
Don’t accelerate your startup - faceyspacey
https://m.signalvnoise.com/dont-accelerate-your-startup-81153cf5e7a?source=linkShare-a4a87902fa2d-1489865722
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gus_massa
Original title: "Don’t accelerate your startup"

The guidelines ask to use the original title and not editorialize it.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

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dang
Thanks, we've restored the title. Submitted title was "Don't Take Your Startup
to YC".

Submitters: if you editorialize like this, you're breaking the site guidelines
as gus_massa pointed out, and will eventually lose story submission privileges
here.

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whack
> _" Because once you sell those 7%, you’ve spiritually already sold all of it
> to the God of Growth. You don’t get to take it back. You won’t even think
> to. This will be your world. Make sure this is really where you want to
> live."_

There's some good advice here, about reflecting on your motivations and
pursuing a more relaxed business model if that's what you want. But the quote
above sounds incredibly over dramatic. Going through an accelerator program
takes a few months out of your life, and you get a lot of advice on how to "go
big" if you decide to pursue that path. If you decide otherwise, well, no one
can stop you. You haven't given up control over your company. Worst case
scenario, you spend a couple months exposed to a different perspective on how
to grow your business, and can choose to ignore it completely if you so
desire. Doesn't sound all that bad to me.

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JPLeRouzic
In the perspective that this article takes, what is the difference between YC
(that I almost do not really know) and a family uncle who gives some money to
a young founder? None IMO, both expect some return in money or something else
and hard work.

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rabidrat
If your uncle is well-regarded within the tech community as having a good eye
for startups that would become successful, and can introduce you to VCs and
executive leadership candidates, you should definitely go with your uncle.

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ferentchak
Barring the off chance that this uncle is Uncle Scrooge. He will be eyeing
your startup as only a few more gold coins to swim through.

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elmar
as far as I know YC doesn't push you to get big or to take VC money it's your
choice.

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dang
I've never heard of YC pushing founders to do something with their startup
that the founders didn't want to do. Perhaps there have been corner cases but
it's definitely not in YC's culture.

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faceyspacey
Id assume it's more of an unspoken agreement and perhaps more in the heads' of
the founders than YC. The degree to which both parties are conscious about it
likely doesn't matter--the point is it's likely exactly what happens. Young
founders come and get addicted to a train of mountain climbing in the name of
the company, while potentially sacrificing happiness and control of the
company. It's all very psychological and ego based--where young founders are
driven to be famous and successful overnight--when a more patient route,
eventually landing on doing something they are truly emotionally invested in,
would be a better more psychologically balanced option.

I imagine more mature founders are confident enough to realize they can get
past the "hardship" of starting without sacrificing equity until deeper in the
process. If ur building apps, and ur a developer which u should be, and u have
been doing it for 10 years--and ur worth ur salt--u don't need YC to get up
and running. Younger coders living in their parents house who have it even
easier often fail to recognize that for the prospect of Silicon Valley big
wigs giving them pats on the back, and that's the problem here. It's basically
akin to recording labels signing young dumb talent who don't recognize their
capabilities and options. I know this first hand--as am I one such person
having gone through these progressions. I'm 31 and used to dream of YC and all
these people funding me. Now I don't want a single soul funding me beside
myself and I've aligned my interests and my development skills with a concept
I will be doing for the rest of my life. And I certainly don't want anyone in
control of my own destiny but me.

There are other formulas for success with software, especially if you are
deeply merged with what it is that u r doing, rather than just glomming on to
the first idea for its potential to make money or create impact, then
convincing yourself ur super passionate about home meal delivery. There are
people who have become billionaires 30 years down the line for sticking to
their guns and doing what they loved. In short I find the YC model extremely
shallow and results in lots of young people ever eager to feed their ego with
whatever idea will get them financial success, customers and "impact" as soon
as possible. Because of how hard it is most get punished for their greedy ego-
oriented thinking, ie through the pain of pushing such a thing through to
success. Those that manage to win have no guarantees they are happier for it.
It's not the success that makes one happy, but how u go about it. Too often
than not it requires negative choices--just like Kalanick; I can't help but
imagine his internal world being anything less than a greedy STRESSFUL never
ending paper chase. Indicators of one's own internal world is what's going on
around them, and just look how dark and ugly it's been getting for Uber
lately. None of that sorta stuff is love and happiness. Paul Graham is a nice
guy, but id urge him to question the concepts he's putting out into the
universe. YC perpetuates ego ambition, not necessarily healthy growth. Good
for all u guys, ur all rockstars from the narrow perspective of startups. Now
achieve the same in ur personal life and in consciousness of ur own psychology
and intents. That's far more important and our true tests in this life. That's
not to say material success isnt important, but only up until it becomes a
distraction from mastering your own true intent.

