5 ms·

Y Combinator Is Boot Camp for Startups

228 points by twakefield 15y ago

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
ryanisinallofus 15y ago
Please. Someone who has actually been to boot camp debunk this ridiculous metaphor.
- earbitscom 15y ago
  Wouldn't you need someone who has been to both?
- ryannielsen 15y ago
  Boot Camp : Military :: Y Combinator : Startups a·nal·o·gy/əˈnaləjē/ Noun 1. A comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification. Should the readers of Wired not be familiar with Y Combinator, the analogy implied in the article's title should actually give them a good idea of what YC is all about. I don't think anyone (or at least many) will take the analogy literally and expect to see photos of YC founders going through the rigors of military boot camp. Instead, I bet most people who read that title will get the comparison right off the bat: Y Combinator is a short, intensive, exhaustive program focused on preparing new founders to be more successful in the business world. Just as military boot camp is a short, intensive, exhaustive program focused on preparing new recruits to be more successful on the battlefield.
- mkeblx 15y ago
  YC is a unique thing so any analogy will break down. The article did mention 'American Idol' which I thick is a lot closer, as A.I. has that same sense of people pinning their hope on getting in, the best talent winning out (in theory), constant all-around testing, competition, access to resources, and the large stakes for the players involved.
erikb 15y ago
Some part of me really thought that a "Y Combinator is so great" article can't be more interesting to HN people then understanding Fourier Transformation or discussing the development of ML research. Maybe I'm just too naive. Thanks for that lesson.
- rrrazdan 15y ago
  And people down voted you for this! Sigh!
  - erikb 15y ago
    Probably people expect that I say something bad about this article, where my comment wasn't about the article at all. But hey. That was the result I expected and I happily pay the price.
- simonw 15y ago
  This one's written by Steven Levy.
mkeblx 15y ago
For a relatively brief piece on YC I think it was very accurate, capturing the significance of YC, the experience of the founders, and the general excited feeling all around that imbues YC. Obviously it's for a more general audience so probably contains nothing much new content-wise for HN readers but is interesting to see it all put together. This is something I'll email my dad, who when I mentioned I mentioned I applied for an incubator asked "What do you need office space for?"
stevenj 15y ago
I know it's cliche, but what I got most from this article is that traction matters most. Growth is the lifeblood of the industry. To get that, you have to make something people want. Everything else is pretty insignificant. Simple, but not easy.
staunch 15y ago
Makes me wish someone was doing a YC documentary.
marcin 15y ago
I guess we will all agree that there is an outrageous error in the article. It should not be 'Terminator itself', but 'Terminator himself' rather, shouldn't it?
ericflo 15y ago
Steven Levy put a ridiculous amount of time and effort into researching this article, and I think it shows. He really immersed himself into the whole experience--for months! In some ways, it felt like he was a part of the class, working alongside us as we worked to build our companies. This kind of real journalism is something that I didn't think existed any more, at least not in the tech world. But after watching him work, and seeing his process, I think it's just a damn shame how rare his kind of journalism is. Didn't mean for this to turn into a puff comment, but I have to admit the whole production was quite impressive.
- BuzBe 15y ago
  I agree, I'm frustrated that I'm in work and I cant justify readying the whole thing...
- drusenko 15y ago
  I couldn't speak any more highly of Steven Levy's writing as well. He wrote a story for Newsweek during our batch: http://www.newsweek.com/2007/05/20/meet-the-next-billionaires.html http://www.newsweek.com/2007/05/20/meet-the-next-billionaire... The feeling was very similar. Having experienced all of the time he put into it, how he listened to all of our seemingly pedestrian stories and masterfully wove an eloquent story line out of mere tidbits -- it's a pretty awesome experience. He's one of the best writers around and one of the last bastions of true, old-fashioned journalism in the tech world.
  - ddol 15y ago
    Glenn Chapman of AFP is another great old-school journalist who focuses on tech. Well researched, concise, balanced - as good wire stories should be. http://google.com/news?q=author:Glenn+Chapman http://google.com/news?q=author:Glenn+Chapman
- wyclif 15y ago
  Agree 100%, this is the best piece I've read in Wired for a while (I've been pretty dissatisfied with the quality of Wired for some time). This gives me hope for the publication.
StavrosK 15y ago
Heh, I'm the "Greece" in that article.
timjahn 15y ago
I'm all for promoting entrepreneurship but it'd be nice to highlight those who actually make money and care about building businesses too, rather than celebrating simply taking investor's money and spending it.
- ridruejo 15y ago
  Plenty of YC companies make money. If you are referring specifically to the ones in the article, many of them are in the initial stages of building the company. Unless you are a consulting company it is not easy to make money from day 0.
dsaidov 15y ago
Ummm needs to be corrected: LikeALittle: A slick iPad-based app for doctors that collects all of a patient’s chart info in one place. The application has gotten raves from the physicians who have tried it so far.
rglover 15y ago
As a YC hopeful, this article really helped me to understand what really goes on during the three months. It's inspiring to hear stories about companies who pivot right before Demo Day and actually receive help with their ideas from PG. I'm just starting to learn about the difficulties of running a startup. We're really lucky to have guys like PG out their who are truly interested in innovation and not just the money. This article proves his dedication to the industry and to all of the people who are working so hard to get to the top. My day = motivated.
k19snhhx 15y ago
The Viral Me is another long article profiling Y Combinator from December 2010. http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201012/viral-me-silicon-valley-social-networking-devin-friedman?printable=true http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201012/viral-me-s...

