<a href="https://twitter.com/dsaezgil">Diego Saez Gil </a>is the founder of <a href="http://www.pachama.com/">Pachama</a>. Pachama is building a marketplace where companies can support carbon offset projects.The YC podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/craigcannon" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Craig Cannon</a>.<a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/">Y Combinator</a> invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/&nbsp;***Topics00:00 - Welcome Gustaf and Diego 01:19 - Diego's background 06:50 - What is Pachama? 09:25 - Using remote sensing to track carbon 11:37 - Connecting disparate groups 13:04 - How much carbon does a typical company offset? 15:28 - How big is the reforesting opportunity? 17:09 - What are the incentives to offset carbon? 18:40 - Why don't people trust carbon offsets? 20:33 - What are the different forest conservation methods? 25:20 - How does Pachama use technology? 29:00 - Growth challenges 30:20 - Who are the customers? 32:12 - The future of the carbon market 32:48 - Fundraising for a climate startup 37:50 - Advice for people that want to start working in the climate change space. 41:38 - Climate policy 43:23 - What are the most important things happening in the space? 45:10 - The benefits of agroforestry and permaculture

Diego Saez Gil is the founder of Pachama. Pachama is building a marketplace where companies can support carbon offset projects.The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/&nbsp;***Topics00:00 - Welcome Gustaf and Diego 01:19 - Diego's background06:50 - What is Pachama?09:25 - Using remote sensing to track carbon11:37 - Connecting disparate groups13:04 - How much carbon does a typical company offset?15:28 - How big is the reforesting opportunity?17:09 - What are the incentives to offset carbon?18:40 - Why don't people trust carbon offsets?20:33 - What are the different forest conservation methods?25:20 - How does Pachama use technology?29:00 - Growth challenges30:20 - Who are the customers?32:12 - The future of the carbon market32:48 - Fundraising for a climate startup37:50 - Advice for people that want to start working in the climate change space.41:38 - Climate policy43:23 - What are the most important things happening in the space?45:10 - The benefits of agroforestry and permaculture

Y Combinator

#157 - Diego Saez Gil

<a href="https://twitter.com/AmberAtherton">Amber Atherton</a> is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.zyper.com/">Zyper</a> (YC W18). <a href="https://twitter.com/ibamasood">Iba Masood</a> is the cofounder and CEO of <a href="https://tara.ai/">TARA</a> (YC W15). The YC podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/craigcannon">Craig Cannon</a>. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 1:16 - Seed fundraising for Zyper and Tara 3:26 - Tara's pivot 4:31 - Series A fundraising for Zyper and Tara 18:11 - Evaluating investors 23:46 - Meeting with associates and partners 30:35 - Raising a Series A as a female founder 39:31 - Fundraising psychology 41:46 - What not to do when fundraising 45:01 - Talking to portfolio companies about investors 46:21 - What it's like to run a Series A stage company 1:00:41 - The most important piece of advice for fundraising

Amber Atherton is the founder and CEO of Zyper (YC W18).Iba Masood is the cofounder and CEO of TARA (YC W15).The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/&nbsp;&nbsp;***Topics00:00 - Intro1:16 - Seed fundraising for Zyper and Tara3:26 - Tara's pivot4:31 - Series A fundraising for Zyper and Tara18:11 - Evaluating investors23:46 - Meeting with associates and partners30:35 - Raising a Series A as a female founder39:31 - Fundraising psychology 41:46 - What not to do when fundraising 45:01 - Talking to portfolio companies about investors46:21 - What it's like to run a Series A stage company 1:00:41 - The most important piece of advice for fundraising

#156 - Amber Atherton and Iba Masood

<a href="https://twitter.com/laks_srini">Laks Srini</a> is the cofounder and CTO of <a href="https://zerodown.com/">ZeroDown</a>. Before that he was the cofounder and CTO of Zenefits. You can find him on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/laks_srini">@laks_srini</a>. The YC podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigCannon">Craig Cannon</a>. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:30 - What is ZeroDown? 1:50 - How did they test the idea? 3:50 - What did they learn from companies that failed in the space? 8:00 - Breaking down the product 11:25 - ZeroDown's customers 13:35 - Expanding to other markets 15:50 - What if a downturn happens? 17:10 - ZeroDown's hiring strategy 20:10 - What are their hardest technical challenges? 22:05 - ZeroDown's breadth and product strategy 26:40 - Customer interviews 28:35 - Should everyone own a house? 29:50 - Home ownership in the future 32:45 - Build something you really want to see in the world 34:40 - Working with his cofounders was the most important consideration

Laks Srini is the cofounder and CTO of ZeroDown. Before that he was the cofounder and CTO of Zenefits.You can find him on Twitter at @laks_srini.The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/ ***Topics00:00 - Intro00:30 - What is ZeroDown?1:50 - How did they test the idea?3:50 - What did they learn from companies that failed in the space?8:00 - Breaking down the product11:25 - ZeroDown's customers13:35 - Expanding to other markets15:50 - What if a downturn happens?17:10 - ZeroDown's hiring strategy20:10 - What are their hardest technical challenges?22:05 - ZeroDown's breadth and product strategy26:40 - Customer interviews28:35 - Should everyone own a house?29:50 - Home ownership in the future32:45 - Build something you really want to see in the world34:40 - Working with his cofounders was the most important consideration 

