Y Combinator Y Combinator

Successful startups don’t just build technology – they solve human problems. The key is listening to the people who really matter: your customers.



In this episode, Michael and Dalton discuss how spending real time with your users can unlock insights and growth. Hear the stories of how Airbnb and Brex built billion-dollar companies by forging genuine connections with their customers and learn why having too much money and too many people can actually slow down learning.



Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/
Work at a Startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs

If you're a high school or college student with big dreams of starting your own company, this video is for you. Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel, two startup founders who started in the early 20s and are now top investors, sit down to share the hard-won advice they wish they had known back in high school. Whether you're already running your own startup or just have an idea you can't stop thinking about, Dalton and Michael cover the skills you need to learn now and how to set yourself up for success after graduating school.



Why YC? https://www.ycombinator.com/why

Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

Work at a Startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs

Y Combinator is well-known for producing companies like Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase and more. But what's the real story behind the success of YC and the companies they fund? This is everything you need to know about the program.



Why YC? https://www.ycombinator.com/why
Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

YC Group Partner Brad Flora has seen startup fundraising from every angle: as a founder, as one of the most prolific angel investors in Silicon Valley, and now as a YC Group Partner. Brad has coached hundreds of companies on fundraising. In this talk, he shares stories and advice on how modern startup fundraising works.



Paul Graham Fundraising Essays:

http://www.paulgraham.com/fundraising.html

http://www.paulgraham.com/startupfunding.html

http://www.paulgraham.com/convince.html

http://www.paulgraham.com/herd.html



Geoff Ralston's Fundraising Guides:

https://www.ycombinator.com/library/4A-a-guide-to-seed-fundraising

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcevHkNGrWQ



YC Fundraising Resources:

https://www.ycombinator.com/library/2u-how-to-build-your-seed-round-pitch-deck

https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6q-how-to-pitch-your-startup

https://www.ycombinator.com/library/71-how-to-get-meetings-with-investors-and-raise-money

https://www.ycombinator.com/library/4O-raising-money-online-advice-for-startups

https://www.ycombinator.com/library/3u-different-types-of-investors-and-their-incentives



Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs

YC Group Partner, Michael Seibel, explains how to build a minimum viable product (MVP) for your startup idea. Using examples from real YC companies, Michael walks through how to determine your MVP feature set, build prototypes and demos for user testing, and present your MVP to early customers or investors.



Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs

In this first in-person episode, Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell reveal how startups can gain a competitive advantage by doing something deceptively simple. They share compelling stories of companies that built loyal relationships and achieved success by making personal connections with users. In contrast, they discuss the traps early-stage founders make by trying to emulate big tech. If you want to build a business that customers love and that thrives in the long run, this advice on why caring deeply about your customers is key.

Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/