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I can't figure out why there is such a protective attitude about YC around here. Sure, the board is a service (experiment) of pg and YC, but seriously folks, t

by tom 18y ago

I can't figure out why there is such a protective attitude about YC around here. Sure, the board is a service (experiment) of pg and YC, but seriously folks, they don't have a mentoring/seed investment patent on this kind of an operation. Why can't folks be happy there are more opportunities out there? Are you claiming that only YC startups can benefit from such a program or that only YC can be beneficial the young company?

jacquesm 18y ago
I think YC and any other incubator are operating in the same space, but not necessarily in competition. That sounds like a contradiction, but the way I see it that funding startups (and I only have limited experience in this field so be gentle in your rebukes :) )is more about getting the right mix of people, ideas and money than it is about just the money. A vc should - at that stage - bring a lot more to the table than just cash, and if the chemistry isn't working out well then that can be because of the team, but it could also very well be the vc that doesn't work well with a specific party. So, more vc's in a certain region will make it easier to find the right 'mix' without any competition taking place. One startup I'm involved in is now in its third year, they have raised about 200K in funding from 8 different parties, mostly angel investors but also one corporate investor, the team is working out quite well after some initial shake-out. I can fully imagine that the past would have looked different if we had not 'clicked' on a personal level with the founders, but if we had not and they would have found traction with other investors I would not have seen that as competitor running away with our business, simply a mismatch of characters. I think most vc presentations that bomb will do so on a personal level rather than on the ideas presented, in fact I would be surprised if there were not several teams pitching roughly the same idea to a number of vcs at the same time (and sometimes even to the same vc...). The short version of all this, first of all it is about you and the vc getting on the same page, second there is the quality of the idea and your plans for executing that idea, third there is the money. The last two are 'fixable', the first is not.

by tom 18y ago

jacquesm 18y ago

I think YC and any other incubator are operating in the same space, but not necessarily in competition. That sounds like a contradiction, but the way I see it that funding startups (and I only have limited experience in this field so be gentle in your rebukes :) )is more about getting the right mix of people, ideas and money than it is about just the money. A vc should - at that stage - bring a lot more to the table than just cash, and if the chemistry isn't working out well then that can be because of the team, but it could also very well be the vc that doesn't work well with a specific party. So, more vc's in a certain region will make it easier to find the right 'mix' without any competition taking place. One startup I'm involved in is now in its third year, they have raised about 200K in funding from 8 different parties, mostly angel investors but also one corporate investor, the team is working out quite well after some initial shake-out. I can fully imagine that the past would have looked different if we had not 'clicked' on a personal level with the founders, but if we had not and they would have found traction with other investors I would not have seen that as competitor running away with our business, simply a mismatch of characters. I think most vc presentations that bomb will do so on a personal level rather than on the ideas presented, in fact I would be surprised if there were not several teams pitching roughly the same idea to a number of vcs at the same time (and sometimes even to the same vc...). The short version of all this, first of all it is about you and the vc getting on the same page, second there is the quality of the idea and your plans for executing that idea, third there is the money. The last two are 'fixable', the first is not.