#155 - Laks Srini

<a href="https://twitter.com/mattcutts">Matt Cutts</a> is the Administrator of the <a href="https://www.usds.gov/">US Digital Service</a> and previously he was the head of the webspam team at Google. You can find him on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/mattcutts">@mattcutts</a>. The YC podcast is hosted by <a href="https://twitter.com/craigcannon">Craig Cannon</a>. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/ ">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:36 - Working at Google in 2000 2:48 - Did Google's success feel certain? 3:53 - Building self-service ads 7:23 - The evil unicorn problem 8:23 - Lawsuits around search 10:48 - Content moderation and spam 14:38 - Matt's progression over 17 years at Google 17:18 - Deepfakes 18:43 - Joining the USDS 21:03 - What the USDS does 23:43 - Working at the USDS 26:43 - Educating people in government about tech 28:58 - Creating a rapid feedback loop within government 31:48 - Michael Wang asks - How does USDS decide whether to outsource something to a private company, or build the software in house? 32:58 - Spencer Clark asks - It would seem that the government is so far behind the private industry’s technology. To what extent is this true and what can be done about it? How should we gauge the progress of institutions like the USDS? 36:03 - Stephan Sturges asks - With GANs getting more and more powerful is the USDS thinking about the future of data authenticity? 38:23 - John Doherty asks - How difficult was it to communicate Google’s algorithm changes and evolving SEO best practices without leaking new spam tactics? 40:18 - Vanman0254 asks - How can smart tech folks better contribute to regulatory and policy discussions in government? 42:38 - Ronak Shah asks - What's your best pitch to high-performing startups in the Bay Area to adopt more of human centered design (something that the government has been moving towards surprisingly well, but that some fast moving startups have neglected resulting in controversy) 49:58 - Adam Hoffman asks - What are legislators, the government, and the general populace most “getting wrong” in how they conceptualize the internet? 51:33 - Raphael Ferreira asks - Is it possible to live without google? How do you think google affected people in searching for answers and content, now that’s we find everything in just one click? 55:23 - Tim Woods asks - Which job was more fun and why? 57:13 - Working in government vs private industry 1:00:48 - Snehan Kekre asks - What is Matt's view of the ongoing debate about backdooring encryption for so called lawful interception?

Matt Cutts is the Administrator of the US Digital Service and previously he was the head of the webspam team at Google.You can find him on Twitter at @mattcutts.The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/ ***Topics00:00 - Intro00:36 - Working at Google in 20002:48 - Did Google's success feel certain?3:53 - Building self-service ads7:23 - The evil unicorn problem8:23 - Lawsuits around search10:48 - Content moderation and spam14:38 - Matt's progression over 17 years at Google17:18 - Deepfakes18:43 - Joining the USDS21:03 - What the USDS does23:43 - Working at the USDS26:43 - Educating people in government about tech28:58 - Creating a rapid feedback loop within government31:48 - Michael Wang asks - How does USDS decide whether to outsource something to a private company, or build the software in house?32:58 - Spencer Clark asks - It would seem that the government is so far behind the private industry’s technology. To what extent is this true and what can be done about it? How should we gauge the progress of institutions like the USDS?36:03 - Stephan Sturges asks - With GANs getting more and more powerful is the USDS thinking about the future of data authenticity?38:23 - John Doherty asks - How difficult was it to communicate Google’s algorithm changes and evolving SEO best practices without leaking new spam tactics?40:18 - Vanman0254 asks - How can smart tech folks better contribute to regulatory and policy discussions in government? 42:38 - Ronak Shah asks - What's your best pitch to high-performing startups in the Bay Area to adopt more of human centered design (something that the government has been moving towards surprisingly well, but that some fast moving startups have neglected resulting in controversy)49:58 - Adam Hoffman asks - What are legislators, the government, and the general populace most “getting wrong” in how they conceptualize the internet?51:33 - Raphael Ferreira asks - Is it possible to live without google? How do you think google affected people in searching for answers and content, now that’s we find everything in just one click?55:23 - Tim Woods asks - Which job was more fun and why?57:13 - Working in government vs private industry1:00:48 - Snehan Kekre asks - What is Matt's view of the ongoing debate about backdooring encryption for so called lawful interception? 

#154 - Matt Cutts

<a href="https://twitter.com/doctorow">Cory Doctorow</a> is a blogger, journalist, and science fiction author. He’s also the co-editor of <a href="https://boingboing.net/">Boing Boing</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/bettslacroix">Joe Betts-Lacroix</a> is the CTO of <a href="https://www.vium.com/">VIUM</a> and an Expert at YC. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/&nbsp;">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/&nbsp;</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - Adversarial interoperability 7:55 - So what should founders do? 13:55 - Copyright 19:55 - Remixing 27:00 - AT&amp;T 29:50 - Firms and state-like duties 31:25 - Medium-term suggestions for founders 39:25 - Conspiracy theories 51:50 - Science fiction and predictions 56:55 - Peak indifference model

