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In year 2022, YC will 10x profits, all ran by a python script: 0. You got in "Mr. Carrot Top" with idea "Uber for cats"! 1. Here is $5k (amazon gift code atta

In year 2022, YC will 10x profits, all ran by a python script: 0. You got in "Mr. Carrot Top" with idea "Uber for cats"! 1. Here is $5k (amazon gift code attached) and a link to a bunch of youtube videos 2. Work hard. 3. Give us 7% of anything you do. [Docusign enclosed]

k__ 6y ago
lol I did the future founder program of startup school and they really didn't tell nothing new there. I mean, the videos were polished and had good info, but nothing I didn't already hear on other channels. At least it was a motivation for me. When there is nothing more I can get from courses I might be at a place where I should start somthing for real, haha
- kcorbitt 6y ago
  (I work at YC on Startup School.) Yes, if you're at the point where you know everything we teach in the Future Founders program, you'll definitely learn more by actually building something than continuing to watch our videos. If you do, you can keep getting value out of Startup School by switching to our "active founders" track [0], which lets you submit weekly updates and get access to deals from partners. Good luck! [0]: https://www.startupschool.org/track https://www.startupschool.org/track
  - k__ 6y ago
    Ah, cool So I can (start) do(ing) this at any time? Edit: ah, just for people who work +20h a week on their startup. I don't even work 20h a week in my regular job, haha.
  - akbar501 6y ago
    One request I would have for SUS is to add the ability to add a weekly update in the past. More than once I was working late Sunday and well into Monday morning. When this happens I can no longer provide an update for the prior week so it looks like I've done nothing for that week.
    - kcorbitt 6y ago
      Yeah, this makes sense as a feature -- we didn't build it out originally because we were worried about founders gaming it to back-date updates and earn their "streak"/certification without sending in 8 weeks of updates. But there's probably a middle ground that lets you backdate updates at least for a period of time after the deadline.
sombremesa 6y ago
The 7% is a real downer, especially with the meager amount of cash they give you for it. However, that's highly tailored to their target audience (quarry?) of fresh college grads (or dropouts) with a plausible idea and a lot of moxie. "Old" geezers like me are better off building a product and getting some traction before contacting VCs or angels through common connections.
- ganeshkrishnan 6y ago
  You are missing the point. The biggest advantage of YC is not money; its the human network. I have 0% interest in their money and 100% interest in their network. We have been turned down more than couple of times and I am not shameless enough to apply again. But if I had better chances of being accepted, I would even though my current ARR is 20x of their funding amount.
  - dvt 6y ago
    > The biggest advantage of YC is not money; its the human network. This x100. YC opens the kinds of doors only places like MIT/Stanford/Harvard open. If you can get in, it really is a cheat code.
  - kevinskii 6y ago
    I’ve seen enough YC companies fail and enough non-YC tech companies succeed to question the value of this supposedly exclusive human network.
    - dvt 6y ago
      This is a bit myopic. YC doesn't imply success, and obviously not all YC companies are successful. But I have enough of an "upper-echelon" network (UCLA, Berkeley, USC, Caltech, LA startup scene) to know how priceless a network like the YC founders one would be. Having smart, motivated, critical people willing to give you the time of day is pretty key in refining ideas, reaching out to potential customers, or hiring. Not to mention getting funded (if you need/want to). IMO, one of the key mistakes of technical founders is not networking enough. Wish I could go back 10 years ago to my early 20s and tell myself to just go out more and network.

k__ 6y ago

lol I did the future founder program of startup school and they really didn't tell nothing new there. I mean, the videos were polished and had good info, but nothing I didn't already hear on other channels. At least it was a motivation for me. When there is nothing more I can get from courses I might be at a place where I should start somthing for real, haha

kcorbitt 6y ago
(I work at YC on Startup School.) Yes, if you're at the point where you know everything we teach in the Future Founders program, you'll definitely learn more by actually building something than continuing to watch our videos. If you do, you can keep getting value out of Startup School by switching to our "active founders" track [0], which lets you submit weekly updates and get access to deals from partners. Good luck! [0]: https://www.startupschool.org/track https://www.startupschool.org/track
- k__ 6y ago
  Ah, cool So I can (start) do(ing) this at any time? Edit: ah, just for people who work +20h a week on their startup. I don't even work 20h a week in my regular job, haha.
- akbar501 6y ago
  One request I would have for SUS is to add the ability to add a weekly update in the past. More than once I was working late Sunday and well into Monday morning. When this happens I can no longer provide an update for the prior week so it looks like I've done nothing for that week.
  - kcorbitt 6y ago
    Yeah, this makes sense as a feature -- we didn't build it out originally because we were worried about founders gaming it to back-date updates and earn their "streak"/certification without sending in 8 weeks of updates. But there's probably a middle ground that lets you backdate updates at least for a period of time after the deadline.

sombremesa 6y ago

The 7% is a real downer, especially with the meager amount of cash they give you for it. However, that's highly tailored to their target audience (quarry?) of fresh college grads (or dropouts) with a plausible idea and a lot of moxie. "Old" geezers like me are better off building a product and getting some traction before contacting VCs or angels through common connections.

ganeshkrishnan 6y ago
You are missing the point. The biggest advantage of YC is not money; its the human network. I have 0% interest in their money and 100% interest in their network. We have been turned down more than couple of times and I am not shameless enough to apply again. But if I had better chances of being accepted, I would even though my current ARR is 20x of their funding amount.
- dvt 6y ago
  > The biggest advantage of YC is not money; its the human network. This x100. YC opens the kinds of doors only places like MIT/Stanford/Harvard open. If you can get in, it really is a cheat code.
- kevinskii 6y ago
  I’ve seen enough YC companies fail and enough non-YC tech companies succeed to question the value of this supposedly exclusive human network.
  - dvt 6y ago
    This is a bit myopic. YC doesn't imply success, and obviously not all YC companies are successful. But I have enough of an "upper-echelon" network (UCLA, Berkeley, USC, Caltech, LA startup scene) to know how priceless a network like the YC founders one would be. Having smart, motivated, critical people willing to give you the time of day is pretty key in refining ideas, reaching out to potential customers, or hiring. Not to mention getting funded (if you need/want to). IMO, one of the key mistakes of technical founders is not networking enough. Wish I could go back 10 years ago to my early 20s and tell myself to just go out more and network.