

How many summer Y Combinator fundees decided not to continue with their startup and go back to school? and what were the reasons? - sharpshoot


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pg
Going back to school is not identical with giving up. Some founders go back to
school and keep working on the startup while there. However, those do so much
worse than the people who work on the startup full-time that going back to
school seems, in practice, not too far removed from a death sentence for a
startup.

Off the top of my head, I'd guess we've had about 8 startups where the
founders went back to school. It doesn't only happen with summer batches.
Founders from winter batches do it too.

Usually the reason is that the startup isn't doing very well. However, that
judgement depends a lot on how determined the founders are. One reason we now
shy away from funding people still in school is that they often unconsciously
want the startup to fail, because the idea of dropping out frightens them.

A lot of startups look bad after 3 months. Someone who's out of school and has
to make it work or get a job in a cubicle will say "don't worry, we'll figure
out how to make it successful."

~~~
danielha
Were there any of the (approx.) 8 groups where you felt: "These guys are
really close to having something. It's a huge mistake for them not to continue
pursuing this."?

~~~
pg
Yes, but that is not surprising, because the biggest predictor of success is
determination. In startups, merely being determined to succeed tends to make
it so, if you're reasonably smart and flexible.

The Kikos are the only startup so far that has died of causes not of their own
making. As everyone will soon realize when they launch justin.tv, they did not
fail because of lack of balls.

~~~
python_kiss
Startups that execute with the end in mind do much better than those that code
with ambiguity. Unfortunately, I feel that YC might be encouraging startups to
not strategically plan ahead due to the emphasis put on "The original idea is
not important because it will change anyway". Yes, ideas do change, but that
does not give us the excuse not to make a long term plan before they do.

Startups should always have a week long tactical plan and a rough strategic
goal stretched upto three months.

"If you don't know where you're going, you will end up somewhere else."

~~~
staunch
python_kiss "If you don't know where you're going, you will end up somewhere
else."

I prefer "Wherever you go, there you are"

python_kiss "Startups should always have a week long tactical plan and a rough
strategic goal stretched upto three months."

It doesn't matter how well you plan, you're going to run into brick walls.
Most startups run into one and say "Oh damn, I guess we lost, let's go home."
(secretly relieved to be giving up) -- other startups say "Brick wall? Where's
my sledge hammer, this thing is toast!"

~~~
noisemaker
I gotta love a fellow buckaroo.

As far as a typical outline or long term goal, from my experience with YC's
quite a few of them have goals way off in the horizon.

I do have to agree that a certain extent of the whole plan should not center
around one solid idea, but an idea that can easily be remolded. This industry
changes so fast, and it has no room for others that cannot change with it.

Personally, I had a sledgehammer going into this from the get-go. I'm just
waiting for those walls to finally use my shiny new hammer on.

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danielha
There will invariably be those who don't see the success they set out for, and
they fall back to their original path.

That's why a founder's commitment is so critical. When your one plan is to
become a startup founder, regardless of school or any other factors, you will
do your damndest to make something of value and succeed. It's part _doing_ it
better than the next guy and _wanting_ it more than the next guy.

~~~
python_kiss
That is a good point! Dropping out of school is analogous to "buring all your
ships". Sun Tzu writes that "put your enemies in a spot where they have no
place to go, and they will die before fleeting. If they are to die then, what
can they not do? Warriors exert their full strength. When warriors are in
great danger, then they have no fear. When there is nowhere to go, they are
firm, when they are deeply involved, they stick to it. If they have no choice,
they will fight to death."

You do your "damndest" when your success depends on the success of your
startup.

~~~
iamwil
That's kinda funny. I've always read that passage to mean, those are the types
of armies you don't want to be fighting against, since the best victory is
victory where you don't have to fight at all and the opposing side just gives
up. I never thought of it as advice to put your own people in a corner, so
they have no choice but to fight their way out. I suppose morale had better be
high, or else instead of "Prepare for glory", one can "prepare for slaughter."

~~~
python_kiss
Three notable generals who successfully implemented this strategy are Tariq
ibn-Ziyad, Hurnan Cortez, and Xiang Yu. They managed to take on armies many
times their size by deliberately cutting off any channels of exit.

Read more about them here:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariq_ibn-Ziyad>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernan_Cortez>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiang_Yu>

~~~
volida
you may be interested in this then:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marathon>

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zaidf
For me school is a way to be connected to what is going on in the "real
world". I entered school thinking it is EITHER school or entrepreneurship. But
in last year my views have changed. I really think there is a middle path
where you do JUST enough to stay in school all the while trying out new
ventures. (May be the Steve Jobs route?)

School is an awesome platform to launch your site off and get quick feedback -
ESPECIALLY if your venture fits in with the social networking ecosystem.

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jamongkad
I guess it really depends on how hungry you are and how much you believe in
your product. I'm only 24 and still in school as of the moment, yet I'm more
than willing to leave school in order to initiate my start up. Come to think
of it, I'm willing to travel half the world just to get advice and connections
from YC.

~~~
sharpshoot
Where are you based jamonklad?

~~~
pg
I better get to work on messaging.

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sharpshoot
I know pollground decided to go back to school after getting y combinator
funding

