mwseibel

I learned this technique from one of the best YC interviewers of all time - Paul Buchheit.

I didn't perceive this as him snapping or being impolite or being a "killer". He was just being real with us.

I totally agree!

You nailed it.

Honestly being in the room I didn't feel screamed at. I felt like we finally got to the real reason why he was passionate about this problem/company. We just had a wade through all the "pitch stuff". I still think he ID'd a huge widespread problem that we still need a solution for.

Thank you for posting this. I remember your interview like it was yesterday.

I think it’s time for America’s leaders to stand up and organize our citizens in order to make long lasting policy changes. Citizens are paying attention. I want there to be a great American debate about what these changes should be. The world is watching and the American system is being tested. Let’s meet the challenge and be the example we want to see in the world. Clearly America is nowhere near perfect but with effort we can improve.

Very excited! One of the most common questions within the YC community is which product should I use for X. As an avid user of Wirecutter for consumer items I think this approach is very interesting.

I am really excited for this startup. Opioid crisis needs to be addressed and I think this is one of the many steps that can help the people/families who are suffering.

I use this product and I love it. It’s the small nudge I need to stay on task everyday. Recommend everyone gives this a try.

Feel free to drop me an email. Michael@ycombinator.com

At YC we do this all the time. Its our bread and butter :)

Great reply! We don't expect to be the source of solutions. We just want to help founders who are brave enough to take these challenges on.

There are forprofits and nonprofits on our list.

Thank you :)

I agree - it would be great for the government to tackle these problems. But looking at the current US government that doesn't look likely. I agree it feels almost impossible for a startup to actually fix some of these problems. But we fund startups who try to do the almost impossible all the time. And sometimes they succeed :)

What about the hosts who use Airbnb to help them pay their rent?

Hmm - I'd reread the RFS. YC is not interested in running the government.

We agree :)

It is hard to predict how a small startup can grow to address a huge problem until after they do it. What we want to do is back the founders who are at least trying to solve these problem.

I honestly disagree. There are many people in jail now pre-trial because the government is worried that they won't appear for trial. As a result these people often lose their jobs and their housing -- even if it turns out they are not guilty. Better software and technology can help address this problem.

Hey folks - happy to answer questions about our new RFS.

Yes I am continuing my role as CEO of the accelerator. We've got a great batch coming up this summer.

Just wanted to take a second to thank Sam for all that he has done over the past 5 years for YC. Also, I am very excited to work even more closely with Geoff as he takes on this new role.

Don't worry - I'm not going anywhere :)

We still fund a lot of young early stage founders. I think there are two things that make them stand out less on Demo Day. First, batches are much larger and the average age of the batch has increased. Second, these founders are much less likely to be starting consumer startups and therefore they blend in better with the other startups.

Another important change over the past 10 years is that many talented young potential founders are being vacuumed up by the big tech companies once they graduate from college (or before in college internship programs). Essentially, the big companies are pre-hiring their future competition. The combination of these actions and the strangling of distribution channels (messaging, social networking, and email) is preventing consumer startups from getting a foothold. And by and large young founder tend to be attracted to consumer startups.

We are doing a number of things to counteract the recruiting efforts of big companies including YC Early Decision: https://blog.ycombinator.com/early-decision/ and YC Startup School: https://www.startupschool.org.

That is what we are doing in Startup School - https://blog.ycombinator.com/announcing-startup-school-2018/

On one hand pre-money SAFEs diluting pre-money SAFEs is helpful to founders. On the other hand it makes it impossible to calculate dilution. As a result, a large number of companies are raising money without understanding their ownership. Once they get to Series A they get a rude awakening when they end up owning less than 50% of their company. By moving to post-money SAFEs every founder will have a clear understanding of their cap table which will allow them to better plan for future funding rounds. The negative effect that you describe can easily be accounted for by slightly increasing the cap at which you raise the SAFE. Needless to say, we are both trying to accomplish the same goal: founders raising money at financial terms that won't result in over-dilution.

It would still be very easy to raise a bridge round on SAFEs at a higher cap (or the same cap). Not sure why there would be a push to equity round. Even better, you'll know your dilution after the bridge round which will better allow you to plan for the A.