Cory Doctorow is a blogger, journalist, and science fiction author. He’s also the co-editor of Boing Boing.Joe Betts-Lacroix is the CTO of VIUM and an Expert at YC.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/&nbsp;***Topics00:00 - Intro00:32 - Adversarial interoperability 7:55 - So what should founders do?13:55 - Copyright19:55 - Remixing 27:00 - AT&amp;T29:50 - Firms and state-like duties31:25 - Medium-term suggestions for founders39:25 - Conspiracy theories51:50 - Science fiction and predictions 56:55 - Peak indifference model

#153 - Cory Doctorow and Joe Betts-LaCroix

In this week’s lecture YC President <a href="https://twitter.com/gralston">Geoff Ralston</a> shares parting advice for all the founders that participated in Startup School. If you want to sign up for next year’s edition of Startup School, you can put your name on the waitlist at <a href="https://www.startupschool.org/">StartupSchool.org</a>. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Geoff Ralston's Parting Advice 00:51 - There is no one path 3:19 - Find your path 3:26 - Focus on what matters 4:14 - Startups are hard 4:46 - Things will go wrong 8:04 - Determination 10:21 - Default to action 11:31 - Don't just not be evil. Be good. 13:56 - Summary

In this week’s lecture YC President Geoff Ralston shares parting advice for all the founders that participated in Startup School.If you want to sign up for next year’s edition of Startup School, you can put your name on the waitlist at StartupSchool.org.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:31 - Geoff Ralston's Parting Advice00:51 - There is no one path3:19 - Find your path3:26 - Focus on what matters4:14 - Startups are hard4:46 - Things will go wrong8:04 - Determination10:21 - Default to action11:31 - Don't just not be evil. Be good.13:56 - Summary

#152 - Startup School Week 11 Recap - Geoff Ralston's Parting Advice

We've cut down the tenth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First, a lecture from&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/rowghani">Ali Rowghani</a>. Ali is a partner at YC. His lecture covers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HDO1p3VdYg">how to lead</a>. Then a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/ilikevests?lang=en">Kevin Hale</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/nolimits">Adora Cheung</a>. Kevin and Adora are both partners at YC. Their lecture breaks down this year’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atgskSiD-8M&amp;feature=youtu.be">Startup School by the numbers</a> and they share tips on what helped companies most. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:36 - Ali Rowghani - How to Lead 1:36 - Ali's background 2:56 - There's no single archetype for a great leader so be yourself 5:16 - Great leaders think and communicate clearly 9:56 - Great leaders have good judgement about people 12:56 - Great leaders have strong personal integrity and commitment 13:46 - The transparency test 14:41 - The best way to measure great leaders is in terms of the amount of trust they engender in the people that work with them 15:21 - The science of trust 16:08 - The art of trust 16:36 - Optimize for trust 17:40 - Kevin Hale and Adora Cheung - Startup School 2019 by the Numbers 19:24 - Startup School grew during the course 20:24 - Did SUS make a difference? 21:14 - 106 SUS companies were accepted into YC 23:17 - How can you replicate their success? 23:44 - Be clear and concise 26:59 - Edit your company description 28:04 - Weekly updates submitted 28:39 - Top 7 biggest obstacles for SUS companies 29:04 - Top 7 KPI movers 29:59 - Top 7 user insights 31:04 - Average startup weeks to launch 31:54 - Average hard tech or biotech startup weeks to launch 32:54 - % of weekly updates from launched startups 33:34 - Group sessions 33:59 - Companies got better at explaining their ideas, selling themselves, and getting others excited 35:09 - Founders like qualitative feedback 36:09 - No shows 37:19 - Morale 37:49 - Technical, launched, full-time, revenue generating, non-flaky, non-solo founder startups that talk to users are happier 41:14 - Summary

We've cut down the tenth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First, a lecture from&nbsp;Ali Rowghani. Ali is a partner at YC. His lecture covers how to lead.Then a lecture from Kevin Hale and Adora Cheung. Kevin and Adora are both partners at YC. Their lecture breaks down this year’s Startup School by the numbers and they share tips on what helped companies most.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:36 - Ali Rowghani - How to Lead1:36 - Ali's background2:56 - There's no single archetype for a great leader so be yourself5:16 - Great leaders think and communicate clearly9:56 - Great leaders have good judgement about people12:56 - Great leaders have strong personal integrity and commitment13:46 - The transparency test14:41 - The best way to measure great leaders is in terms of the amount of trust they engender in the people that work with them15:21 - The science of trust16:08 - The art of trust16:36 - Optimize for trust17:40 - Kevin Hale and Adora Cheung - Startup School 2019 by the Numbers19:24 - Startup School grew during the course20:24 - Did SUS make a difference?21:14 - 106 SUS companies were accepted into YC23:17 - How can you replicate their success?23:44 - Be clear and concise26:59 - Edit your company description28:04 - Weekly updates submitted28:39 - Top 7 biggest obstacles for SUS companies29:04 - Top 7 KPI movers29:59 - Top 7 user insights31:04 - Average startup weeks to launch31:54 - Average hard tech or biotech startup weeks to launch32:54 - % of weekly updates from launched startups33:34 - Group sessions33:59 - Companies got better at explaining their ideas, selling themselves, and getting others excited35:09 - Founders like qualitative feedback36:09 - No shows37:19 - Morale37:49 - Technical, launched, full-time, revenue generating, non-flaky, non-solo founder startups that talk to users are happier41:14 - Summary

