Thanks for sharing this Mat. Great read for founders considering going down the venture route. I know a lot of early founders who maybe don't know what all that entails, so this a great primer.
Very healthy balance between calling YC out and showing respect. I always learn a lot from your insights into venture capital and early stage startups!
" 10% chance of getting really rich+ making an impact, and a 90% chance of leaving with nothing."
That's the optimistic side.
I asked ChatGPT for some estimates - it came out closer to 3...5%.
That still seems high as a success rate but reflects the quality filter YC provides.
"Over 4,000 startups have passed through YC by 2024, with each startup typically having 2-3 co-founders.
A rough estimate is that between 8,000 and 12,000 individuals have graduated from YC as co-founders.
...
Based on YC's own figures, about 150-200 companies have achieved significant scale, many becoming unicorns."
Very interesting insights!
Outstanding piece
Love this article bro. Very insightful, and great examples to explain your points.
Thanks for sharing this Mat. Great read for founders considering going down the venture route. I know a lot of early founders who maybe don't know what all that entails, so this a great primer.
Very healthy balance between calling YC out and showing respect. I always learn a lot from your insights into venture capital and early stage startups!