TheResultsofmyStartupSchool2013Notesexperiment

and enjoy. Welcome!

http://twitter.com/ycombinatorToEdit:follow@intelliotonTwitter,DM
me
#startupschool youremailaddress,andIllinviteyouasacollaborator.
http://www.tchat.io/rooms/startupschool
http://tlk.io/startupschool(livechat)
Please add your name near the bottom.
DISCLAIMER
Thisdocumentisaworkinprogressandmaychangecontinuously.Itsalsoanexperiment,soitmightturnouttobeutterly
useless,orotherwisegohorriblywrong.
ShortURL:http://bit.ly/susnotes
DosharethiswithotherpeoplewhoareatStartupSchool2013.
______________________________________________________________________________
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Flint Center, De Anza College, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6577927
Pleaseaddyournamenearthebottom.
Saturday,October19,2013
FlintCenter,DeAnzaCollege,21250StevensCreekBlvd.,Cupertino
*
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6577927
PhilLibin/Founder,Evernote,CoreStreetBio
DanSiroker/Founder,OptimizelyBio
RonConway/Partner,SVAngelBio@RonConway
OfficehourswithPaulGraham&SamAltman
????/CodeCombathttp://codecombat.com
Danceinayear???
CustomsBrokeragehttp://flexport.com/???
Lunch
ChrisDixon/Partner,A16zFounder,Hunch,SiteAdvisorBio
SuccessfulStartupsUsuallyStartFrom:
DianeGreene/Founder,VMWareBio
DianeGreeneondoingastartupImjustanotherslobtryingtodoastartup
ChaseAdam/Founder,WatsiBio@ChaseAdam17
Break
JackDorsey/Founder,Square twitter
MarkTheZuckZuckerberg/Founder Facebook
ThisisaquestionandanswersessionbetweenPaulGrahamandMark.
NateBlecharczyk/Founder@nathanblecBioairbnb
SamAltman
NameKeywordsPhone/iMessageURL(max1linetotal,perperson)
Phil Libin / Founder, Evernote, CoreStreet - Bio
Youshouldn'tbefriendswithpeoplewhoyouwouldn'tstartacompanywith.
Evernoteismy3rdstartup.Firstwasengine5.Wasgoingtobe5and2chickenedout.
Wedidn'tknowinvestorsexisted.
Doingastartupasaconsultantsucks,becauseyou'renotreallybuildinglastingvalue.
Therewardsareimmediatebutnotlasting.
Evernotecameoutofamerger.Itwasaveryunconventionalstart.Thiswasabig
mistake.Itdoesn'tpaytobeinnovativeinyourstructure.
Wehad3weeksofcashleft.EuropeanVC.Panicked.
FinallygotmoneyfromarandomguyinSweden:$500kwired.>Finallyraisedbutnot
fromSVinvestors.
Itgotalotharderoncewewerearealcompany.ThemostfunIeverhad,theleast
stressedIeverwas,wasbackwhenweweretryingtoraisemoneyandIcouldhave
goneoutofbusinessanyday.
Onlyonejob:raisemoneyandhaveenoughcashtomakepayroll.Totallyreadytofailat
thatpoint,whichisactuallykindofliberating.
AfterourBround,wehadyearsofcash.Thenextmorningaftercelebrating,itgothard.
Nowpeoplearedependingonusandthereareexpectations.Nowwehavetodo
something.imsolonely
Itgetsbetter,butitdoesntgeteasier.Itdoesgetmorerewarding.Itsnotfundaytoday,
butitisfunmonthtomonth.Gratifyingtolookoverthepast30days,butdayinandday
out,itsdifficult.
5yearsago,itwouldhavebeenstupidadvicetosay:buildsomethingforyourself.
Today,itsstupidnotto.im
Thereare1billionpeoplewhowantwhatyoudo.Evenifyoureweird,therearestill10
millionpeoplewhowantwhatyoudo.
Ifitssomethingyouwant,itsabigadvantagebecauseyouknowwhenitsgreat.
"EveryinvestorinEvernoteisahugefanoftheproduct"
Dan Siroker / Founder, Optimizely - Bio
Thisismy6thStartupSchool,butmyfirsttimepresenting.
Distributionstrategy:putGoogleinfrontofthename.Automatically100kpeopletrying
theproduct.
Learnedthevalueofafeedbackloop.
ObamasaidhewantedtotakewhattheydoatGoogle,andbringittogovernment.Hegot
mehookedonbubblesort(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nnj7r1wCD4)
Wehadthemostmonitorspersquareinchofanypartofthecampaign.
Believesbiggestmistakeentrepreneursmakeis,thattheyfollowalgorithminsteadof
creatingtheirownpathtosuccess.
