4 ms·

It's gentrified or become mainstream or whatever you want to call it. Like instead of living in a loft built in an abandoned factory in an obscure part of town

It's gentrified or become mainstream or whatever you want to call it. Like instead of living in a loft built in an abandoned factory in an obscure part of town, buying a new-build condo with exposed vents and some brick on one of the walls. A lot of startups are just outsourced corporate innovation, or a VC bet on the founders, more like the investors hiring someone for a role than an organic "invention in the garage". Not always true of course, but a shift overall

phkahler 4y ago
YC in the beginning was all about giving the people who make things a shot at using their ability and ideas to start a company. Now it's founders, funding, and hiring the first engineer. Maybe half of what PG said is out of date, but a lot of that is because he wrote about a fundamentally different kind of startup. I think those stillexist, just not at YC any more.
- version_five 4y ago
  There was a list of Thiel fellows published the other day* and it struck me that the companies listed are mostly all pretty mainstream sounding startups and founders that wouldn't stand out on a list from YC or another VC. Maybe it's always been that way, I had in my mind that a program like that was trying to be a little more outside the box, but it feels pretty mainstream. I dont know what "next" looks like but the whole scene feels a bit like a copy of a copy of a copy now. (I'm not criticizing any individuals, just the relative uniformity of a scene that presents itself as high risk bets on genuinely new stuff) * https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thiel-foundation-announces-next-thiel-150500767.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thiel-foundation-announces-ne...
- intelVISA 4y ago
  Always funny to see the "modern YC startup" of two corp-types looking to offer the privilege of a crappy salary and tiny equity to a 'founding engineer' to build their product for them. I would say I'm saddened but ultimately VC money far outpaced the small minority of people who can build things.
  - tough 4y ago
    Every time I see some of these, I'm reminded I should apply and get the equity myself. But oh well, I'm not a US grad coming out of MIT or whatever those kids seem to have
k__ 4y ago
I guess, bootstrapping and grants are the "new" way.
- intelVISA 4y ago
  I've seen some startup horrors subsidized by nebulous gov't grants. Money laundering for the elite always finds a way.
  - version_five 4y ago
    Almost the entire Canadian startup ecosystem is like that (other industries too)

phkahler 4y ago

YC in the beginning was all about giving the people who make things a shot at using their ability and ideas to start a company. Now it's founders, funding, and hiring the first engineer. Maybe half of what PG said is out of date, but a lot of that is because he wrote about a fundamentally different kind of startup. I think those stillexist, just not at YC any more.

version_five 4y ago
There was a list of Thiel fellows published the other day* and it struck me that the companies listed are mostly all pretty mainstream sounding startups and founders that wouldn't stand out on a list from YC or another VC. Maybe it's always been that way, I had in my mind that a program like that was trying to be a little more outside the box, but it feels pretty mainstream. I dont know what "next" looks like but the whole scene feels a bit like a copy of a copy of a copy now. (I'm not criticizing any individuals, just the relative uniformity of a scene that presents itself as high risk bets on genuinely new stuff) * https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thiel-foundation-announces-next-thiel-150500767.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thiel-foundation-announces-ne...
intelVISA 4y ago
Always funny to see the "modern YC startup" of two corp-types looking to offer the privilege of a crappy salary and tiny equity to a 'founding engineer' to build their product for them. I would say I'm saddened but ultimately VC money far outpaced the small minority of people who can build things.
- tough 4y ago
  Every time I see some of these, I'm reminded I should apply and get the equity myself. But oh well, I'm not a US grad coming out of MIT or whatever those kids seem to have

k__ 4y ago

I guess, bootstrapping and grants are the "new" way.

intelVISA 4y ago
I've seen some startup horrors subsidized by nebulous gov't grants. Money laundering for the elite always finds a way.
- version_five 4y ago
  Almost the entire Canadian startup ecosystem is like that (other industries too)