Practical, No BS, YC insights (Not affiliated with YC) Newsletter - https://xitter.cf/t.co/DVtutrRLmj
Joined March 2023
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YC Insights. retweeted
I love backing people before they're founders.
You're at a great company, building a product you're proud of. You helped it grow, and you have the proof points to show for it. Now you've seen something nobody else has noticed, and you're itching to go build it.
If that's you, reach out before you quit. I'd love to bet on you early.
My DMs are open.
YC Insights. retweeted
It's spooky season! 🎃
You know what's real spooky?
Building the next unicorn and being underfunded.
We're actively writing checks up to $500k
Want us to check out your company?
YC Insights. retweeted
When I started investing in startups in 2021, the standard was 3x year-over-year growth. If you could show that, you were fundable.
Those days are over.
The standard today is 10x year over year.
For any other than the fastest-growing companies today, another round may not be there.
Stop assuming another round will be there. Whether they know it or not, many startups today have raised all the venture capital they ever will.
Money is concentrating into a handful of extremely high-growth startups.
I see it every day. A $50 million Series A at $500 million, not a $10 million Series A at $50 million.
That $50 million going to the fast-growing company means four other traditional Series A’s didn’t happen. That leaves those slower-growth companies out in the cold.
YC Insights. retweeted
What I look for in pre-revenue founders:
Talent magnet. Can you recruit people who have no business joining you?
Speed. In everything. Hiring, shipping, closing, replying.
Slope. Where you are now matters less than how quickly you get better.
$500k checks, actively investing.
YC Insights. retweeted
90 Days of YC: Week 5
Less than two weeks left to apply, so I'm sharing the application that finally got us in on my 15th attempt
Comment or DM and I'll send it over. If you want me to review yours, send that too.
Here's 3 things I'd do differently in the YC application...
YC Insights. retweeted
If you want to learn more about YC or want some tips for your application, feel free to reach out
YC W27 is open. Apply if you’re early.
On-time deadline is November 2 at 8pm PT. You get a decision by December 11. Late applications are still read.
Most founders wait for the product to look finished. You don’t have to. About 40% of the companies YC funds are still just an idea. Most have no revenue. Only about 7% had more than $50k monthly revenue when they got in. Solo founders are now up to 19% of the batch. Half the companies in a typical batch applied more than once.
Apply if you can:
• show a product that works for one real user
• say who is stuck, and what it costs them, in one sentence
• apply while the numbers are still small
• start before you feel ready
• treat a no as a clearer next try
The batch runs January to March 2027 in San Francisco.
You get the $500K standard deal, $12M in partner credits, partners in the room, and Demo Day.
If you can name the person with the problem, you’re early enough.
YC Insights. retweeted
🏮 Apply to Batch II by @cyberfund
The monastery for AI-native founders.
~ $2M in investment
~ 12-week hybrid program
~ Demo Day at the end
Rolling applications → cyber.fund
YC Insights. retweeted
Friendly reminder:
We're writing pre-seed checks into founders from anywhere in North America.
We read every pitch.
YC Insights. retweeted
These 6 deadlines could fund your startup before thanksgiving:
1. Nucleate Activator: today, program for early biotech teams nucleate.org/activator
2. Activate Fellowship: Oct 30, $100K/yr stipend for hard-tech founders activate.org/apply
3. @speedrun: Nov 1, up to $1M + $10M in credits speedrun.a16z.com/apply
4. YC W27: Nov 2, 8pm PT, $500K + 3 months in SF → ycombinator.com/apply
5. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator: Nov 2, $150K for 6%, NYC → eranyc.com/apply
6. Techstars Spring 2027: Nov 18, $220K + the Techstars network → techstars.com/accelerators
YC Insights. retweeted
BREAKING: After 1 year in stealth, @rdominguezibar and I are launching GR Angel.
We invest in exceptional founders, put them in front of one of the biggest tech audiences in the world: + 600k followers, + 400k subs & 10M weekly views.
Across our personal angel investments and GR Angel, we’ve now backed:
→ A portfolio that has raised $1.2B+
→ Companies including HappyRobot, Replit, Nozomio, Throxy, Apollo Atomics, Gru Space, Didit, Aktoria Robotics, Arga Labs, Hyperspell and QFEX
→ Alongside investors including a16z, Sequoia, Founders Fund and General Catalyst
→ 1 Exit: Portco went from $10Kmrr to 7M arr in close to 1 year
Our distribution has helped startups get millions of views, one doubled its ARR and another received a $1M investment offer and much more.
