Mercury’s Post

I spent my whole September on completing Startup School by Y Combinator. It was quite productive and joyful. The course lets you dive into more interesting topics as you go through the modules. One thing I really appreciate is the professional and simple explanation by tutors. Understanding how things work in "complex" business world and how to use this understanding to your advantage - that worth learning. If you also wanna benefit from this course, check out the official website: startupschool.org Once again, thanks to Y Combinator for creating such a great resource! #ycombinator #yc #startupschool

🚀 Great read if you're interested in the the evolution of Y Combinator as an accelerator program and why founders find it so attractive. The program runs twice per year and has over 10,000 companies apply to take part with only 282 accepted in 2023. 🦄 An astonishing 5.5% of YC companies have achieved unicorn status, to include Coinbase, Reddit and Airbnb, and some founders have returned to the accelerator on multiple occasions. Twitch cofounder, Justin Kan, believes the program's value lies in not only its education, but it's network, and the marketplace of investors it attracts. 💻 CEO Garry Tan predicts a new era for unicorns. With AI advancements, he suggests that startups may achieve unicorn status with just a handful of employees. #AI #Startups

$600M. 4 years. This Y Combinator startup went from idea to $600M in just 4 years. Learn how @TejasManohar and his co-founders grew at this break-neck speed. Follow GrowthHit for more marketing insights ❤️ #growthmarketing

alking To Investors by Y Combinator: Securing funding is a critical step for any startup, and knowing how to effectively engage with investors can make all the difference. Here are some key tips from the experts: Key Tips: 1) Craft a Clear Pitch: Nail your 30-second and 2-minute pitches to clearly convey your business idea and value proposition. 2) Prepare for Questions: Know your numbers, market size, and unique insights. 3) Follow Up: After the meeting, follow up diligently and create a sense of urgency. Follow All Chance Hub to learn from more innovative insights.

Just returned from an inspiring retreat with Y Combinator and we're buzzing with new insights and energy! 🌟 The retreat was packed with incredible activities, from ice sculpting and pickleball to fascinating talks by both founders and group partners. Here are some key takeaways that stuck with me: - Resilience is Key: Embracing uncertainty and learning to deal with anxiety positively can make a huge difference. - User-Centric Approach: Truly understanding our users and their needs is crucial to developing products that make a real impact. - Cofounder Relationships: Building strong bonds and fostering open communication with your cofounders can be a game-changer. - Good Taste in Products: Developing a strong opinion on product quality by deeply understanding our users’ lives and preferences is vital. Be ready to adapt if new signals contradict your assumptions. A huge thank you to Tom Blomfield, David Lieb, Tyler Bosmeny, Brad Flora, Nate Smith, and all the other awesome YC Group Partners, who shared invaluable wisdom and guided us through the sessions. Also, it was incredible to connect with so many brilliant founders who are on similar journeys. Your stories and insights are truly inspiring! Looking forward to applying these lessons as we continue to build Educato AI (YC S24) with Pierre-Louis Monnot and Codrut L. and make a meaningful impact in the world of online exam prep. Stay tuned for more updates! 🚀 #YCombinator #StartupJourney #EdTech #Startups #Innovation #Founders #Resilience #UserFocus

Just completed Y Combinator startup school course on starting up .

Some good tips here!

Not sure where to start with you pitch deck ? Here are some great resources by Hugo Rauch (you should follow him). Also make sure that whether you are pitching something internally in your company or presenting your works as a founder, you need to have a defense deck in place. A defense deck is usually a presentation that you need to prepare that answers beforehand all possible objections people may have about your project :)

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. And it has had a ripple effect on how I share online. Last month we applied to Y Combinator. We were working on the application for 2 weeks. The needed clarity and conciseness forced us to really go deep into research, thinking, and A LOT of writing. Uncovering learnings for our vision and planned execution. It was 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 at the same time. Exciting because getting in would mean forgetting about the pressures of self-funding our company, and going through the most coveted startup program in the world. Terrifying because somehow 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 than any other decision we could make on our own. So I chose not to share it in public like I did everything else. I was afraid of judgement if we failed. Something I thought I had moved past. And because it was occupying all of my mind space. It meant I had nothing else to share. So 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁. However, with some time and reflection, I’ve come to the natural realization that 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻: 🟡 that our product isn’t worth it 🟡 that WE aren’t worth it There could be a million reason why we get rejected. And none of them are going to make us stop working on easybranding. 𝗪𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. We believe in 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁. And we believe in 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀. YC is an amazing opportunity for growth. But it’s just one of the many paths we can take towards our ultimate goal. So by publicly stating it I’m letting go of whatever hold fear had over me. And 𝗜’𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝘀. Because honestly, we are doing great 😎 #buildinpublic #startup

Uncomfortable truth: Your startup idea is probably not unique. When I was on the Admissions team at Y Combinator, it was rare to read an idea I hadn't seen before. This isn't something unique to YC - it's true for most investors. When writing your YC application, or crafting your pitch deck, pretend someone will be reading it right after one written by a similar company. Similar explanation of their idea, similar customer segment, similar market size. What can you add to yours to make it stand out?