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Having been in and around other “copycat” programs, I agree YC hasn’t been replicated, and it’s kind of a microcosm of startups in general: Unlike YC, most of t

Having been in and around other “copycat” programs, I agree YC hasn’t been replicated, and it’s kind of a microcosm of startups in general: Unlike YC, most of the people starting copycat programs were not nerds, were not software developers, did not focus on encouraging programmers to start businesses, and most had not started their own startups despite having almost no business doing so (i.e. lack of traditional business background or classic business personality traits). And, to make matters worse, the people that funded these programs also self-selected for typical traits that YC proved were unnecessary (and possibly counter-productive!). It’s both painfully obvious and maddeningly difficult to replicate.

halfmatthalfcat 6y ago
I’ve heard TechStars is a close second mostly because batch sizes are so small. More intimacy and focus on the individual founders.
- yesimahuman 6y ago
  You're getting downvoted which is unfortunate. I participated in TechStars (Cloud 2013), and yes while it is similar there are a number of things about it that are not quite like YC (disclaimer: I've not participated in YC but have interviewed a few times many years ago): 1) There is no PG or Jessica of TechStars. No PG essays, HN, or other magnet for technical would-be founders. No clear pitch to these founders that they can actually do startups! 2) There is no cohesive TechStars community. I think that's due to the "franchise" approach. They do try to help here but at this point the network isn't really valuable. 3) Partly due to the franchise approach, there is no outsized fundraising benefit since fundraising is localized to programs.
rexreed 6y ago
Yes! I basically commented something similar. Motivations matter even more than management.
auganov 6y ago
> Unlike YC, most of the people starting copycat programs were not nerds, were not software developers, did not focus on encouraging programmers to start businesses, and most had not started their own startups despite having almost no business doing so But there are many programs started by people from the industry. Many who understand the nature of YC very well. IMO the problem here is inherent to copying. Do you copy the 2005 YC or the 2020 YC? If you copy the 2005 one how do you adjust for the fact that the world isn't the same anymore? If you copy the 2020 one how do you make up for the 15 years that never happened? As a copy how will you get the same deal flow, why would people apply to you over the real deal? If you're trying to create a YC in country/place X how do you adjust for the fact that it's different from America/Silicon Valley? What usually happens is the copier realizes how futile the endeavor is and introduces "changes" trying to mitigate the problems. Usually these changes only make everything worse. And you end up with a big mess.
- meowface 6y ago
  It's probably like good art: you have to find your own niche. The "next YC" will probably be very different from YC, as well as everything else out there.

halfmatthalfcat 6y ago

I’ve heard TechStars is a close second mostly because batch sizes are so small. More intimacy and focus on the individual founders.

yesimahuman 6y ago
You're getting downvoted which is unfortunate. I participated in TechStars (Cloud 2013), and yes while it is similar there are a number of things about it that are not quite like YC (disclaimer: I've not participated in YC but have interviewed a few times many years ago): 1) There is no PG or Jessica of TechStars. No PG essays, HN, or other magnet for technical would-be founders. No clear pitch to these founders that they can actually do startups! 2) There is no cohesive TechStars community. I think that's due to the "franchise" approach. They do try to help here but at this point the network isn't really valuable. 3) Partly due to the franchise approach, there is no outsized fundraising benefit since fundraising is localized to programs.

rexreed 6y ago

Yes! I basically commented something similar. Motivations matter even more than management.

auganov 6y ago

> Unlike YC, most of the people starting copycat programs were not nerds, were not software developers, did not focus on encouraging programmers to start businesses, and most had not started their own startups despite having almost no business doing so But there are many programs started by people from the industry. Many who understand the nature of YC very well. IMO the problem here is inherent to copying. Do you copy the 2005 YC or the 2020 YC? If you copy the 2005 one how do you adjust for the fact that the world isn't the same anymore? If you copy the 2020 one how do you make up for the 15 years that never happened? As a copy how will you get the same deal flow, why would people apply to you over the real deal? If you're trying to create a YC in country/place X how do you adjust for the fact that it's different from America/Silicon Valley? What usually happens is the copier realizes how futile the endeavor is and introduces "changes" trying to mitigate the problems. Usually these changes only make everything worse. And you end up with a big mess.

meowface 6y ago
It's probably like good art: you have to find your own niche. The "next YC" will probably be very different from YC, as well as everything else out there.