Q&A with YC Partners at Startup School

by Y Combinator1/2/2017

We pulled together eleven of the most frequently asked questions from Startup School attendees and had YC partners answer them on stage. Here are the questions:

  1. If you know you want to eventually start a startup, when should you do it? Should you wait to become a domain expert or start now? [:50]
  2. What’s a good process for discovering and vetting new ideas that might be worth building? [1:48]
  3. How do you choose between an idea you love but might be tough to monetize and an idea that has great revenue potential? [3:19]
  4. YC generally recommends having a cofounder. Ooshma Garg of Gobble didn’t have a cofounder. What convinced you about her application? [3:42]
  5. What are tools or services you’d recommend for founders that are just starting? [6:20]
  6. What kinds of things do new founders waste time on? [7:37]
  7. Is it more important to move fast or perfect your product? [9:46]
  8. For a startup that’s recently launched, what would you consider a good growth rate? [12:40]
  9. What do you look for when you’re reading a YC application? What do you look for when you’re interviewing companies? [13:44]
  10. Is there an optimal time in the lifecycle of a company to apply for YC? [18:48]
  11. Is there anything you wish you’d known when you first started? [20:56]

Watch the video on YouTube.

Author

  • Y Combinator

    Y Combinator created a new model for funding early stage startups. Twice a year we invest a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200). The startups move to Silicon