Now we’re looking for the most cracked founders worldwide, investing bigger checks and starting our growth phase, you can reach out to us 24 7 and hiring 👀
YC Insights. retweeted
I’ve been doing this VC job for almost a year now - sharing some learnings.
Here’s a list of stuff that one needs to be good at (in no particular order)
- Ability to fundraise across different types of LPs (individuals, corporations, institutions)
- Communicate to LPs on a regular basis
- Meet founders every week
- Build conviction quickly (yes or no fast)
-Identify internal conviction model (what makes a deal worth pursuing)
- Build healthy relationship with your partners
- Grow your network of other investors across the country
- Get good at fund operations (manage capital calls, reporting, operating budget, etc.)
- Negotiate term sheets and navigate complex deals
- Tell the story of your fund (paid, owned, earned)
-Meet talented people that can potentially work at your portfolio startups
⁃ Help founders even if you don’t invest
YC Insights. retweeted
Applying to YC W27? 👀
Your application anxiety called. It wants pizza. 🍕
Come hang with recent YC alumni, get your questions answered, and meet other founders going through the same existential crisis.
-@berasogut1, CTO & Co-Founder at @orthogonal_sh (W26)
-@skygodkingdom, CEO & Co-Founder at @imagineagi (F25)
-@MaanavA51108, CEO & Founder at @trymemoir_ai (P26)
-@dayumsam, CTO & Co-Founder at @twentyfour_26 (F26)
-@elvniv, CEO & Founder at @kloagent (Moderator)
rsvp below 👇
Hosted by:
Fondo (W18): Accounting on autopilot for 2,000+ startups. Get your bookkeeping done, taxes filed, and up to $500k back from the IRS.
Orthogonal (W26): An API marketplace for AI agents and developers. Discover and pay for APIs in one place.
YC Insights. retweeted
Venture capital is more broken than ever today.
VCs don’t want revenue. It is a dirty word.
Or it is until $100M ARR+ and a clear breakout winner.
So you need to tell a really compelling story in a hot market, with no revenue, because hey, then there is nothing for the HBS grad VC to scrutinise pointlessly.
Or you want $100M+ growing fast where the VC can spend no time on your data because it is “hot” and fight endlessly for a scrap of the round.
So many amazing companies are falling through the cracks. It is sad.
The mimicry of the venture market is letting us down right now.
It is time for a generation of “pickers” true artisans to rise up.
YC Insights. retweeted
We raised $9M to give your agents the internet.
Led by @generalcatalyst, with @orangecollectv and Robinhood Ventures.
Search, scrape, crawl, monitor with one API trusted by 800+ customers.
We’re making it ridiculously easy to build with web data.
YC Insights. retweeted
$10,000 to work on your side project and the "valuation" is $1B.
It's called Z Fellows.
What you get:
• $10K investment at a $1B valuation cap
• 1 week with founders of Netflix, Figma, Vercel, DoorDash and more
• A cohort of just 10 builders
• Help for the life of your company, not just that week
What you don't need:
• A company (they'll help you set one up)
• A co-founder
• To quit your job or drop out
• To live in the US
Alumni include founders of Cursor, Cognition and Etched, who joined before anyone knew their names.
The condition: you're a technical builder working on something real.
No deadline. Rolling applications, all ages, open worldwide.
Bookmark it and send it to the friend with a side project that's getting too good to stay a side project.
Apply here: zfellows.com
YC Insights. retweeted
Investors don't fund ideas. We fund the person most likely to figure it out when the idea is wrong.
YC Insights. retweeted
people keep asking for the secret sauce to getting into ycombinator. or for connects. or for referrals.
my answer is always: "make something people want"
this november one can directly win the hackathon at @bolna_dev & get a YC interview.
there's your referral :)
bolna.ai/symphony/buildathon
YC Insights. retweeted
The percentage of solo founders at @ycombinator went from 3% to 20% in 2 years.
In the age of AI, the right, motivated person is unstoppable.
YC Insights. retweeted
YC S26 teams hiring for GTM
Founding GTM at @GetPrescience
Head of Data Partnerships at @83sciences
Founding GTM at @Edviro_energy
Founding Content Lead at @TryNearbyCom
GTM Manager at @Ooakdata
Partnerships Account Manager at @bloomylearning
Growth at @lemonlime
Links below 👇
