Startup School 2014 applications are open | Hacker News Reader

Startup School 2014 applications are open

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94 pointskatm31 comments

Polling the community: Should I attend?

I've watched videos of past events, and they seem to follow the TED model of being amusing and inspirational but not particularly informative; I'm too cynical to be interested in "inspirational". On the other hand, I get the feeling that the hallway track might be good.

Attending Startup School last year was one of the few identifiable events that led me to starting Bayes Impact and joining YC with a nonprofit. Listening to Chase Adams talk about his experience with Watsi was incredibly inspiring, and similarly the other speakers instill in you a sense of urgency and possibility. I wouldn't measure the value of going in information -- in fact much of the information can be found in PG's essays and generally online. The value is in lighting a fire under your ass to get started and meet others that feel the same way -- that in itself can change the course of your life.

There are too many startup related videos floating around. If you have watched them, after a point, you notice that they all say the same thing. Next step is to stop watching these videos and actually doing something. If you are already at the stage of noticing the pattern, you don't need to listen anything in person. If not, it might help you get there.

However, you will get to network with some good talent if you visit startup school.

I went last year, and had a great time. I didn't find the talks particularly useful (although they were often fun and I would call Chase Adam's Watsi talk legitimately inspiring), but I think the real value in an event like this is chatting with the other attendees.

Almost everybody I met was doing something interesting, and I had a bunch of great conversations about the realities of startups that weekend. It's a part of the reason that I left my job several months later and joined a small startup.

I attended in 2010, the year that Zuckerberg answered a few questions about "The Social Network" movie.

The talks are more inspirational than informative, but seeing them live was a great experience. What really made it great for me was the chance to be around hundreds of like-minded individuals and have a few conversations about startups that I'd not have gotten in my home city (I live outside SV). There are also pre and post parties to attend and meet more people. There's just an atmosphere there that can't be created easily.

If airfare wasn't an issue, I'd not hesitate to go again. I am assuming it is still free. It was well worth the day I invested.

Yes, you should attend if you get accepted. Sure you can watch it online, but there's nothing like sitting in the audience, actually experiencing the talks, and meeting really smart people. During my first Startup School in 2009, I stayed with the founders of no-name startup (at that time) called Airbnb. It was super early days, and I remember walking into a loft where about 10-18 people were working. I met some really awesome friends during that trip. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made to this day.

I highly recommend attending if you get the chance. I've been twice and both times have been well worth it (I traveled from Texas both times).

I say don't attend. Startup school is good, but the delta over watching the videos is not. In essence, the content is great, but there's nothing that the in-person event offers over the content itself.

I attended Startup School NYC, but would have got the same out of sitting down and watching the videos seriously. (The key is to actually do a serious viewing session instead of half heartedly watching them over microwaved lunches).

I was under the impression that the networking aspect of Startup School is a major draw for a lot of people. Did you not find this to be the case?

Networking at a startup event is pretty hit and miss. Conference networking is that way in general, but there's even less coherence when the only thing bringing together the attendees is an interest in running a business.

If you ask me, the primary reason to attend startup school is that you'll see a lot of "famous" people who are just names to you, and you'll begin to realize that they're human. That's a worthwhile experience if you've never done it before, but I wouldn't go into the event with grander expectations.

Couldn't agree more. I've attended the one in NYC last time. While I enjoyed some of the talks (I had seen the others before), it wasn't much different than watching the videos.

The hallway conversations and the networking was indeed vibrant and full of energy, but no different than any other startup event, or sxsw, or meetups, or...

I'd say that there are smaller and more focused events (Eyeo comes to mind, even though not free and much longer), that are more rewarding. Anyway, I'd probably go again if invited, mostly for FOMO (fear of missing out).

It's a pretty busy day usually going into late evening. While you might get to talk to some people over lunch, and there are afterparties hosted afterwards, it's not the event I'd call the most beneficial to networking. Combined with introversion and shyness of half the attendees, it makes it a pretty tough proposition for networking.

Networking part can be very useful. It is up to you, of course.

I'll be flying in from Toronto.

If you're going just for the talks, then I agree, just watch the videos. If you're going for the networking and/or to visit the area, then it's worthwhile.

I'm taking a week, maybe 2, to visit old friends, explore, and network. Maybe some work too.

Shameless plug - If you're looking for other startup-related events to attend the week of Startup School, sign up for Startup Digest's weekly events digest[1].

It's a weekly email newsletter of startup events happening in San Francisco & Silicon Valley, and DISCLOSURE I am a volunteer "Events Curator" for it.

[1] https://www.startupdigest.com/digests (search for "Silicon Valley-SF Bay Area")

Colin,

The energy is very good, and its very fun. I've learned much, been inspired to do more and better things, and some of the friendships I've made have been very deep, some of the connections very useful. If you've never been, it's very worth going.

