3 ms·

It's actually higher than you think, although I do not have exact numbers. I know for a fact though that some YC companies have died due to passports, Visas and

It's actually higher than you think, although I do not have exact numbers. I know for a fact though that some YC companies have died due to passports, Visas and government paperwork. If as a YC company (or any company really) you do not file an 83b form within a month of formation you are essentially dead. This has happened. When I wrote the original post I wasn't even thinking in terms of IP, but you're probably right there. Europe's government, in terms of red tape, is an abortion too, but that doesn't mean America's is good. They're both infuriating and full of subsidized bureaucrats and arcane processes. TicketStumbler Inc is actually the third company I've started. In each case, the amount of redundant paperwork I've had to do is astronomical. Last year, for my smallest company, I spent more time on paperwork and tax filing than I did actually running the company. Mark Cuban has a great post on this here (ignore the tax free stuff): http://is.gd/16pS http://is.gd/16pS I'm not suggesting government elimination or anything crazy like that, but rather complete streamlining and optimization (I should be able to do 99% of the TPS online). Additionally, while I agree that "make something people" is problem number uno, the government is doing their part to make sure that this doesn't happen.

davidw 18y ago
It would be pretty hard to argue against streamlining, and reducing the complexity of the process. If I recall correctly, the ease of opening new businesses is proportional to the wealth of countries. It would also be difficult to say that things are anywhere near perfect in the US. Still, I just don't see it, ultimately, as one of the biggest problems compared to other things that cause businesses to fail. Good point about the immigration stuff: it's something I personally loathe, having faced the sharp end of the stick myself in Italy. It's probably something more prevalent in Y combinator than most small businesses, though.

davidw 18y ago

It would be pretty hard to argue against streamlining, and reducing the complexity of the process. If I recall correctly, the ease of opening new businesses is proportional to the wealth of countries. It would also be difficult to say that things are anywhere near perfect in the US. Still, I just don't see it, ultimately, as one of the biggest problems compared to other things that cause businesses to fail. Good point about the immigration stuff: it's something I personally loathe, having faced the sharp end of the stick myself in Italy. It's probably something more prevalent in Y combinator than most small businesses, though.