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Y Combinator Startup Podcast

We help founders make something people want. The Y Combinator Podcast is where builders talk about building. From the earliest days of an idea to scaling a company that changes the world, YC partners and founders share real stories, lessons, and tactics from the frontlines.

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Episodes

4/18/2023

How Startup Fundraising Works with Brad Flora | Startup School artwork

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How Startup Fundraising Works with Brad Flora | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

YC Group Partner Brad Flora has seen startup fundraising from every angle: as a founder, as one of the most prolific angel investors in Silicon Valley, and now as a YC Group Partner. Brad has coached hundreds of companies on fundraising. In this talk, he shares stories and advice on how modern startup fundraising works. Paul Graham Fundraising Essays: http://www.paulgraham.com/fundraising.html http://www.paulgraham.com/startupfunding.html http://www.paulgraham.com/convince.html http://www.paulgraham.com/herd.html Geoff Ralston's Fundraising Guides: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/4A-a-guide-to-seed-fundraising https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcevHkNGrWQ YC Fundraising Resources: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/2u-how-to-build-your-seed-round-pitch-deck https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6q-how-to-pitch-your-startup https://www.ycombinator.com/library/71-how-to-get-meetings-with-investors-and-raise-money https://www.ycombinator.com/library/4O-raising-money-online-advice-for-startups https://www.ycombinator.com/library/3u-different-types-of-investors-and-their-incentives Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/SUS-apply Work at a startup : https://yc.link/SUS-jobs

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4/14/2023

How to Build An MVP with Michael Seibel | Startup School artwork

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How to Build An MVP with Michael Seibel | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

YC Group Partner, Michael Seibel, explains how to build a minimum viable product (MVP) for your startup idea. Using examples from real YC companies, Michael walks through how to determine your MVP feature set, build prototypes and demos for user testing, and present your MVP to early customers or investors. Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/SUS-apply Work at a startup : https://yc.link/SUS-jobs

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3/14/2023

How To Earn Customers For Life artwork

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How To Earn Customers For Life

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

In this first in-person episode, Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell reveal how startups can gain a competitive advantage by doing something deceptively simple. They share compelling stories of companies that built loyal relationships and achieved success by making personal connections with users. In contrast, they discuss the traps early-stage founders make by trying to emulate big tech. If you want to build a business that customers love and that thrives in the long run, this advice on why caring deeply about your customers is key. Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup : https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

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3/6/2023

The REAL Potential of Generative AI artwork

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The REAL Potential of Generative AI

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

What is a large language model? How can it be used to enhance your business? In this conversation, Ali Rowghani , Managing Director of YC Continuity, talks with Raza Habib , CEO of Humanloop , about the cutting-edge AI powering innovations today—and what the future may hold. They discuss how large language models like Open AI's GPT-3 work, why fine-tuning is important for customizing models to specific use cases, and the challenges involved with building apps using these models. If you're curious about the ethical implications of AI, Raza shares his predictions about the impact of this quickly developing technology on the industry and the world at large. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

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3/1/2023

The Hard Conversations Founders Don't Want to Have artwork

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The Hard Conversations Founders Don't Want to Have

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Y Combinator group partners Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell discuss the importance of having honest and difficult conversations with startup founders. While having hard conversations can be uncomfortable, Michael and Dalton argue that this transparency is essential for founders to grow and ultimately, these experiences help founders have their own hard conversations that they've been avoiding with the people around them. Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup : https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

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2/24/2023

The Best Way To Launch Your Startup with Kat Mañalac | Startup School artwork

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The Best Way To Launch Your Startup with Kat Mañalac | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

YC's Kat Mañalac wants to change the way you think about launching. In her talk, she shares the multitude of ways to launch and get attention for your product, with tangible strategies and examples from companies like Airbnb. Apply to Y Combinator : https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

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2/17/2023

Advantages Of A First-Time Founder artwork

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Advantages Of A First-Time Founder

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Step inside the Group Partner Lounge to hear Y Combinator Group Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss the advantages of being a first-time founder and the instances when it pays to have experience founding a startup in the past. Apply to Y Combinator : https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/ Work at a Startup : https://www.workatastartup.com/

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2/10/2023

The Cult of Conformity in Silicon Valley artwork

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The Cult of Conformity in Silicon Valley

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

What happens when the unconventional becomes conventional? Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell discuss how the startup world has changed from being dominated by outsiders and nonconformists to now attracting more mainstream conformists looking for status and money. They share stories of what the tech scene was like when they were in school - and how radically different it is today, while offering their advice around navigating a world that doesn't always reward nonconformists embarking on risky entrepreneurial journeys. Don't just think different, act different. Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup : https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

