
Startup School 2018 – Curriculum - katm
https://blog.ycombinator.com/startup-school-2018-curriculum/
======
staunch
Really great news that this program is getting more effort poured into it.
Startup School could be orders of magnitude bigger and more important than YC
itself. It could be the first meritocratic platform for startup opportunity.

Instead of trying to predict success based on the seeds of an idea and a brief
interview, any startup could enter the program and those that prove themselves
could move up a ladder that provides more and more opportunity.

The application still asks about educational background, which effectively
just a way of asking about familial wealth, but it still seems like a major
improvement over existing avenues.

I predict that in the future YC will be viewed as the "do things that don't
scale" early effort and Startup School will become the massively world-
changing product that results.

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graystevens
For those that took part in previous years, would this be suitable for those
of us running (or thinking of starting..) bootstrapped startups, as solo-
entrepreneurs?

I ask because the curriculum looks great, but wondered if the mentoring might
be a little more focused towards the more traditional startups looking to
progress to VC funding, rather than those of us that are taking things a
little slower on our own.

~~~
a13n
We're bootstrapped, and we did it last year. I wrote about our experience:
[https://canny.io/blog/what-youll-get-out-of-y-combinators-
st...](https://canny.io/blog/what-youll-get-out-of-y-combinators-startup-
school/)

I would guess that this is YC's version of freemium. They're giving away a
slimmed down version of their product for free, to drive brand awareness /
resonance, and attract more qualified leads to their paid (7%) program.

You might not be interested in YC proper, but there's still plenty of great
advice, that will probably translate into you having a more successful
startup.

~~~
nojvek
It is amazing how successful YC has been. Is there another well known
accelerator that has close to YC’s total valuation of startups?

Also it baffles me that YC has close to 1000 startups that have gone through
them but only one “Dropbox” has IPO’d.

I get the feeling that YC’s best days are ahead when things they invested in a
decade ago will pay off huge returns.

~~~
rpm33
> I get the feeling that YC’s best days are ahead when things they invested in
> a decade ago will pay off huge returns.

Yes. It takes a good 10 years to build / IPO a company. Also they've funded a
bunch of companies outside the US / Europe region where IPO markets are not as
friendly.

------
davebryand
When you're in YC they tell you that a huge part of being a successful founder
is "managing your psychology." I wish they would elevate that to a first-class
concept in their startup education.

~~~
geoff
We did! The session taught by Daniel Gross: "Life as a Founder" will largely
be focused on this.

~~~
shawn
Do cofounders often have a chaotic relationship secretly, or is it mostly
positive?

It’s always positive outwardly, of course, but I’m asking about the side that
people rarely see. It’s hard to know what’s normal and what’s not. And that’s
a problem when you’re trying to evaluate whether someone is a good fit as a
cofounder.

Consider Jamie and Adam from mythbusters. They can’t stand each other. But
when they work together, things get done. Are most cofounders like that, or is
that the exception rather than the rule?

~~~
vecter
There's no clean cut answer here. It's all over the spectrum. Some founders
get along great and some don't get along well. Obviously the better you and
your cofounders get along, the higher your probability of success. I've seen
plenty of bad cofounder dynamics kill companies, irrespective of the business
fundamentals.

------
wslh
Startup School Help! I submitted the application with no content by mistake a
few weeks ago. I sent an e-mail to startupschool@ycombinator.com requesting
that it be reset but have not received any reply. When I try to apply again I
receive the following message: "Thank you for applying to Startup School! We
will let you know whether you’re accepted by August 20th, 2018." with no
chance to edit the application form.

~~~
mns06
Hey, check the settings link in the menu. The application is still editable.
In addition, the entry fields seem to have increased in length recently, so
perhaps a good idea to review your submission even if it was submitted
properly last time.

~~~
com2kid
> In addition, the entry fields seem to have increased in length recently,

What are the new limits? I still seem to be limited to the length when I
signed up on the first day.

201 characters for "What is your company going to make?" and 252 characters
for "Why did you pick this to work on?"

------
Liron
On the podcast they encouraged people to take the classes remotely and not go
out of their way to attend in person. More YC companies are increasingly
remote and so is YC itself.

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gakos
It's awesome that the curriculum is newly created for this term AND that the
old curriculum is logged in the library page.

~~~
robertAngst
I'm pretty excited, I hope there is a way to 'meet people'. I hate to say, but
random people from reddit I added on instagram/facebook are some of my most
interesting and beneficial social connections.

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tristanho
Notably, Paul Graham is listed on the curriculum! Is this going to be pg's
first appearance in years?

~~~
1337biz
What has @pg been up to recently? I remember the good old days when he was
semi-invisible moding on hn. My participation has gone down due to other
priorities but it seems that his spirit is well continued here and the new
mods are excellent at keeping drama out and making hn stay true to its core.

~~~
tristanho
My impression was that he had semi-retired to spend time with his family (and
good for him! he certainly deserves it after founding YC)

That being said, I've certainly missed pg essays as of late...

