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Their known status as one of the most desired/premier incubators in SV (if not globally) during the post dot-com era, coupled with the number of applicants, fou

by mikeg8 4y ago

Their known status as one of the most desired/premier incubators in SV (if not globally) during the post dot-com era, coupled with the number of applicants, founders, and investors they touch, would give them a fairly accurate reading of SV trends and characteristics. I don’t think anyone else could claim to have a larger dataset than them when it comes to seed funding in SV.

groby_b 4y ago
It gives YC an accurate reading on conformists, yes. A large number of startups exist for one point - making a nice exit. There's no nonconformism, just an angle. Going to an incubator, getting seed funding, getting several VC series - it's about as conformist as you can get. You want to see nonconformism, you need to look outside that space. Bootstrapped, co-ops, democratic governance models - those are the models that attract the outliers, because startup land now is what Wall Street was in the late 80s.
- TheOtherHobbes 4y ago
  You've hit the nail on the head. Startup land is basically the intersection of hobby coders and sharks. Often those overlap in the same person, but sometimes they're somewhat separated. And the motivations of both are surprisingly similar. Hobby coders want to tinker and work on cool stuff because it's fun and also because it can provide status and reassurance. And sharks want status and $$$. And sometimes also reassurance. The common factor is a strange kind of individualised selfishness which is either blind or aggressively hostile to social contexts and consequences. AirBnB is a classic example. They made a lot of money - go them - but they've also made a huge contribution to making rents and housing unaffordable for local populations in cities all over the world. Non-conformity would require a "Wait a minute - this is going to cause some significant harm" moment. Startup culture - YC included - just doesn't have what it takes to do that.

by mikeg8 4y ago

groby_b 4y ago

It gives YC an accurate reading on conformists, yes. A large number of startups exist for one point - making a nice exit. There's no nonconformism, just an angle. Going to an incubator, getting seed funding, getting several VC series - it's about as conformist as you can get. You want to see nonconformism, you need to look outside that space. Bootstrapped, co-ops, democratic governance models - those are the models that attract the outliers, because startup land now is what Wall Street was in the late 80s.

TheOtherHobbes 4y ago
You've hit the nail on the head. Startup land is basically the intersection of hobby coders and sharks. Often those overlap in the same person, but sometimes they're somewhat separated. And the motivations of both are surprisingly similar. Hobby coders want to tinker and work on cool stuff because it's fun and also because it can provide status and reassurance. And sharks want status and $$$. And sometimes also reassurance. The common factor is a strange kind of individualised selfishness which is either blind or aggressively hostile to social contexts and consequences. AirBnB is a classic example. They made a lot of money - go them - but they've also made a huge contribution to making rents and housing unaffordable for local populations in cities all over the world. Non-conformity would require a "Wait a minute - this is going to cause some significant harm" moment. Startup culture - YC included - just doesn't have what it takes to do that.