#151 - Startup School Week 10 Recap - Ali Rowghani on How to Lead and Kevin Hale and Adora Cheung on Startup School 2019 by the Numbers

We've cut down the ninth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First, a lecture from Carolynn Levy. Carolynn is a partner at YC. Her lecture covers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qWZALyGSmg">modern startup financing</a>. Then a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/snowmaker">Jared Friedman</a>. Jared is also a partner at YC. His lecture focuses on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1DlZWfI6rk">advice for hard-tech and biotech founders</a>. *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:33 - Carolynn Levy - Modern Startup Financing 1:33 - The basics: form a corporation, need money to grow?, sell a part of the company 2:58 - Fundraising terms 3:58 - What has changed: structure, access, focus 5:10 - What hasn't changed: preferred stock financing, valuation and dilution, communication 6:42 - Old way of raising early money: Series A preferred stock financing 8:33 - What was broken? 9:33 - The transition: bridge loan financings 10:46 - Realization: convertible promissory notes are a better way to fund early stage startups 12:01 - Modernization of the convertible - SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) 14:03 - When do priced rounds happen? 15:12 - Is modern early stage financing perfected? 18:01 - Takeaways 19:30 - Jared Friedman - Advice for Hard-tech and Biotech Founders 20:25 - What is a hard-tech company? 21:35 - Why start a hard-tech company? 25:06 - YC is the largest bio and hard-tech seed investor in the world 25:49 - How much of YC's advice applies to hard-tech founders? 26:33 - How do you make progress when you have a "heavy MVP"? 31:49 - How do you prove people will want your product, if you haven't built it yet? 32:57 - Letter of Intent 34:10 - Fundraising for hard-tech and biotech companies 36:15 - Final thought

We've cut down the ninth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First, a lecture from Carolynn Levy. Carolynn is a partner at YC. Her lecture covers modern startup financing.Then a lecture from Jared Friedman. Jared is also a partner at YC. His lecture focuses on advice for hard-tech and biotech founders.***Topics00:00 - Intro00:33 - Carolynn Levy - Modern Startup Financing1:33 - The basics: form a corporation, need money to grow?, sell a part of the company2:58 - Fundraising terms3:58 - What has changed: structure, access, focus5:10 - What hasn't changed: preferred stock financing, valuation and dilution, communication6:42 - Old way of raising early money: Series A preferred stock financing8:33 - What was broken?9:33 - The transition: bridge loan financings10:46 - Realization: convertible promissory notes are a better way to fund early stage startups12:01 - Modernization of the convertible - SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity)14:03 - When do priced rounds happen?15:12 - Is modern early stage financing perfected?18:01 - Takeaways19:30 - Jared Friedman - Advice for Hard-tech and Biotech Founders20:25 - What is a hard-tech company?21:35 - Why start a hard-tech company?25:06 - YC is the largest bio and hard-tech seed investor in the world25:49 - How much of YC's advice applies to hard-tech founders?26:33 - How do you make progress when you have a "heavy MVP"?31:49 - How do you prove people will want your product, if you haven't built it yet?32:57 - Letter of Intent34:10 - Fundraising for hard-tech and biotech companies36:15 - Final thought

#150 - Startup School Week 9 Recap - Carolynn Levy on Modern Startup Financing and Jared Friedman’s Advice for Hard-tech and Biotech Founders

We've cut down the eighth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/nolimits">Adora Cheung</a>. Adora’s a partner at YC. Her lecture covers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcCmMOWuAF4">how to prioritize your time</a>. Then a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/ilikevests">Kevin Hale</a>. Kevin is also a partner at YC. His lecture is the second part of his talk on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17XZGUX_9iM">how to evaluate startup ideas</a>. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - Adora Cheung - How to Prioritize Your Time 2:12 - Real vs fake progress 4:10 - How to determine if you're prioritizing the right tasks 4:42 - Keep a spreadsheet of ideas related to moving your primary KPI 7:32 - Grade the new and old ideas once a week based on potential impact 9:52 - Consider the complexity of each task 11:32 - Don't try to do everything at once 11:52 - How do I know I'm prioritizing my time well? 13:42 - What if I can't complete my tasks in time? 14:02 - <a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html">Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule&nbsp;</a> 15:32 - Moving fast 16:47 - Kevin Hale - How to Evaluate Startup Ideas Pt. 2 18:52 - <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/howtoapply/">How to apply to Y Combinator</a> 20:17 - As a YC partner, you don't need to sell me 21:12 - Can I understand the idea? Am I excited by it? Do I like the team and want to work with them? 21:47 - How do I describe my company in a very efficient manner? 22:52 - Making your idea legible 25:12 - Things to avoid when describing your company 27:34 - Be conversational 28:02 - Avoid jargon, no preamble, and be reproducible 28:47 - Nouns: what are you making, what is the problem, and who is the customer 32:47 - Using the X for Y formula of explaining your startup 36:57 - Be concise without leaving out the key nouns 40:47 - How to adjust a description

