My story of applying, getting in, and being a mom in Y Combinator (opens in new tab)

>I have a ton of respect for the commitment on that transaction

Why?

YC really has succeeded in building a recognized brand in the tech startup space, such that they can really define that space. I'd compare YC to Harvard or Davos (the World Economic Forum), where the challenge is to get accepted. Once you have passed the gateway, the wealthy/powerful recognize this by extending opportunities to new members.

This is true of almost any club (the Free Masons, your local BPOE, Boy Scouts, etc.). You join, you get to know people, those people help you with your interests, and in return you help them with their interests. It isn't particularly difficult to see why this success might backfire and reduce/limit actual innovation, because it creates a powerful echo chamber – in part by design, to achieve specific goals, and in part by accident, because the people accepted by the club tend to meet predefined expectations.

The problem is, as I see it, that escaping that kind of feedback loop is very difficult, once an organization is in it, because the momentum making the loop bigger is difficult to redirect into an energy to make the loop different. Harvard could announce that it will no longer accept children from powerful/wealthy families, Davos could release a statement that this year it will be hosted in conjunction with the Communist International, and YC could relocate to Uganda for a season – but that's not what these organizations do, so after a point, they aren't able to innovate outside of very specific boundaries.

The answer to that, of course, is create new organizations with different boundaries/priorities, but Christ, that reeks of effort.

Two points. There was a non-rich mom in my batch in 2008 (one of the hardest fundraising climates in the last decade). She and her co-founder kicked ass and raised more money than most of the batch.

Point #2: You need to expand your view of meritocracy beyond just product/code. Expanding who you know, how much they like/admire you, and how much they want to work with you is part of meritocracy. Imagine it as a multiplier to product merit and,as a founder, you NEED to imagine it as part of your job. In a failure scenario, it absolutely helps turn a zero into a one. But it also helps you hire, sell products, raise money, get press, do bizdev deals, sell companies, etc.

All sorts of other nits I could pick with your comment. Strawmen (really? Does anyone go into YC thinking advice at dinners is the primary value they offer?) and ad hominem attacks (what does Sam's previous company have to do with the merits of his "polemics"?).

Some stats to challenge the "rich white dudes raining gold on each other" theory:

52% of founding teams in the Valley have 1st generation immigrants on them. Just shy of half of the top-ranked venture companies (in case you think all of these immigrant-heavy startups are floundering while rich white guys are winning). Does anyone believe that a meaningful percentage of this group is rich and white? The same study also found that immigrants were key members of the product or management teams in more than 75% of those companies.

First, I think it's unwise to underestimate the value of good advice early on. Advice and it's best friend encouragement are often necessary ingredients. People do not function best in a vacuum. There is a reason why startups (and lots of things) happen in clusters.

Second, there is a tendency to think for "meritocracy" as a very cold, dead thing. This kind of thinking is like applying an engineering mentality to human culture, society and personal interactions. The result is often a bureaucratic version of meritocracy, like a college application. These are not without their own biases, problems and everything else. They also strip nuance out of the process. This is a serious problem when you're looking for novelty, creativity, black swans, etc.

In any case, imagine Andy Warhol in the 80s with his stable of artists, models, musicians and Warhol Superstars. He supported them in various ways. This paved their access to audiences, money, collaborators, publishers, patrons, etc. etc. Was Andy Warhol running a cronyism ring or was he a prominent figure in a community of artists? Was the Velvet Underground's success a product of cronyism?

There's merit to the concept of cronyism in, for example, the government of a country. But, it's actually just a subcategory within a wider context of human interaction, important human interaction.

I think your definitions of meritocracy and/or cronyism just aren't rich enough to capture what's going on here.

If Leonard Cohen had a show where he introduced new artists he liked (personally and musically), I would pay attention. Leonard Cohen has whatever right to my attention as a listener that I choose to give him. Same for producers, collaborators, record labels, concert organizers and anyone else who values his opinion, or even his favor.

Communities are complex.

You are massively undervaluing YC. It's not just "advice dispensed over diner", there is lot goes on [1]. In startup world, there are just too many bad decisions you can make at any point in time and even just 5 minute advice from an experienced person who has literally seen it all 100s of times is worth all of the 7% cut that you give to YC. In the book[1] you will see several cases described by author where founders are at critical juncture such as what features to work on, what to pivot, which investors to reject and so on. YC also preps you for demos, protects you against signing bad terms and exposes to pretty much all investors that matter in business in one fell swoop. This is all in addition to $120K seed money that they are pretty much guaranteed to lose. If your friend was lending you $120K, wouldn't you offer 10% of your company? IMO, YC's 7% cut is far more reasonable.

Next, you are also massively undervaluing Susan's work. Did you read that she kept failing for 2 years and still kept at it? If you were already rich, would you go through that kind of hustle as opposed to enjoying your margarita on a private island? Did you also read that she was pregnant while making her attempt and with 3-year baby in hand? Do you have any idea how is it like to be pregnant and working on something as taxing as startup while also taking care of 3-year old? If you don't I humbly suggest to ask this to your mom.

Next, Loopt was innovative in its time but unfortunately way too easily and quickly copiable. Being still able to sell that is actually a business success and tells you something about Sam's ability to win over investors and break a way against odds.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/The-Launch-Pad-Inside-Combinator-ebook...

