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>YC is at its core a group of great people. Correct me if I'm wrong but I actually thought that was the obvious reason to most applicants. A $120k investment
by jasode 12y ago
>YC is at its core a group of great people.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I actually thought that was the obvious reason to most applicants.
A $120k investment from YC doesn't provide that much runway. That kind of money doesn't give much wiggle room for founders to splurge on luxuries like Aeron chairs and fancy cappuccino machines. That amount is to allow a small team to live in near-poverty in the SF Bay area for ~6 months and maybe also buy some tech necessities like AWS EC2 time. Basically, provide some breathing room for founders to not worry about rent and put the focus on building their idea. What other reason to work 60+ hours a week in modest conditions unless it was the networking and interaction?
- totalrobe 12y agoThis is what I was about to say. If you want money, go to investors. If you want a community, join an incubator.
- woah 12y agoEhhhh... Aren't there syndicates standing ready with millions for every YC startup on Demo Day? I think YC acceptance is worth at least 10 million in funding.
- anateus 12y agoThat's... not true. I may have missed sarcasm here, but do you really think every company at demo day gets $10 mil?
- _delirium 12y agoIt's not guaranteed, but it almost certainly raises the odds. The YC "brand" and investor exposure is quite valuable on its own, even independent of any other benefits.
- woah 12y agoPretty sure I read about at least a few million automatically on demo day, depending on the startup my guess is getting up to 10 in the year following is not a bad bet. I suppose someone whould have to crunch the numbers.
- antoinec 12y agoIf you read it...that must be true then I guess
- Sevzinn 12y agoIt was much less not too long ago, as well.
- bendyBus 12y agoI would suspect that this is non-obvious to people who view YC as a structured, semi-guaranteed route to success, the way many people view a degree from a prestigious university. I know many people who are 'interested' in startups and crave some kind of validation that they are a real entrepreneur before sinking their teeth in. My university even offers a 1 year diploma in entrepreneurship. Madness! As though formal training will help you make the hard decisions you face as a founder.
- Swizec 12y ago> My university even offers a 1 year diploma in entrepreneurship. Wouldn't it be cheaper and more educational to just launch a side-business and keep it running for a year?
- Kalium 12y agoDepends greatly on what kind of mistakes you make and what you learn. Me, I prefer to learn from the mistakes of others.
- Kalium 12y ago> As though formal training will help you make the hard decisions you face as a founder. Formal training means a way to structure your thoughts and assess risks. Don't dismiss it out of hand.
- alooPotato 12y agoThe obvious reason is that the people at YC are talented, the non obvious reason is that are such genuinely nice people as well.
- danudey 12y agoThis is basically what I came here to post. Meeting other founders and having a social and business circle of other successes and work-in-progress companies? Are there any other reasons to join YC? The money is a pittance, relative to the cost of being in SF, but the connections you can make in a month are invaluable.
- rohunati 12y agoNo. It's obvious that they are smart and talented folks that can give you a good shot at success. It isn't obvious that they are genuinely nice people.
- _kyran 12y agoAWS will usually give out around 100k in credits to funded startups.