

Could Y Combinator Save The World? - nlwhittemore
http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/blog/view/could_y_combinator_save_the_world

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jacquesm
No.

That's easy enough.

The worlds problems are massive and while I'm sure there are plenty of great
people involved with YC I highly doubt that they have the power required to do
what you suggest they could do.

What's more interesting though is whether YOU can change the world. Not save
it, not all of it, but just that little patch of it that you have influence
over.

And then to try to get as many people as you can to do that same thing,
influence the small area of the world where they have a foot on the ground for
the better as much as they can.

~~~
nlwhittemore
Haha, fair enough point. But I think the interesting thing is that your
description of influencing "that little patch of it that you have influence
over" (which is great phrasing, by the way) is exactly what I'm asking YC to
do, right?

Their little patch is the organizations that come through their door. When
Paul Graham writes "Be Good," his orgs (at least a bunch of them) listen, and
it matters.

If they took the initiative to prompt for organizations that had a particular
social impact, there could be some amazing results.

~~~
jacquesm
I'm pretty sure they're doing just that. Ethics seem to be pretty high up in
PGs value system.

~~~
nlwhittemore
For sure, but there's a difference between finding and prompting ethical
companies and specifically seeking out companies that have a bottom line
that's not just financial but actually has measurable social or environmental
impact as well.

~~~
jacquesm
check out this guy:

<http://www.extent.nl/>

Unfortunately he is no longer, but he was one of the nicest venture
capitalists out there.

