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Comment by wwkeyboard | Hacker News Reader

About point #1, does anyone have data on how many startups really fail? I have found answers from 70-90% on google, but those numbers come from blog posts and not from 100 times the number of failed businesses divided by the number of successful businesses formed in some reasonable grouping of time and space.

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Along those lines I'm curious how many of the YC companies make it to a next round of funding? Or make it to profitability and don't seek funding vs. those that formally wind down. I went to a TechStars meetup and something like 10 of 16 from the inaugural class got funded, 4 didn't because they were profitable, acquired, or otherwise all set, and 2 formally closed. Is that kind of data available for YC?

From the winter cycle of 16 startups, there are 3 that have neither raised money nor are ramen profitable. Of those 3, 1 is already dead, because of disputes between the founders. Another hasn't started trying to raise money yet, because there's stuff they want to get built first. So only 1 of the 16 is currently trying to raise money.

ramen profitable means not trying to raise money?

More like not being ramen profitable means trying to raise money.

You're getting to be a politician

Apart from the usual seed money do you ever invest more in a startup, either as YC or as an angel?

YC doesn't, but I occasionally participate individually in angel rounds.

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