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I think most of the YC funded startups have good ideas, but some of the more recent batches (past three years) seem to have a much smaller market than the earli

I think most of the YC funded startups have good ideas, but some of the more recent batches (past three years) seem to have a much smaller market than the earlier batches. Has there been a conscious decision to move to more niche markets, or has that just been where the chips fell? Also, why has the average age of the founders YC funded slowly been rising?

sama 12y ago
Ideas look niche when the companies are starting out. As Peter Thiel says, you first want to dominate a small market. Most great companies were derided for focusing on a small niche when they first started. I think the average age has risen something like 3 years over the past 10 years. Part of it is that we're funding companies in other spaces. I bet the average age for founders of Internet/mobile startups hasn't moved much.