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1/26/2023

Don't Make These Hiring Mistakes artwork

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Don't Make These Hiring Mistakes

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Step inside the Group Partner Lounge to hear Y Combinator Group Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss the many different mistakes founders make when they approach hiring for their startup and how to grow your team the correct way. Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup : https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

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1/24/2023

Keys To Successful Co-Founder Relationships with Cat Li & Divya Bhat | Startup School artwork

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Keys To Successful Co-Founder Relationships with Cat Li & Divya Bhat | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

How do you find a co-founder and build a great partnership? YC's Catheryn Li (who also built our Co-Founder Matching tool) and Visiting Partner Divya Bhat cover the importance of having co-founders, how to get & vet one, and the ways to build a successful working relationship with them. Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/SUS-apply Work at a Startup : https://yc.link/SUS-jobs Looking for a co-founder? Sign up for Co-Founder Matching: https://www.ycombinator.com/cofounder-matching

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1/18/2023

How To Compete With Amazon and Google artwork

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How To Compete With Amazon and Google

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Step inside the Group Partner Lounge to hear Y Combinator Group Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss the traps founders often fall into when looking at the competition. They identify the particular types of companies you should watch out for and many more you are wasting your time worrying about. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

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1/16/2023

The Secrets To Setting Smarter Goals artwork

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The Secrets To Setting Smarter Goals

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

If you're looking to maximize your startup's potential, start by setting the right goals. Michael Seibel and Dalton Caldwell provide tips and strategies for setting goals that will help keep you and your new business focused on success—plus provide examples of bad goals to avoid. Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup : https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

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1/12/2023

Investors Said No, Now What? artwork

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Investors Said No, Now What?

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Step inside the Group Partner Lounge to hear Y Combinator Group Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss how you should handle rejection from investors and why you should "believe the no, not the why." Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

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1/11/2023

When to Launch Your Startup and When to Wait artwork

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When to Launch Your Startup and When to Wait

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Step inside the group partners' lounge to hear Y Combinator Partners Harj Taggar, Michael Seibel and Brad Flora discuss how startups should approach launching and the exceptions to the rules. Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

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1/3/2023

How to Get Your First Customers with Gustaf Alströmer | Startup School artwork

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How to Get Your First Customers with Gustaf Alströmer | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

How do you get your first customers? YC Group Partner & former Head of Growth at Airbnb, Gustaf Alströmer, gives tactical advice to answer this question for all kinds of companies — whether you're B2B or B2C — and discusses why it's important for founders to do sales early on. Apply to Y Combinator : ⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠ Work at a Startup : ⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs

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12/27/2022

Startup Business Models and Pricing with Aaron Epstein | Startup School artwork

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Startup Business Models and Pricing with Aaron Epstein | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

One of the most common topics that founders ask us about is pricing and monetization.  In this talk, YC Group Partner Aaron Epstein outlines 9 different business models, and highlights lessons from top YC companies on how to best monetize and price your product. Business Model Guide : https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Gh-business-model-guide Apply to Y Combinator : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs

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12/20/2022

How to Talk to Users with Gustaf Alströmer | Startup School artwork

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How to Talk to Users with Gustaf Alströmer | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

YC often says "talk to your users", but actually doing that is surprisingly tricky. YC Group Partner Gustaf Alströmer gives non-obvious advice on how to talk to both current and potential users, how to run a great user interview, and how to interpret the feedback in these conversations. Apply to Y Combinator : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs

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12/15/2022

How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas with Jared Friedman | Startup School artwork

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How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas with Jared Friedman | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

YC's Jared Friedman shares a framework for how to get and evaluate startup ideas. He delves into examples of YC companies and the inside stories of how they came up with the ideas that turned into billion-dollar companies. Even if you have an existing idea, this talk helps founders confirm that their idea is good and/or provides a framework for a future pivot. Apply to Y Combinator : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs

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12/13/2022

Should You Start a Startup? with Harj Taggar | Startup School artwork

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Should You Start a Startup? with Harj Taggar | Startup School

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

In this episode of Startup School, YC Group Partner Harj Taggar shares his advice on the types of people best suited to be startup founders and how to prepare to start a company in the future. Apply to Y Combinator : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-apply⁠⁠ Work at a Startup : ⁠⁠https://yc.link/SUS-jobs

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12/1/2022

Avoid These Tempting Startup Ideas artwork

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Avoid These Tempting Startup Ideas

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Thinking of a new startup idea? Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the types of ideas to stay away from—what we commonly refer to as "tarpit ideas." Apply to Y Combinator : https://yc.link/DandM-apply Work at a Startup : https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

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