Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Y Combinator

We help founders make something people want. The Y Combinator Podcast is where builders talk about building. From the earliest days of an idea to scaling a company that changes the world, YC partners and founders share real stories, lessons, and tactics from the frontlines.

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327 episodes
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Episodes327

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Jan 24, 2023 · 31 min
Keys To Successful Co-Founder Relationships with Cat Li & Divya Bhat | Startup School
How do you find a co-founder and build a great partnership? YC's Catheryn Li (who also built our Co-Founder Matching tool) and Visiting Partner Divya Bhat cover the importance of having co-founders, how to get & vet one, and the ways to build a successful working relationship with them. Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/SUS-apply Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/SUS-jobs Looking for a co-founder? Sign up for Co-Founder Matching: https://www.ycombinator.com/cofounder-matching
Jan 18, 2023 · 16 min
How To Compete With Amazon and Google
Step inside the Group Partner Lounge to hear Y Combinator Group Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss the traps founders often fall into when looking at the competition. They identify the particular types of companies you should watch out for and many more you are wasting your time worrying about. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Jan 16, 2023 · 29 min
The Secrets To Setting Smarter Goals
If you're looking to maximize your startup's potential, start by setting the right goals. Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell provide tips and strategies for setting goals that will help keep you and your new business focused on success—plus provide examples of bad goals to avoid. Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs
Jan 12, 2023 · 15 min
Investors Said No, Now What?
Step inside the Group Partner Lounge to hear Y Combinator Group Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss how you should handle rejection from investors and why you should "believe the no, not the why." Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Jan 11, 2023 · 13 min
When to Launch Your Startup and When to Wait
Step inside the group partners' lounge to hear Y Combinator Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss how startups should approach launching and the exceptions to the rules. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Jan 3, 2023 · 22 min
How to Get Your First Customers with Gustaf Alströmer | Startup School
How do you get your first customers? YC Group Partner & former Head of Growth at Airbnb, Gustaf Alströmer, gives tactical advice to answer this question for all kinds of companies — whether you're B2B or B2C — and discusses why it's important for founders to do sales early on. Apply to Y Combinator: ⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠ Work at a Startup: ⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs
Dec 27, 2022 · 32 min
Startup Business Models and Pricing with Aaron Epstein | Startup School
One of the most common topics that founders ask us about is pricing and monetization. In this talk, YC Group Partner Aaron Epstein outlines 9 different business models, and highlights lessons from top YC companies on how to best monetize and price your product. Business Model Guide: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Gh-business-model-guide Apply to Y Combinator: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs
Dec 20, 2022 · 17 min
How to Talk to Users with Gustaf Alströmer | Startup School
YC often says "talk to your users", but actually doing that is surprisingly tricky. YC Group Partner Gustaf Alströmer gives non-obvious advice on how to talk to both current and potential users, how to run a great user interview, and how to interpret the feedback in these conversations. Apply to Y Combinator: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs
Dec 15, 2022 · 32 min
How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas with Jared Friedman | Startup School
YC's Jared Friedman shares a framework for how to get and evaluate startup ideas. He delves into examples of YC companies and the inside stories of how they came up with the ideas that turned into billion-dollar companies. Even if you have an existing idea, this talk helps founders confirm that their idea is good and/or provides a framework for a future pivot. Apply to Y Combinator: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs
Dec 13, 2022 · 17 min
Should You Start a Startup? with Harj Taggar | Startup School
In this episode of Startup School, YC Group Partner Harj Taggar shares his advice on the types of people best suited to be startup founders and how to prepare to start a company in the future. Apply to Y Combinator: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup: ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs
Dec 1, 2022 · 28 min
Avoid These Tempting Startup Ideas
Thinking of a new startup idea? Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the types of ideas to stay away from—what we commonly refer to as "tarpit ideas." Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs
Nov 29, 2022 · 26 min
The Truth About Y Combinator
With the YC S22 batch coming to a close, Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel reflect on the recent batch and their experience fundraising. The two group partners also clear up some misconceptions about Y Combinator based on feedback from founders. Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs
Nov 24, 2022 · 24 min
The Two Mindsets That Can Kill Your Startup
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the qualities that make a founder overly optimistic or far too pessimistic about their startup. Where is the right middle ground? Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs
Nov 17, 2022 · 18 min
What Basic Game Theory Teaches Us About Startups
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the problems with zero sum games within tech culture. Is your startup making a positive impact on the world or are your business practices a net negative in society? Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Nov 10, 2022 · 32 min
Most Important Lifestyle Habits Of Successful Founders
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the best approaches to developing a healthy lifestyle that ultimately helps you run and grow a successful startup. Funders, take care of yourselves out there. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Nov 3, 2022 · 17 min
Elon Musk & The Midwit Meme
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel on the midwit meme, how it applies to startups, and the best example: Elon Musk. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Oct 27, 2022 · 25 min
Things That Don't Scale, The Software Edition
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel on software hacks that don't scale. Companies discussed include Google, Facebook, Twitch, and imeem. Watch the first video on doing things that don't scale here: https://youtu.be/4RMjQal_c4U Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Oct 20, 2022 · 24 min
Why Investors (including YC) Can’t Fix Your Company
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel on common pitfalls in the advice from different types of investors and why you, the founder, are ultimately responsible for the success of your company. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Oct 13, 2022 · 18 min
What Does It REALLY Mean To Do Things That Don't Scale?
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel talk about Paul Graham's essay "Do Things That Don't Scale" and what it really means for founders. Read the essay here: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Oct 6, 2022 · 18 min
How To Change The World? Get The Small Things Right
Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel talk about the importance of understanding incentives and doing research when it comes to building a world-changing startup. To create Rookies Mistakes we asked YC founders: Is there a simple fact you wish you knew when you started your company or a rookie mistake you wish you could take back? Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/