Think Of YC As A Growing Startup

Y Combinator has come up often in discussions of late, and whenever a topic repeatedly comes up in discussions, it’s time to attempt to structure those thoughts. Let me say upfront that while I don’t agree with everything YC does or shares on their blogs (and have written publicly about that), they are, in a way, somewhat underrated in their impact. Two quick anecdotes: I was recently at a dinner where I was seated next to a founder who has been through YC twice. “Why go back again?” I asked. His answer, paraphrased: “I like the social peer pressure of being in a group, I like the pressure that three months places on a team, and I love the network.” Two, I talked to a friend in the current batch who said YC has essentially empowered the technical to master business, and that inspires him to do the same. Pretty hard to argue with the power in those statements.

All this got me to thinking, YC is not just a “startup accelerator” or whatever it is lumped in to. From my vantage point (on the outside), it is an organization which continues to grow in influence and still has so much more room to grow. This isn’t discussed often in a structured way because the chatter focuses aroudn the brand and personalities, as well as the investors who jockey for positioning next to the graduating classes. Consider the following morsels:

Growing Headcount: People muse a16z is getting bigger. Look at the team page for YC. Lots more people to manage the growing network. Many founders I’ve talked to like being matched with an alumni mentor but it can be hit or miss (in their view, not mine) who they’re assigned to as a partner.
Extending Brand Geographically: “Startup School” as a recruitment tool has extended to New York and Europe. Why not other places, right? It’s just a matter of time. I’ve argued before that we could see YC not just in SF proper, but perhaps in NYC, Berlin, and even China as their brand grows and as they continue to perfect the model of finding talent and building products quickly.
Moving Up-Market: It feels like more and more companies are entering YC already with a product that has some traction and/or revenue. Yes, there are people who still get in without an idea, but plenty of companies are quite further along, which is, in part, a reflection of our times, where everyone has a company (or wants to found one), and what ends up separating the visionaries from the doers is evidence of real adoption, even if small.
Alumni Network As Investors: As the YC alumni base grows in size and power, those individuals will become angel investors. Of course, many already have. They are likely some of the first choices for entrepreneurs in YC, and why not? They have the most recent experience and can help guide them up to and beyond demo day. This puts competition on the early-stage players who are not in the alumni network. All’s fair in love and war! Further more, there are pre-demo days leading up to the main demo day, which means the pressure to access has increased. And, YC companies, in my view, are getting smarter each batch about the opportunities and risks associated with talking to larger institutions too early in their life cycles. This means the larger funds may have to change their approach unless they want to invest quickly.
Shifting Terms: Many assume YC charges 6-7% for each company, but as they move up-market and companies mature, and as the startup ecosystem continues to become more transparent (even for YC!), they do now negotiate on equity percentage.
Recruiting Teams To Apply: As the YC partnership extends, like with a16z’s, the partners can hear about more companies which have matured slightly and invite them to apply to YC, which is about the same thing as inviting them to pitch the partnership. In this way, they’re extending into the sales realm of traditional VC, which is super-interesting and quite smart. (A follower on Twitter commented that #YCHacks also fit into this theme, as the winning teams get an interview with YC.)

Again, YC is a force — no doubt. But, I also think its impact on individuals and companies is underrated (despite all the surface-level hype), and I think they’re planting all different kinds of seeds to extend their power and reach. As the traditional venture capital model continues to experience pressure from myriad angles (private equity, hedge funds, lowering costs of startups, cheaper financial instruments, companies started outside Silicon Valley, crowdfunding platforms like AngelList and CircleUp, and so many other factors), the impressive, expansive growth of YC should be added to the mix. YC is like a growing startup, too — it’s just under 10 years old, and not done growing and evolving. As the faces who lead it change, and as it remains nimble to change as an institution, it enjoys many advantages — just like startups do against incumbents.