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Startup School is a good way to start finding a friend with similar interests. You gotta start somewhere. - Kevin (YC Partner / Startup School Instructor/Host)

by kevin 7y ago

davidw 7y ago
You guys have any data? I mean, it seems like a bad idea to me too, but you guys have access to a lot more data than I do.
- matz1 7y ago
  How is it a bad idea? To find friend you have to start from somewhere right ? One way maybe from this "dating" site
  - davidw 7y ago
    I don't have first hand experience, but my impression is that the best co-founders are those who you've got some history with, who you know and trust. That doesn't happen overnight. Kind of like an actual dating site might be a good way to meet potential marriage partners, but you'd look at someone pretty weird if you went on a date and they suggested they want to get married right away. But who knows; those guys see a lot of founders, maybe things work out differently.
    - matz1 7y ago
      The same way you use dating site to make that initial connection for that history to begin with. Dating site doesn't imply anything regarding having to get married right away. Its simply a medium for that initial connection, that's it.
      - davidw 7y ago
        I think most people interested in starting a company have a different time frame in mind than people who are dating. But who knows... I'd be curious to see actual data rather than supposing.
        deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
        matz1 7y ago
        I'm not quite sure what your point is. You said "best co-founders are those who you've got some history with, who you know and trust. That doesn't happen overnight" I agree but then how do you start it in the first place ? Isn't the point of startup school or dating school is to connect people and then from that, over time you can build that history and trust and then use that as consideration whether you want them as your co-founder ?
        davidw 7y ago
        Is that what YC has observed? My theory is that people are looking for people to start a company with ASAP, rather than 4-5 years in the future after they've worked together for a while. But I could be wrong.
        matz1 7y ago
        Sure there are people like that but the thing is you don't have to. No one is dictating you that you must start a company within certain time frame.
eloff 7y ago
I'm with pg on this, starting a company with someone is a bigger commitment than getting married and without the physical chemistry to help things through tough spots. You'd be crazy to do that with someone you just met. I can't help thinking you'd actually be decreasing your odds of success versus just being a single founder. I'll stay a single founder and I feel that's the right decision for me. I can weather the highs and lows. I remain curious to see if the data will back this up more generally. Long term this could be a good idea to meet people with similar interests, but to partner with for your next startup maybe. Not for now.
- mrep 7y ago
  > starting a company with someone is a bigger commitment than getting married How? You can leave a company you founded at any any time without any financial repercussions usually but marriages you cannot unless you get a prenup (which probably costs legal fees) and that's not even including the ring nor wedding.
  - TuringNYC 7y ago
    >>>> starting a company with someone is a bigger commitment than getting married >> How? You can leave a company you founded at any any time without any financial repercussions Absolutely not! Leaving a company has huge financial repercussions! If you have no agreement, you are either killing the company (as everyone disbands) or end up with either no ownership or end up with some uncertain amount of ownership as all the owners fight amongst themselves. If you do have a vesting agreement, you've usually lost everything if you haven't reached your 1st year cliff vest. Either way -- you've lost a lot -- 0. You've "lost" all the work you put in (often at zero or low salary). You often put in 80hr workweeks -- at that rate you could have made a boatload of money with a real job or contracting, and instead you put it all in as sweat equity and now the company owns all that unpaid effort, not you. 1. You've lost all the money you may have invested into the company 2. You've lost all the IP you came up with but may now be owned by the company Also, I'd be worried if the startup means so little that you are willing to walk away without disappointment -- because startups go through hard times and you have to be willing to slog through the despair without quitting.
KirinDave 7y ago
"And also we gotta make a living keeping the impression we add value alive and fresh." - Dave, Post-Exist Technical Cofounder, Senior Engineer and Manager Being Honest About Their Opinion Of Kevin's Credibility On This Subject.

Startup School is a good way to start finding a friend with similar interests. You gotta start somewhere. - Kevin (YC Partner / Startup School Instructor/Host)

by kevin 7y ago

Startup School is a good way to start finding a friend with similar interests. You gotta start somewhere. - Kevin (YC Partner / Startup School Instructor/Host)

davidw 7y ago

You guys have any data? I mean, it seems like a bad idea to me too, but you guys have access to a lot more data than I do.

matz1 7y ago
How is it a bad idea? To find friend you have to start from somewhere right ? One way maybe from this "dating" site
- davidw 7y ago
  I don't have first hand experience, but my impression is that the best co-founders are those who you've got some history with, who you know and trust. That doesn't happen overnight. Kind of like an actual dating site might be a good way to meet potential marriage partners, but you'd look at someone pretty weird if you went on a date and they suggested they want to get married right away. But who knows; those guys see a lot of founders, maybe things work out differently.
  - matz1 7y ago
    The same way you use dating site to make that initial connection for that history to begin with. Dating site doesn't imply anything regarding having to get married right away. Its simply a medium for that initial connection, that's it.
    - davidw 7y ago
      I think most people interested in starting a company have a different time frame in mind than people who are dating. But who knows... I'd be curious to see actual data rather than supposing.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
      - matz1 7y ago
        I'm not quite sure what your point is. You said "best co-founders are those who you've got some history with, who you know and trust. That doesn't happen overnight" I agree but then how do you start it in the first place ? Isn't the point of startup school or dating school is to connect people and then from that, over time you can build that history and trust and then use that as consideration whether you want them as your co-founder ?
        davidw 7y ago
        Is that what YC has observed? My theory is that people are looking for people to start a company with ASAP, rather than 4-5 years in the future after they've worked together for a while. But I could be wrong.
        matz1 7y ago
        Sure there are people like that but the thing is you don't have to. No one is dictating you that you must start a company within certain time frame.

eloff 7y ago

I'm with pg on this, starting a company with someone is a bigger commitment than getting married and without the physical chemistry to help things through tough spots. You'd be crazy to do that with someone you just met. I can't help thinking you'd actually be decreasing your odds of success versus just being a single founder. I'll stay a single founder and I feel that's the right decision for me. I can weather the highs and lows. I remain curious to see if the data will back this up more generally. Long term this could be a good idea to meet people with similar interests, but to partner with for your next startup maybe. Not for now.

mrep 7y ago
> starting a company with someone is a bigger commitment than getting married How? You can leave a company you founded at any any time without any financial repercussions usually but marriages you cannot unless you get a prenup (which probably costs legal fees) and that's not even including the ring nor wedding.
- TuringNYC 7y ago
  >>>> starting a company with someone is a bigger commitment than getting married >> How? You can leave a company you founded at any any time without any financial repercussions Absolutely not! Leaving a company has huge financial repercussions! If you have no agreement, you are either killing the company (as everyone disbands) or end up with either no ownership or end up with some uncertain amount of ownership as all the owners fight amongst themselves. If you do have a vesting agreement, you've usually lost everything if you haven't reached your 1st year cliff vest. Either way -- you've lost a lot -- 0. You've "lost" all the work you put in (often at zero or low salary). You often put in 80hr workweeks -- at that rate you could have made a boatload of money with a real job or contracting, and instead you put it all in as sweat equity and now the company owns all that unpaid effort, not you. 1. You've lost all the money you may have invested into the company 2. You've lost all the IP you came up with but may now be owned by the company Also, I'd be worried if the startup means so little that you are willing to walk away without disappointment -- because startups go through hard times and you have to be willing to slog through the despair without quitting.

KirinDave 7y ago

"And also we gotta make a living keeping the impression we add value alive and fresh." - Dave, Post-Exist Technical Cofounder, Senior Engineer and Manager Being Honest About Their Opinion Of Kevin's Credibility On This Subject.