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If YC partner selection is anything like YC founder selection the data says YC is for white and asian men who went to Stanford or Harvard, with few exceptions.

by staunch 12y ago

If YC partner selection is anything like YC founder selection the data says YC is for white and asian men who went to Stanford or Harvard, with few exceptions. YC partners, being only human, will tend to be biased in favor of people who are like them. http://www.ycombinator.com/partners/ http://www.ycombinator.com/partners/ I'm pretty sure YC has not published any background diversity numbers. It would be good for the world if you did but I doubt you would find it flattering. I think this issue is just an understandable blind spot for you.

rmena123 12y ago
I couldn't have said it better, I think YC just doesn't see things from the other side unless they are in complete denial. "I think this issue is just an understandable blind spot for you."
nl 12y ago
(TLDR; YC has published diversity numbers - see references. It might be useful for you to read some of the YC essays to understand what they look for.) Note that originally YC was based around the idea of funding college students to try a startup instead of an internship over their semester break. At that point it was physically based near MIT & Harvard, with a winter (?) campus near Stanford. As you'd expect, early intakes were dominated by people from those places (ie, mostly white and asian males who attended MIT, Harvard and Stanford). Also as you'd expect, success takes time, and so we are seeing those early successes moving into roles within YC. I agree that increasing diversity of the YC partners, but it is important to understand the reasons why it is like that currently. I think it is excellent that YC is aware of this problem, and is taking steps to correct it amongst the companies they fund[1][2]. [1] http://blog.ycombinator.com/diversity-and-startups http://blog.ycombinator.com/diversity-and-startups [2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/women2/2014/02/03/y-combinators-jessica-livingston-we-just-funded-our-most-diverse-class-ever/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/women2/2014/02/03/y-combinators-...

by staunch 12y ago

rmena123 12y ago

I couldn't have said it better, I think YC just doesn't see things from the other side unless they are in complete denial. "I think this issue is just an understandable blind spot for you."

nl 12y ago

(TLDR; YC has published diversity numbers - see references. It might be useful for you to read some of the YC essays to understand what they look for.) Note that originally YC was based around the idea of funding college students to try a startup instead of an internship over their semester break. At that point it was physically based near MIT & Harvard, with a winter (?) campus near Stanford. As you'd expect, early intakes were dominated by people from those places (ie, mostly white and asian males who attended MIT, Harvard and Stanford). Also as you'd expect, success takes time, and so we are seeing those early successes moving into roles within YC. I agree that increasing diversity of the YC partners, but it is important to understand the reasons why it is like that currently. I think it is excellent that YC is aware of this problem, and is taking steps to correct it amongst the companies they fund[1][2]. [1] http://blog.ycombinator.com/diversity-and-startups http://blog.ycombinator.com/diversity-and-startups [2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/women2/2014/02/03/y-combinators-jessica-livingston-we-just-funded-our-most-diverse-class-ever/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/women2/2014/02/03/y-combinators-...