My favorite part last year was the smaller dinner the night before and the opportunity to meet people outside the talks. You should definitely attend if for no reason other than gracing it with your own presence.

I think the best thing about it, more than being inspirational, is that it normalizes the idea of starting a startup - especially if you're from outside the valley.

Totally. You get to meet cool people during the break.

I think if your in the area or you know tons of people going; it might be worth going. I would't go out of my way to attend.

I went to the one in NYC few years back and it was not a good experience for me. I traveled from Boston and was super excited. Just a big let down.

PG was like a celebrity their. Impossible to get in anything with him. Same with other famous founders. Basically everyone was just circling and try to figure out who to talk to next. Was super awkward.

My takeaways from NYC:

1.) PG looks exactly like his pics and acts the same. It pretty hard to get to talk to him (due to all the people clamoring for his attention).

2.) Some famous YC alum are stuck up. Never met anyone as stuck up as the non-technical reddit co-founder.

3.) Justin Kan is the nicest person. Pure respect for him.

4.) In NYC at least hordes of MBA trolling looking for "technical cofounders". Met a really rude person who actually introduced himself as having an MBA from Harvard.

San Francisco might be different.

> 2.) Some famous YC alum are stuck up. Never met anyone as stuck up as the non-technical reddit co-founder.

I highly disagree. The "non-technical reddit co-founder" is both humble and awesome -- but if it's the same event I'm thinking, you might have misinterpreted his joke about serving orange-colored kool aid at the event.

Also, June 2014 was the first NYC Startup School. You might be talking about the "YC in NYC" event in September 2011. That was more of a talk by PG about how NYC had overtaken Boston as a clear #2 startup hub, followed by what makes a startup hub work (basically startup and investor density, which creates more chance encounters). Other founders spoke, but those were hiring pitches, not really the same kind of advice talks you get at startup school.

Ok thanks for clarifying the "YC in NYC". You are correct.

Though it is different event than the 2011 "YC in NYC". I hope you guys have worked out the logistics so attendees who have really went out of their way to be there can benefit in some way; different than just the talks which they can watch online.

I hope more people get benefits out of it.

> 2.) Some famous YC alum are stuck up. Never met anyone as stuck up as the non-technical reddit co-founder.

Had to speak up on this. The non-technical reddit co-founder is one of the most helpful, humble, and down-to-earth person I've ever met. He does so much for so many people, so it's totally possible that he wasn't able to be helpful during the chaos of that particular event, but I wanted to tell you my experience having met him on multiple occasions.

I attended the SF startup school at the end of 2013 and had a similar experience but perhaps not quite so negative:

1) There's seemingly no access to the speakers outside of listening to what they have to say from a stage. The speakers were really great, and very interesting, but it's a shame I couldn't speak with one or two of them

2) Office hours with PG was incredibly entertaining, but I didn't take much away from it

3) I (perhaps naively) thought I'd be surrounded by people I could learn from so I made a point of talking to as many people as possible. Every single person I took the opportunity to engage with was looking for an idea/funding/technical co-founder blah blah blah. The good news is that I left feeling like our little app http://www.staffsquared.com was doing really rather well given we'd bootstrapped it. The bad news is that I didn't get much in the way of advice or new connections from the day. Perhaps the clue is in the name - startup school, 90% of the people I spoke with had just left college/Uni and were trying to find a pathway in to startups.

I'd definitely recommend the Startup School if you like one or more of the speakers. I left feeling energised and slightly wiser from the talks I listened to. I didn't stick around for the big one, Zuckerburg, because I felt like I'd sat and listened enough for one day...your mileage will definitely vary.

Met Justin Kan at one of these events too. Agreed, dude is super down-to-earth and very nice. Was surprised to learn how much coding he still does for his companies.

The lineup looks pretty good so far: Ron Conway, Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Danae Ringelmann (Indiegogo), Emmett Shear (Twitch).

Anyone know who else they might be bringing in? Does Zuckerberg do it every year?

Awesome. Application submitted. Anyone know what the typical acceptance rate is for this?

I've never seen a technical person rejected.

It depends on how much space they have. If they are doing it at De Anza College again (and it looks like they are), then they'll have lots of space. But even then, it was pretty packed. I didn't get in until last year, I suspect because of the extra space - and I'm technical.

I've been rejected every time. I have a cs degree and was a technical founder for 5 years. I always wonder if it's worth applying again.

Are there other networking events happening during the same weekend? If not, maybe some locals could make them happen?

Shameless plug - If you're looking for other startup-related events to attend the week of Startup School, sign up for Startup Digest's weekly events digest[1].

It's a weekly email newsletter of startup events happening in San Francisco & Silicon Valley, and DISCLOSURE I am a volunteer "Events Curator" for it.

[1] https://www.startupdigest.com/digests (search for "Silicon Valley-SF Bay Area")

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