We've cut down the eighth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First a lecture from Adora Cheung. Adora’s a partner at YC. Her lecture covers how to prioritize your time.Then a lecture from Kevin Hale. Kevin is also a partner at YC. His lecture is the second part of his talk on how to evaluate startup ideas.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:32 - Adora Cheung - How to Prioritize Your Time2:12 - Real vs fake progress4:10 - How to determine if you're prioritizing the right tasks4:42 - Keep a spreadsheet of ideas related to moving your primary KPI7:32 - Grade the new and old ideas once a week based on potential impact9:52 - Consider the complexity of each task11:32 - Don't try to do everything at once11:52 - How do I know I'm prioritizing my time well?13:42 - What if I can't complete my tasks in time?14:02 - Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule&nbsp;15:32 - Moving fast16:47 - Kevin Hale - How to Evaluate Startup Ideas Pt. 218:52 - How to apply to Y Combinator20:17 - As a YC partner, you don't need to sell me21:12 - Can I understand the idea? Am I excited by it? Do I like the team and want to work with them?21:47 - How do I describe my company in a very efficient manner?22:52 - Making your idea legible25:12 - Things to avoid when describing your company27:34 - Be conversational28:02 - Avoid jargon, no preamble, and be reproducible28:47 - Nouns: what are you making, what is the problem, and who is the customer32:47 - Using the X for Y formula of explaining your startup36:57 - Be concise without leaving out the key nouns40:47 - How to adjust a description

#149 - Startup School Week 8 Recap - Adora Cheung on Prioritizing Your Time and Kevin Hale on Evaluating Startup Ideas

We've cut down the seventh week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. <a href="https://twitter.com/ilikevests">Kevin Hale</a> gave both lectures this week. Kevin’s a partner at YC and cofounded Wufoo. His first lecture is on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGqX9fpweyc">how to improve conversion rates</a> and his second lecture is on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwXlo9gy_k4">pricing for startups</a>. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:27 - Kevin Hale - How to Improve Conversion Rates 1:02 - Why we care about conversion rates 2:02 - Shareware conversion rate is .5% 2:22 - Casual download games is 2% 2:32 - Freemium SaaS range from 1.5 to 5% 3:57 - Knowledge spectrum 5:52 - The one button interface 6:37 - What is the call to action? And the magic moment. 8:02 - What is it? 8:38 - Is it right for me? 9:02 - Is it legit? 9:22 - Who else is using it? 9:52 - How much? What's the catch? 10:39 - Where can I get help? 11:30 - Kevin Hale - Startup Pricing 101 13:15 - Monetization gives you the biggest bang for your buck 14:35 - Price thermometer 16:35 - Mistake 1 - Prices are too low 16:55 - Mistake 2 - Underestimate costs 17:08 - Mistake 3 - Don't understand your value 17:27 - Mistake 4 - Focus on wrong customers 18:05 - Sales and profit over a product's life 19:20 - Why is pricing innovation hard? 21:27 - How to optimize prices 22:32 - $1B formula 24:05 - Price and complexity 26:55 - 10 - 5 - 20 rule 28:20 - Summary

We've cut down the seventh week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.Kevin Hale gave both lectures this week. Kevin’s a partner at YC and cofounded Wufoo. His first lecture is on how to improve conversion rates and his second lecture is on pricing for startups.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro 00:27 - Kevin Hale - How to Improve Conversion Rates1:02 - Why we care about conversion rates2:02 - Shareware conversion rate is .5%2:22 - Casual download games is 2%2:32 - Freemium SaaS range from 1.5 to 5%3:57 - Knowledge spectrum5:52 - The one button interface6:37 - What is the call to action? And the magic moment.8:02 - What is it?8:38 - Is it right for me?9:02 - Is it legit?9:22 - Who else is using it?9:52 - How much? What's the catch?10:39 - Where can I get help?11:30 - Kevin Hale - Startup Pricing 10113:15 - Monetization gives you the biggest bang for your buck14:35 - Price thermometer16:35 - Mistake 1 - Prices are too low16:55 - Mistake 2 - Underestimate costs 17:08 - Mistake 3 - Don't understand your value17:27 - Mistake 4 - Focus on wrong customers18:05 - Sales and profit over a product's life19:20 - Why is pricing innovation hard?21:27 - How to optimize prices 22:32 - $1B formula24:05 - Price and complexity26:55 - 10 - 5 - 20 rule28:20 - Summary

#148 - Startup School Week 7 Recap - Kevin Hale on Conversion Rates and Pricing

We've cut down the sixth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First <a href="https://youtu.be/qnNHW6TYv5I">a lecture from Tim Brady</a>. Tim’s a partner at YC. His lecture covers the importance of building a good culture early and shares six things that you can do now to help create a solid foundation for your startup. Then <a href="https://youtu.be/8pNxKX1SUGE">a lecture from Dalton Caldwell</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/daltonc">Dalton</a> is a partner at YC and he’s also the head of admissions. His lecture covers pivoting and his advice on how founders should think about it. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Tim Brady on Building Culture 1:13 - Culture is behavior and the right behaviors support a good business 4:38 - Six things new startups can do now 5:00 - 1. Be proud of the problem you are solving 7:31 - 2. Create a long term vision that others will follow 9:36 - 3. List your values then model the behavior 12:34 - 4. Align your culture with your customer 14:49 - 5. Discuss the importance of diversity to your company 16:43 - 6. Put a hiring process into practice. Plan to evolve it. 18:24 - Dalton Caldwell on Pivoting 18:53 - The term "pivot" 20:20 - Why pivot? 21:33 - Good reasons to pivot 22:35 - Good reasons not to pivot 23:13 - Why people take too long to pivot 26:01 - Anecdotes 27:22 - Product market fit 28:34 - How to find a better idea 30:40 - It's ok to not work on an idea that requires venture capital 31:34 - Venture vs. non-venture scale ideas 32:52 - When is the best time to pivot 33:48 - More pivoting thoughts 35:07 - Idea quality scores 37:11 - Brex 39:51 - Retool 41:37 - Magic 43:22 - Segment 45:16 - Dalton's summary

