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"I got into YC" is the equivalent of "I got into google" in the spectrum of startups. It is a form of credential and carries all of the negative connotations,

by niggler 14y ago

"I got into YC" is the equivalent of "I got into google" in the spectrum of startups. It is a form of credential and carries all of the negative connotations, with the added downside of opacity (at least with standardized tests, the rules are known ahead of time) Keep in mind that the hardest lessons of entrepreneurship are only exposed to those who are taking the biggest risks (staking out on your own or with friends) and are lost upon those who don't have to take a significant risk. In many ways, you see the differences in the behaviors of VC-backed companies versus bootstrapped companies.

npguy 14y ago
That is a solid observation. What YC has done to the world of startups is a massive study - if PG would open up the data (founder issues, funding, what the founders are up to today etc) we can get some really great insights.
codex 14y ago
There is another downside to the YC credential, which is the paltry funding in return for a huge chunk of a startup's equity. Is the program worth such a substantial cost? YC uses its reputation and an almost cult-like glorification of the startup to create a factory farm for newly minted college grads to toil away in, each in their own niche. All of these startups come from the same school, and so they work the same way, using the same ideas, shared among them--so when the majority of these startups fail, the many graduates leave with the same monoculture of thought, which lessens the value of their experience.
- kranner 14y ago
  I believe the pool's antecedents and ideas are much more diverse than that. I recommend the recent book 'The Launch Pad' (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591845297 http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591845297) as a good introduction to YC. Personally, if I were in a peer group any of whose members managed to succeed, I'd be much more motivated to give it another try even if my own effort had failed, compared to having made the effort alone. edit: But I agree with you in another way. Hurting for the lack of such a credential is a self-confidence issue. If you managed to hunker down and make something on your own, you're already ahead of the unwashed masses. Surely making a case for that is not so difficult in comparison (to the effort itself).
  - codex 14y ago
    Thank you for this book recommendation. I have ordered it and can't wait to read it.
- tedunangst 14y ago
  huge chunk?
- bitsweet 14y ago
  (YC) create a factory farm for newly minted college grads to toil away in, each in their own niche. All of these startups come from the same school, and so they work the same way, using the same ideas, shared among them--so when the majority of these startups fail, the many graduates leave with the same monoculture of thought, which lessens the value of their experience That seems like a profoundly naive opinion. If you have the chance to meet any random sampling of yc founders you'll find that they come from extremely diverse backgrounds and leave yc with just as diverse experiences

by niggler 14y ago

npguy 14y ago

That is a solid observation. What YC has done to the world of startups is a massive study - if PG would open up the data (founder issues, funding, what the founders are up to today etc) we can get some really great insights.

codex 14y ago

There is another downside to the YC credential, which is the paltry funding in return for a huge chunk of a startup's equity. Is the program worth such a substantial cost? YC uses its reputation and an almost cult-like glorification of the startup to create a factory farm for newly minted college grads to toil away in, each in their own niche. All of these startups come from the same school, and so they work the same way, using the same ideas, shared among them--so when the majority of these startups fail, the many graduates leave with the same monoculture of thought, which lessens the value of their experience.

kranner 14y ago
I believe the pool's antecedents and ideas are much more diverse than that. I recommend the recent book 'The Launch Pad' (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591845297 http://www.amazon.com/dp/1591845297) as a good introduction to YC. Personally, if I were in a peer group any of whose members managed to succeed, I'd be much more motivated to give it another try even if my own effort had failed, compared to having made the effort alone. edit: But I agree with you in another way. Hurting for the lack of such a credential is a self-confidence issue. If you managed to hunker down and make something on your own, you're already ahead of the unwashed masses. Surely making a case for that is not so difficult in comparison (to the effort itself).
- codex 14y ago
  Thank you for this book recommendation. I have ordered it and can't wait to read it.
tedunangst 14y ago
huge chunk?
bitsweet 14y ago
(YC) create a factory farm for newly minted college grads to toil away in, each in their own niche. All of these startups come from the same school, and so they work the same way, using the same ideas, shared among them--so when the majority of these startups fail, the many graduates leave with the same monoculture of thought, which lessens the value of their experience That seems like a profoundly naive opinion. If you have the chance to meet any random sampling of yc founders you'll find that they come from extremely diverse backgrounds and leave yc with just as diverse experiences