228 points by twakefield 15y ago

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

ryanisinallofus 15y ago

Please. Someone who has actually been to boot camp debunk this ridiculous metaphor.

earbitscom 15y ago
Wouldn't you need someone who has been to both?
ryannielsen 15y ago
Boot Camp : Military :: Y Combinator : Startups a·nal·o·gy/əˈnaləjē/ Noun 1. A comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification. Should the readers of Wired not be familiar with Y Combinator, the analogy implied in the article's title should actually give them a good idea of what YC is all about. I don't think anyone (or at least many) will take the analogy literally and expect to see photos of YC founders going through the rigors of military boot camp. Instead, I bet most people who read that title will get the comparison right off the bat: Y Combinator is a short, intensive, exhaustive program focused on preparing new founders to be more successful in the business world. Just as military boot camp is a short, intensive, exhaustive program focused on preparing new recruits to be more successful on the battlefield.
mkeblx 15y ago
YC is a unique thing so any analogy will break down. The article did mention 'American Idol' which I thick is a lot closer, as A.I. has that same sense of people pinning their hope on getting in, the best talent winning out (in theory), constant all-around testing, competition, access to resources, and the large stakes for the players involved.

erikb 15y ago

Some part of me really thought that a "Y Combinator is so great" article can't be more interesting to HN people then understanding Fourier Transformation or discussing the development of ML research. Maybe I'm just too naive. Thanks for that lesson.

rrrazdan 15y ago
And people down voted you for this! Sigh!
- erikb 15y ago
  Probably people expect that I say something bad about this article, where my comment wasn't about the article at all. But hey. That was the result I expected and I happily pay the price.
simonw 15y ago
This one's written by Steven Levy.

mkeblx 15y ago

For a relatively brief piece on YC I think it was very accurate, capturing the significance of YC, the experience of the founders, and the general excited feeling all around that imbues YC. Obviously it's for a more general audience so probably contains nothing much new content-wise for HN readers but is interesting to see it all put together. This is something I'll email my dad, who when I mentioned I mentioned I applied for an incubator asked "What do you need office space for?"

stevenj 15y ago

I know it's cliche, but what I got most from this article is that traction matters most. Growth is the lifeblood of the industry. To get that, you have to make something people want. Everything else is pretty insignificant. Simple, but not easy.

staunch 15y ago

Makes me wish someone was doing a YC documentary.

marcin 15y ago

I guess we will all agree that there is an outrageous error in the article. It should not be 'Terminator itself', but 'Terminator himself' rather, shouldn't it?

ericflo 15y ago

Steven Levy put a ridiculous amount of time and effort into researching this article, and I think it shows. He really immersed himself into the whole experience--for months! In some ways, it felt like he was a part of the class, working alongside us as we worked to build our companies. This kind of real journalism is something that I didn't think existed any more, at least not in the tech world. But after watching him work, and seeing his process, I think it's just a damn shame how rare his kind of journalism is. Didn't mean for this to turn into a puff comment, but I have to admit the whole production was quite impressive.

BuzBe 15y ago
I agree, I'm frustrated that I'm in work and I cant justify readying the whole thing...
drusenko 15y ago
I couldn't speak any more highly of Steven Levy's writing as well. He wrote a story for Newsweek during our batch: http://www.newsweek.com/2007/05/20/meet-the-next-billionaires.html http://www.newsweek.com/2007/05/20/meet-the-next-billionaire... The feeling was very similar. Having experienced all of the time he put into it, how he listened to all of our seemingly pedestrian stories and masterfully wove an eloquent story line out of mere tidbits -- it's a pretty awesome experience. He's one of the best writers around and one of the last bastions of true, old-fashioned journalism in the tech world.
- ddol 15y ago
  Glenn Chapman of AFP is another great old-school journalist who focuses on tech. Well researched, concise, balanced - as good wire stories should be. http://google.com/news?q=author:Glenn+Chapman http://google.com/news?q=author:Glenn+Chapman
wyclif 15y ago
Agree 100%, this is the best piece I've read in Wired for a while (I've been pretty dissatisfied with the quality of Wired for some time). This gives me hope for the publication.

StavrosK 15y ago

Heh, I'm the "Greece" in that article.

timjahn 15y ago

I'm all for promoting entrepreneurship but it'd be nice to highlight those who actually make money and care about building businesses too, rather than celebrating simply taking investor's money and spending it.

ridruejo 15y ago
Plenty of YC companies make money. If you are referring specifically to the ones in the article, many of them are in the initial stages of building the company. Unless you are a consulting company it is not easy to make money from day 0.

dsaidov 15y ago

Ummm needs to be corrected: LikeALittle: A slick iPad-based app for doctors that collects all of a patient’s chart info in one place. The application has gotten raves from the physicians who have tried it so far.

rglover 15y ago

As a YC hopeful, this article really helped me to understand what really goes on during the three months. It's inspiring to hear stories about companies who pivot right before Demo Day and actually receive help with their ideas from PG. I'm just starting to learn about the difficulties of running a startup. We're really lucky to have guys like PG out their who are truly interested in innovation and not just the money. This article proves his dedication to the industry and to all of the people who are working so hard to get to the top. My day = motivated.

k19snhhx 15y ago

The Viral Me is another long article profiling Y Combinator from December 2010. http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201012/viral-me-silicon-valley-social-networking-devin-friedman?printable=true http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201012/viral-me-s...