Five years in, Monzo is just starting its second act. Monzo’s first act was to build the UK’s best consumer and SMB banking product. Their second act will be to make money work for truly everyone by scaling to a global audience.
Dec 8, 2021Historically, there has been an undeniable gap in business services in the US. There are nearly six million small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the country, employing 43…
Aug 30, 2021When Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi joined the YC W17 batch with an idea for a VR startup, they quickly encountered a problem. They had applied for a…
Apr 26, 2021Online marketplaces bring efficiency to traditional sectors. They offer a better user experience and increase margins for participants. They can accrue huge value by reducing friction and aggregating…
Jan 21, 2021We believe that new and upcoming B2B players now have the tools to overcome historical constraints, and that large B2B commerce aggregators will emerge over the next decade. At YC, we often look to Faire (YC W17) as a prime example of B2B aggregators that will emerge over the next few years. In this post, we’ll walk through Faire’s opportunity as a B2B marketplace for independent retailers and brands, and discuss what its success means for the future of B2B commerce companies.
Jul 24, 2020Across the globe, as the novel coronavirus moves us from communal spaces into the confinement of our homes, our social experiences are forced to adapt. Beyond the social networks we already know and use, we are finding new ways to integrate social into our online lives. At Y Combinator, we are considering what this might mean for the future of e-commerce. For several years, we have had our eye on Pinduoduo as an interesting case study. But now, as China is recovering from the impact of COVID-19, Pinduoduo and their social-shopping approach is even better poised to fully capture the offline-to-online transition in commerce. The success of Pinduoduo in China suggests there is a huge opportunity for social commerce platforms to emerge in other regions.
May 6, 2020Anu Hariharan shares the collective wisdom of the YC community to help guide founders on best practices in managing a board––including running board meetings and overcoming board issues.
Jul 15, 2019