We've cut down the sixth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First a lecture from Tim Brady. Tim’s a partner at YC. His lecture covers the importance of building a good culture early and shares six things that you can do now to help create a solid foundation for your startup.Then a lecture from Dalton Caldwell. Dalton is a partner at YC and he’s also the head of admissions. His lecture covers pivoting and his advice on how founders should think about it.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:38 - Tim Brady on Building Culture1:13 - Culture is behavior and the right behaviors support a good business 4:38 - Six things new startups can do now5:00 - 1. Be proud of the problem you are solving7:31 - 2. Create a long term vision that others will follow9:36 - 3. List your values then model the behavior12:34 - 4. Align your culture with your customer14:49 - 5. Discuss the importance of diversity to your company16:43 - 6. Put a hiring process into practice. Plan to evolve it.18:24 - Dalton Caldwell on Pivoting18:53 - The term "pivot"20:20 - Why pivot?21:33 - Good reasons to pivot22:35 - Good reasons not to pivot23:13 - Why people take too long to pivot26:01 - Anecdotes27:22 - Product market fit28:34 - How to find a better idea30:40 - It's ok to not work on an idea that requires venture capital31:34 - Venture vs. non-venture scale ideas 32:52 - When is the best time to pivot33:48 - More pivoting thoughts 35:07 - Idea quality scores37:11 - Brex39:51 - Retool 41:37 - Magic43:22 - Segment45:16 - Dalton's summary

#147 - Startup School Week 6 Recap - Tim Brady on Culture and Dalton Caldwell on Pivoting

We've cut down the fifth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First <a href="https://youtu.be/LBC16jhiwak">a lecture from Kirsty Nathoo</a>. Kirsty is a partner and CFO of YC. Her lecture focuses on the most common mistakes startups make with their finances and how they can avoid making them. Then <a href="https://youtu.be/30a5yFBd7Fo">a lecture from Kevin Hale</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/ilikevests">Kevin</a> is also a partner at YC and he’ll talk about the importance of building a successful working relationship with your cofounders and processes you can use to do so. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Kirsty Nathoo - Startup Finance Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them 2:08 - #1 - Not knowing what to look at: bank balance, money coming in, and money going out 2:56 - Burn 3:41 - Runway 4:59 - Growth rate 5:48 - Default alive - <a href="http://growth.tlb.org">http://growth.tlb.org</a> and <a href="http://paulgraham.com/aord.html">http://paulgraham.com/aord.html</a> 8:09 - #2 - Not looking often enough: every week 9:04 - #3 - Under-Representing Expenses 12:27 - #4 - Out-sourcing responsibility 15:11 - #5 - Scaling too quickly 20:08 - #6 - Letting runway get too low before fundraising - <a href="https://blog.ycombinator.com/advice-startups-running-out-of-money/">https://blog.ycombinator.com/advice-startups-running-out-of-money/</a> 23:21 - Kevin Hale - How to Work Together 24:49 - Everyone fights 25:43 - Four things to avoid: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling 27:40 - Make a plan before you fight: divide and conquer 31:11 - Know thyself - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s9ACDMcpjA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s9ACDMcpjA</a> 34:12 - Document a process 36:20 - Use nonviolent communication 37:19 - Observation vs evaluation 39:16 - Emotions vs thoughts - <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/nonviolent/evaluative-words-list-nonviolent-communication">https://www.slideshare.net/nonviolent/evaluative-words-list-nonviolent-communication</a> 41:50 - Universal needs 43:38 - Requests vs demands 45:46 - How to Deliver Constructive Feedback in Difficult Situations - <a href="https://medium.com/s/please-advise/the-essential-guide-to-difficult-conversations-41f736e63ccf">https://medium.com/s/please-advise/the-essential-guide-to-difficult-conversations-41f736e63ccf</a> 46:01 - Pay down your emotional debt 47:18 - Practice having level 3 conversations

