycaclu/
- aestetix 10y ago
  I've read as much, but it is dangerously vague to me. Here is why. The ACLU has at least publicly stood for decades for a lot of positions that seem to fundamentally go against what some YC companies do. For example, the ACLU is a clear proponent of the Civil Rights Act, which among other things guarantees that hotels must not discriminate when providing lodging to guests. Meanwhile, in recent years there have been several documented cases where AirBNB renters have suddenly run out of vacancies for one rentee, only to be suddenly free again a day later. Given situations like this, I'm not sure what ACLU seems to think they can get out of a YC "mentorship." If this creates a chance for a larger public discussion on issues like this, it could be a good thing, but at the moment I am extremely skeptical.
  - nojvek 10y ago
    There's one thing about some renter on Airbnb being a boofhead and another when governments are being run by boofheads ACLU need to choose their wars and if YC can help them hone their skills so they win more meaningful wars for the masses then that's a good thing.
    - aestetix 10y ago
      I don't understand why YC would be able to help the ACLU "hone their skills." If it's about access to legal skills, the ACLU has been around for nearly 100 years and has been involved in pivotal court cases. If it's about money, I've seen articles saying that the ACLU's donation base has gone up quite a lot since Trump. If it's about reputation, I don't think there's any contest. I suspect that more Americans know about the ACLU than YC, by an order of magnitude. It's also worth noting that the only place I've seen this advertised is in tech blogs, and a few news outlets. I haven't seen anything in legal journals, and the ACLU's website doesn't even seem to mention it. The one thing I could see as being logical is YC helping the ACLU to work on more technical projects, and using technology to get more people involved in civic duty. But if that's the case, then it's extremely misleading to say the ACLU is a YC "startup", and far more accurate to say they are collaborating on projects of some sort.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
katm 10y ago
We donated money, are advising on technical projects and are connecting with them technical volunteers on a number of projects they're working on. When we announced we were working with the ACLU, over 1,500 people in our community volunteered to help. We sent one of our software engineers, Cadran Cowansage, to work with them full time this batch. She has been plugging in volunteers as needed. Anthony Romero, the Executive Director of the ACLU, presented at Demo Day. You can read a bit more about it here: https://www.axios.com/how-yc-is-helping-the-aclu-get-more-tech-savvy-2322658331.html https://www.axios.com/how-yc-is-helping-the-aclu-get-more-te... And we don't have an arrangement with companies we fund. Founders decide if they want to put our logo on their site.

binaryorganic 10y ago

The ACLU will be part of the winter batch of companies in YC, where it will receive mentorship, a network of powerful connections in tech and a chance to present itself to investors on Demo Day. Y Combinator will also provide some funding, though it won’t take an equity stake in ACLU because it’s a nonprofit. ACLU will not pay to participate." SOURCE: https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/31/ycaclu/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/31/ycaclu/

aestetix 10y ago
I've read as much, but it is dangerously vague to me. Here is why. The ACLU has at least publicly stood for decades for a lot of positions that seem to fundamentally go against what some YC companies do. For example, the ACLU is a clear proponent of the Civil Rights Act, which among other things guarantees that hotels must not discriminate when providing lodging to guests. Meanwhile, in recent years there have been several documented cases where AirBNB renters have suddenly run out of vacancies for one rentee, only to be suddenly free again a day later. Given situations like this, I'm not sure what ACLU seems to think they can get out of a YC "mentorship." If this creates a chance for a larger public discussion on issues like this, it could be a good thing, but at the moment I am extremely skeptical.
- nojvek 10y ago
  There's one thing about some renter on Airbnb being a boofhead and another when governments are being run by boofheads ACLU need to choose their wars and if YC can help them hone their skills so they win more meaningful wars for the masses then that's a good thing.
  - aestetix 10y ago
    I don't understand why YC would be able to help the ACLU "hone their skills." If it's about access to legal skills, the ACLU has been around for nearly 100 years and has been involved in pivotal court cases. If it's about money, I've seen articles saying that the ACLU's donation base has gone up quite a lot since Trump. If it's about reputation, I don't think there's any contest. I suspect that more Americans know about the ACLU than YC, by an order of magnitude. It's also worth noting that the only place I've seen this advertised is in tech blogs, and a few news outlets. I haven't seen anything in legal journals, and the ACLU's website doesn't even seem to mention it. The one thing I could see as being logical is YC helping the ACLU to work on more technical projects, and using technology to get more people involved in civic duty. But if that's the case, then it's extremely misleading to say the ACLU is a YC "startup", and far more accurate to say they are collaborating on projects of some sort.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]

katm 10y ago

We donated money, are advising on technical projects and are connecting with them technical volunteers on a number of projects they're working on. When we announced we were working with the ACLU, over 1,500 people in our community volunteered to help. We sent one of our software engineers, Cadran Cowansage, to work with them full time this batch. She has been plugging in volunteers as needed. Anthony Romero, the Executive Director of the ACLU, presented at Demo Day. You can read a bit more about it here: https://www.axios.com/how-yc-is-helping-the-aclu-get-more-tech-savvy-2322658331.html https://www.axios.com/how-yc-is-helping-the-aclu-get-more-te... And we don't have an arrangement with companies we fund. Founders decide if they want to put our logo on their site.