~~~
philwelch
Though I can't be sure, I think a big reason for his retirement had to do with
the Two Minutes Hate he was subjected to at the hands of the Internet Outrage
Machine. PG has always had a knack for being misunderstood, and I think
disappearing from the spotlight was his way of making sure that problem didn't
hurt YC.

Unfortunately for you and me, that means no more great essays. It's kind of
funny because, in retrospect, "What You Can't Say" almost prophesied how this
all went down; his only mistake was not seeing the storm coming.

~~~
shawn
I remain hopeful that the outrage machine will fizzle itself out. The key is
to make sure resources are distributed as widely as possible, but without
eliminating the concept of private ownership. When people want for nothing,
there's not much to be mad about.

... If only. Even as I write the words, they ring hollow. Hate may be with us
forever. But one cure is time: it's easier to look back and see how ridiculous
it was in the moment. It always is.

------
a13n
I'm really curious how YC will choose which companies get $10k. They don't
mention this anywhere.

I'd guess it's probably a combination of which teams are most promising and
need the money the most.

~~~
aacook
They touch on this in the latest podcast. The $10k grants are an experiment to
try and increase the completion rate of the program. They assign you with
advisors who track your progress.

[https://blog.ycombinator.com/geoff-ralston-and-adora-
cheung-...](https://blog.ycombinator.com/geoff-ralston-and-adora-cheung-
discuss-startup-school)

------
nealmydataorg
There is also podcast about discussion of startupschool at
[https://blog.ycombinator.com/geoff-ralston-and-adora-
cheung-...](https://blog.ycombinator.com/geoff-ralston-and-adora-cheung-
discuss-startup-school/)

------
halfastack
Hey. So I understand correctly that this isn't for someone like me, right?
Someone who just wants some knowledge from the startup world, but doesn't want
to create his/her own startup. Right? Or can I just come and listen?

~~~
adenverd
You can audit the course.

------
sassyboy
Are graduates of Startup school 2017 encouraged to apply again?

~~~
sandslash
Yep!

------
camhart
I signed up for startup school, but I can't seem to find any description of
the commitment it is... What does it mean to "complete" it?

~~~
repsilat
From the "About" page[1]:

> _You must submit at least 9 out of your 10 weekly updates and attend 9 out
> of 10 group office hour sessions._

1: [https://www.startupschool.org/about](https://www.startupschool.org/about)

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maerF0x0
Anyone have an opinion if this curriculum would be useful for people currently
working at a startup or wanting to do intrapreneurship?

~~~
codingdave
I'm of the opinion that all knowledge is helpful. If you work at a startup,
understanding the bigger picture of how it operates, where it fits in the
market, and what all the roles and responsibilities for success may be can
only help you.

------
letmeaskaq7532
What is in it for YC to give away a million dollars for nothing in return?

~~~
mockingbirdy
Being _the_ place for startups is potentially worth billions. This branding is
important to get mindshare and to attract talented teams and startups. A
million is nothing compared to this.

------
vimarshk
Thanks! This is amazing!

------
sbussard
Thanks YC!

------
wnsire
Thanks YC for doing this.

>100 companies who complete the course will also receive $10K.

Depending on your location and what position you are in your career , Funding
can be a big issue.

This small grant can be a big help to start a business , but 100 companies is
quiet limited to be honest.

~~~
packetslave
They're giving a million dollars to companies and asking for no equity in
return and you're giving them crap for it? Unbelievable.

~~~
wnsire
> you're giving them crap for it

Wait , what ? My comment started by "Thanks" that's a weird interpretation
really...

If you have 1000 companies following the course that's like 10% chance of
getting funding, regardless of whether or not there is an equity that's the
point.

~~~
fridaymorning81
they are giving away 1,000,000 dollars.. just giving it away. plus tons of
content. did you read the article?

~~~
samstave
Doubtful that it is randomly given in a lottery sense - they likely are
granting this to keep promising teams going...

~~~
HatchedLake721
In return for... 0% equity!

~~~
samstave
Yeah, which is why it is only 10K -- and not the 100K like was stated earlier
by someone - if it were the 100K then it would be very similar to a typical YC
round of funding.

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craig_peacock
And nothing about discussing the mental, emotional and psychological pressures
and stresses placed on entrepreneurs.. like that fact that the majority of
entrepreneurs are likely going to lose their partners and possibly irreparably
damage their friendships...

YCombinator isn't what it used to be. Shame

~~~
soneca
As per other comment, this one seems to be about it: _" Daniel Gross (YC) –
Life as a Founder"_

~~~
craig_peacock
One "kind-of-on-subject" talk, tacked on right at the end of the whole
curriculum, I can really feel the deep understanding and empathy. I feel so
sorry for whoever believes this curriculum is about anything other than alumni
YCombi-Fanbois...

~~~
soneca
I believe.