We've cut down the fifth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First a lecture from Kirsty Nathoo. Kirsty is a partner and CFO of YC. Her lecture focuses on the most common mistakes startups make with their finances and how they can avoid making them.Then a lecture from Kevin Hale. Kevin is also a partner at YC and he’ll talk about the importance of building a successful working relationship with your cofounders and processes you can use to do so.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:38 - Kirsty Nathoo - Startup Finance Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them2:08 - #1 - Not knowing what to look at: bank balance, money coming in, and money going out2:56 - Burn3:41 - Runway4:59 - Growth rate 5:48 - Default alive - http://growth.tlb.org and http://paulgraham.com/aord.html8:09 - #2 - Not looking often enough: every week9:04 - #3 - Under-Representing Expenses 12:27 - #4 - Out-sourcing responsibility15:11 - #5 - Scaling too quickly20:08 - #6 - Letting runway get too low before fundraising - https://blog.ycombinator.com/advice-startups-running-out-of-money/ 23:21 - Kevin Hale - How to Work Together24:49 - Everyone fights25:43 - Four things to avoid: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling27:40 - Make a plan before you fight: divide and conquer31:11 - Know thyself - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s9ACDMcpjA34:12 - Document a process36:20 - Use nonviolent communication37:19 - Observation vs evaluation39:16 - Emotions vs thoughts - https://www.slideshare.net/nonviolent/evaluative-words-list-nonviolent-communication41:50 - Universal needs43:38 - Requests vs demands45:46 - How to Deliver Constructive Feedback in Difficult Situations - https://medium.com/s/please-advise/the-essential-guide-to-difficult-conversations-41f736e63ccf46:01 - Pay down your emotional debt47:18 - Practice having level 3 conversations

#146 - Startup School Week 5 Recap - Kirsty Nathoo and Kevin Hale

We've cut down the fourth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xU050kMbHM">a lecture from Kat Manalac</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/katmanalac">Kat</a> is a partner at YC. Her lecture focuses on how startups should think about launching and why you should do it repeatedly. Then a lecture from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lY9CYIY4pQ">Gustaf Alströmer</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/gustaf">Gustaf</a> is also a partner at YC and in his lecture he covers how to measure product market fit and growth channels. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - Kat Mañalac - How to Launch (Again and Again) 1:51 - Ways to launch 2:14 - Why launch continuously? 3:15 - Silent launch 4:25 - Friends &amp; Family 5:40 - Strangers 7:03 - Online communities 12:08 - Request access 13:29 - Social media 15:13 - Pre-order 16:13 - New Product or Feature 17:42 - Build your own community 19:20 - Launching isn't one moment in time 19:48 - Gustaf Alströmer - Growth for Startups 21:06 - Most startups have nothing 22:13 - Do things that don't scale 27:13 - Startups take off because founders make them take off 28:23 - Measuring product market fit 31:20 - Retention 34:33 - Worse ways to measure product market fit 35:23 - Bad metrics to measure as product market fit 36:18 - Growth channels and tactics 38:17 - Conversion rate optimization 41:26 - Growth channels to explore 45:33 - Referrals and vitality 48:05 - Paid growth 50:09 - Search Engine Optimization 53:00 - Making decisions using A/B testing 55:02 - Summary

We've cut down the fourth week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First&nbsp;a lecture from Kat Manalac. Kat is a partner at YC. Her lecture focuses on how startups should think about launching and why you should do it repeatedly.Then a lecture from Gustaf Alströmer. Gustaf is also a partner at YC and in his lecture he covers how to measure product market fit and growth channels.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:35 - Kat Mañalac - How to Launch (Again and Again)1:51 - Ways to launch2:14 - Why launch continuously?3:15 - Silent launch4:25 - Friends &amp; Family5:40 - Strangers7:03 - Online communities12:08 - Request access13:29 - Social media15:13 - Pre-order16:13 - New Product or Feature17:42 - Build your own community19:20 - Launching isn't one moment in time19:48 - Gustaf Alströmer - Growth for Startups21:06 - Most startups have nothing22:13 - Do things that don't scale27:13 - Startups take off because founders make them take off28:23 - Measuring product market fit31:20 - Retention34:33 - Worse ways to measure product market fit35:23 - Bad metrics to measure as product market fit36:18 - Growth channels and tactics38:17 - Conversion rate optimization41:26 - Growth channels to explore45:33 - Referrals and vitality48:05 - Paid growth50:09 - Search Engine Optimization53:00 - Making decisions using A/B testing55:02 - Summary

#145 - Startup School Week 4 Recap - Kat Mañalac and Gustaf Alströmer

We've cut down the third week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First, a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/anuhariharan">Anu Hariharan</a>. Anu is a partner at YC. <a href="https://youtu.be/PTg3RZPXgLg">Her lecture</a> covers nine common startup business models and the metrics investors want to see for each. Then, a Q&amp;A with Anu and <a href="https://twitter.com/nolimits">Adora Cheung</a>. Adora is also at partner at YC. <a href="https://youtu.be/zcG-kXH4mPk">During their Q&amp;A</a> they’ll answer questions from Startup School Founders on how investors evaluate startups. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/"></a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:39 - Anu Hariharan on Nine Business Models and the Metrics Investors Want 1:44 - Enterprise 4:09 - SAAS 8:55 - Subscription 11:33 - Transactional 14:44 - Marketplace 19:04 - E-commerce 21:14 - Advertising 23:12 - Hardware 23:44 - Common mistakes 25:35 - Anu Hariharan and Adora Cheung on How Investors Measure Startups Q&amp;A 26:07 - Team, product market fit, and market opportunity 27:10 - What if the founder doesn't have experience in the are in which they're building a product? 28:19 - How do investors know you're moving fast? 29:40 - Local vs remote 30:40 - Evaluating solo founders 31:45 - Clarity of thought 33:35 - International founders 35:17 - Solo founders 36:21 - Should I fundraise? 38:33 - How does an investor evaluate a company with a heavy MVP? 39:36 - How do you avoid investors who say "it's too early for us"? 40:06 - Is it sensible to engage with investors before product market fit? 40:26 - How do you find the perfect investor? 41:21 - What are the best approaches for minority female founders to gain visibility within VC? 42:36 - How do investors come up with valuations?