>We like to pretend that the startup game is a meritocracy

It is not "we like", is it just a rule of the game - to pretend that it is about meritocracy, to wear a hoodie.

>decrying the lack of innovation

being formally pro-innovation is just a rule like the "meritocracy" rule.

The game is a well-oiled money making machine and like any such machine it is very risk-averse, and with any innovation (or, God forbid, "breakthrough technology") being a risk, it is thus in particular innovation-averse.

Facebook made me rich and now I can do anything

If you were made rich by some (recent) lucky coincidence, then you can also do whatever you want.

Great message, a bit hidden. Unveiled by hacker news, thank you!

And YC is one of the good guys. Imagine what it's like in regular VC land.

Wow, I really thought you were michaelochurch, then checked the name of the commenter.

The flaw in that line of reasoning is assuming that luck and connections are the opposite of skill and execution.

Building relationships is a core part of business development, if a business lacks appropriate connections then it's something they should work on either by building bizdev skills internally or hiring. In the same way that if someones a tech founder with no marketing skills, they have to learn it or hire for it. You're not going to win just by having the best technical product, you have to have the best business.

Similarly luck isn't automatic, if you work to put yourself in positions where you have the opportunity to be lucky you're much more likely to have that luck. One of the big advantages of being in startup hub like SF is you're moving somewhere where your far more likely to have valuable serendipitous meetings than anywhere else.

I had never heard the history of Loopt. It'd be interesting to hear Sam comment with his side of the story.

Wow, thank you for writing this.

I did the opposite: moved for the summer, leaving my wife + 4 kids in Chicago. It wasn't easy. Others I knew moved their whole families for ~4 months. That also wasn't easy.

If I did it again, and budget permitting, I probably would split time — weekends in Chicago, Monday through Thurs or Friday in Mountain View.

What was interesting was how shocked family members and friends were that we'd work something out like this. If it had been a military deployment, though, no one would have batted an eye.

I know a self-made millionaire and mother of four who didn't go through YC, but has gone through rigorous travel meeting with retailers, getting press, trade shows, etc. to build her company. She has a nanny, granny-nanny, and supportive husband.

One day a week to seize an opportunity is rational and part of biz dev in this case. There are women who deploy in the military leaving children to be raised by relatives (I know a few). It is not always the preferable option, but certainly something women are capable of if the circumstances require.

Also, with technology, a lot can be done in that commute time ("rolling calls" are typical in LA traffic) - not to mention the value of "think time" and "alone time" for someone who is probably "on" 24-7.

It seems that Susan has a great background for YC. Her work experience (Facebook - hello) and the fact she applied with a cofounder (just heard on #StartupSchool that half of applicants don't have one) signifies "archetype" to me, albeit the female, mom version. Sounds like a perfect cultural fit.

I'm wondering if the time spent on the plane, or in the car, gave her some "think time". Away from the demands of both company and family.

Article referenced above says she used money she earned while at Facebook.

Appears this is in the wrong thread, probably referring to the robocoin ATM thread; https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8457298

Mothers breastfeed. Companies need to have places for mothers to breast feed children, of for mothers to pump breast milk.

Mothers sometimes have complications during birth. This can cause considerable physical difficulty in the following months. Here's some advice about recovery after c-section. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Caesarean-section/Pages/Recover...

This post was written by a female parent. We call those "mothers". If it had been written by a male parent it would have used the word "father".

There is currently a gender imbalance and so posts from people who are not male have some interest.

Statistics and surveys consistently tell us that fathers invest much less time in their newborns than mothers, so unless you've only ever met outliers, it's a bit silly to pretend there's no difference.

And she conveniently left out the cost of childcare for all the days she was gone. Oh, you know, those little $18-20 per hour* minor details. If her partner works fulltime, that could be round-the-clock care.

But yeah, of course a mom can do YC! (If she's rich and has a very, very supportive partner.)

And yeah, I do remember that tweet from Sam she highlighted. And the thing I tweeted back to him, unacknowledged, still stands: daycare in SoMa is almost impossible to find, in some cases has a two-and-a-half year waiting list. Gee, I wonder why about half the women in tech leave mid-career.

* yes, that's the going rate in LA for two children, possibly more if one is a newborn, and/or if you pay your nanny on the books instead of off.

This is exactly the inspiration women (and everyone else who believe they don't fit the YC archetype) need more of. She specifically recommends against directly copying some of her actions. It's admirable how she overcame so many challenges she faced. Buckling down and getting shit done when you miss your family isn't easy, and she is a great role model for those who will have to do that. Hopefully her story will inspire more outliers to give it a shot despite their doubts.

Not sure why you're downvoted. It's no doubt a reference to Da Vinci's Last Supper.

I looked for the part where her being a mom made any difference what so ever. It must be hard to be away from your children most of the week and of cause taxing on her partner, but that's not really unique to YCombinator or startups.

Yes. I am getting sick of these stories as well.

>I'm not saying this to be negative, necessarily, but something struck me in this essay, so I grep'd it. There are 47 instances of "I", by my count.

You already have 2 instances of 'I' in a single sentence (not counting the one in quotes). So on average you're ahead of her already.

It should be expected from this kind of personal blog post to be about one's own story, rather than ideas or outward advice. I see nothing particularly negative with that.

There are 48 instances of "I", 19 of "my", and 6 of "me". So on average 90% of sentences have one instance.

So, are you saying it to be negative, unnecessarily?