We've cut down the third week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First, a lecture from Anu Hariharan. Anu is a partner at YC. Her lecture covers nine common startup business models and the metrics investors want to see for each.Then, a Q&amp;A with Anu and Adora Cheung. Adora is also at partner at YC. During their Q&amp;A they’ll answer questions from Startup School Founders on how investors evaluate startups.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:39 - Anu Hariharan on Nine Business Models and the Metrics Investors Want1:44 - Enterprise4:09 - SAAS8:55 - Subscription11:33 - Transactional14:44 - Marketplace19:04 - E-commerce21:14 - Advertising23:12 - Hardware23:44 - Common mistakes25:35 - Anu Hariharan and Adora Cheung on How Investors Measure Startups Q&amp;A26:07 - Team, product market fit, and market opportunity27:10 - What if the founder doesn't have experience in the are in which they're building a product?28:19 - How do investors know you're moving fast?29:40 - Local vs remote30:40 - Evaluating solo founders31:45 - Clarity of thought33:35 - International founders35:17 - Solo founders36:21 - Should I fundraise?38:33 - How does an investor evaluate a company with a heavy MVP?39:36 - How do you avoid investors who say "it's too early for us"?40:06 - Is it sensible to engage with investors before product market fit?40:26 - How do you find the perfect investor?41:21 - What are the best approaches for minority female founders to gain visibility within VC?42:36 - How do investors come up with valuations?

#144 - Startup School Week 3 Recap - Anu Hariharan and Adora Cheung

We've cut down the second week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast. First, a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/mwseibel">Michael Seibel</a>. Michael is CEO and a partner at YC. His lecture is about <a href="https://youtu.be/1hHMwLxN6EM">How to Plan an MVP</a>. Then, a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/nolimits">Adora Cheung</a>. Adora is a YC partner and a cofounder of Homejoy. Her lecture is about <a href="https://youtu.be/lL6GdUHIBsM">How to Set KPIs and Goals</a>. Last, a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/ivolo">Ilya Volodarsky</a>. Ilya is a cofounder of Segment. His lecture is about <a href="https://youtu.be/LLerCc7MOQo">Analytics for Startups</a>. Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a> *** Topics 00:00 - Intro 00:43 - Michael Seibel - How to Plan an MVP 1:25 - The goal of a pre-launch startup 3:10 - Iterating vs pivoting 3:59 - Lean MVP 5:06 - Heavy MVP 6:19 - Launching 7:35 - Learning is easier with an MVP 8:07 - How to build an MVP quickly 10:17 - Adora Cheung - How to Set KPIs and Goals 11:51 - What are the right KPIs to set? 15:50 - Revenue or active users 16:28 - Why choose active users? 18:55 - Biotech or hardtech KPIs 20:25 - Secondary metric 21:25 - What if you haven't launched? 22:20 - Setting goals 23:47 - How fast should you grow? 25:13 - Defining your own goals 28:40 - Tracking progress 30:27 - Ilya Volodarsky - Analytics for Startups 30:46 - Why analytics? 31:36 - Funnel 32:51 - Collecting data, analytics, and data flow 34:16 - Metric - Signups per week 35:28 - Metric - Retention cohorts 36:30 - Which metric to pick? 36:57 - Have I reached product market fit? 37:27 - Metric - Revenue 37:51 - Dashboards 38:35 - Advisor updates 39:01 - The startup stack 42:13 - Recommendations for the MVP process

We've cut down the second week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.First, a lecture from Michael Seibel. Michael is CEO and a partner at YC. His lecture is about How to Plan an MVP.Then, a lecture from Adora Cheung. Adora is a YC partner and a cofounder of Homejoy. Her lecture is about How to Set KPIs and Goals.Last, a lecture from Ilya Volodarsky. Ilya is a cofounder of Segment. His lecture is about Analytics for Startups.Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/***Topics00:00 - Intro00:43 - Michael Seibel - How to Plan an MVP1:25 - The goal of a pre-launch startup3:10 - Iterating vs pivoting3:59 - Lean MVP5:06 - Heavy MVP6:19 - Launching7:35 - Learning is easier with an MVP8:07 - How to build an MVP quickly10:17 - Adora Cheung - How to Set KPIs and Goals11:51 - What are the right KPIs to set?15:50 - Revenue or active users16:28 - Why choose active users?18:55 - Biotech or hardtech KPIs20:25 - Secondary metric21:25 - What if you haven't launched?22:20 - Setting goals23:47 - How fast should you grow?25:13 - Defining your own goals28:40 - Tracking progress30:27 - Ilya Volodarsky - Analytics for Startups30:46 - Why analytics?31:36 - Funnel32:51 - Collecting data, analytics, and data flow34:16 - Metric - Signups per week35:28 - Metric - Retention cohorts36:30 - Which metric to pick?36:57 - Have I reached product market fit?37:27 - Metric - Revenue37:51 - Dashboards38:35 - Advisor updates39:01 - The startup stack42:13 - Recommendations for the MVP process

#143 - Startup School Week 2 Recap: Michael Seibel, Adora Cheung, and Ilya Volodarsky

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