Ron Conway / Partner, SV Angel - Bio - @RonConway
EvanstartedanincubatorcalledObviousCorp.Odeo,inthepodcastingspace.Evfeltso
badthathegavehisinvestorstheirmoneyback.
40%ofourstartupsgooutofbusiness:wedon'tgetanickelback.
WetriedtosellOdeoandgetittoasoftlanding.Hefeltbadaboutit.AtSVAngel,we
investinthepeoplefirst.WhentheysaidTwitter,Isaid:Idon'tcarewhatitdoes.
Hesaid:youshouldgotalktoJackDorsey.
Whatdoes@RonConwaythinkmakesasuccessfulentrepreneur?
1)RiflefocusonProduct&ProductQuality2)Decisiveness
Ilookfordecisiveness.Hirefast,firefast.
ItusedtobethatthealgorithmwasyourmostvaluableIP(likeGoogle).Now,itsusers,
userdesign,anduserinterfaceIP.
Neverarguewiththemetrics.You(investor)maynotunderstandwhycustomerlikeit,
butgowiththemetrics
Mostrewardingthing:watchingentrepreneursmatureatthespeedoflightwhenthey
haveto,andhelpingthemdoit.
FundraisingTips:
Thebiggestmistakefoundersmakewhenfundraisingisfocusingonvaluationvs.
findingtheinvestorthataddsthemostvalue
Getthe1sttermsheetASAPactsasforcingfunctionforotherinvestors
Onceyougetanyinklingofanagreement,sendanemailthatcommitsthe
investortothatagreement.
Office hours with Paul Graham & Sam Altman
Thisisnewthisyear.Eachstartupgets9minutes,timed.Havenotmetbefore.
Code Combat - http://codecombat.com
Learnhowtocodebyplayingamultiplayergame.
Writecodetokillabadguy.
ItriedCodecademybutitwasntmotivatingenoughforme.
Firstcompany:Wekeepusingyourproductbecauseitslikeagame.Whoa,ifwecan
dothatinadvertently,thenwhatifwemadeagameintentionally?
TheresnoApachehelicoptersoranythinglikethat.Youreawizard,itsfantasy
Maxedoutserverat15kpeople.Dontknow,peopleweregetting404s.
PostedonlytoReddit,thatsit.
Aretheypeoplewhoknowhowtoprogram,orisitpeoplewhowanttolearn?
Peoplewhoknowhowtoprogramsay:Iwanttohelpout,isthisonGitHub?
Doyouguysknowaboutthegamingbusiness?
Thereareprobablycertainbestpracticesinthegamingbusiness,whichwouldbeagood
startingpoint.Whatevertheydoit,isprobablythedefaulttostartwith.
Letsfindandtalkwithgamedesigners.
Mostlytheyjusttelluswhenwhatwerebuiltsucks.
Wejustfinishedtheleveleditor.
Oneguyismanningtheserversrightnow(Scott),hopefullykeepingthemalive.Weve
beenworkingtogether6years.Roommateincollege.
Alotofthereasonpeoplestartstartupsisthattheydontwantjobs.
Someonewhohasworkedalongtimeatabigcompany:badsign.Thebeststartup
foundersprobablycantstandthat.
Recruiterssayallsortsofcrazystuff.
Attheendoftheofficehours,PaulGrahamtoldCodeCombatthattheywere
acceptedintothenextYCbatch
Qualifypeople(recruiting)beforeintroducingtoacompany.
Give It 100 - GiveIt100.com
InitiatedbyDanceinaYearLearnsomethingin100days.
Privatebeta
Needmorefeatures,SocialSharing
Perhapsbemoreempirical,seehowtheplatformevolves(i.e.babywalkingforparentsto
capturethosemoments)
PiggybackonYouTubeasamarketingchannel,butvideoshostedbyus
100daychallenges
Galleryof10secondclips.
FoundedbyKarenXChenghttp://www.karenx.com/
PG:gaveadvicetonotoveroptimizetooearly,letitgrowintowhateverit'sgoingto
growinto
Isntthismoreforthelearners,thanforpeoplewhoarewatchingtheclips?
85daysbeatboxing
Isthecommunityencouragingpeopletostickwithit?{yes.theydescribedanexample}
Customs Brokerage - http://flexport.com/
Isitoneofthesethingswheredealingwiththegovernmentissoawfulthatyouneedspecialized,
heavilylicensedpeoplejusttodothis?
Yes.FBIbackgroundchecktoo.
Therecouldbe125formsyouhavetofillout.Thereareexistingcustomsbrokers,butyourean
exampleofsoftwareeatingtheworld.
Howareyoudifferent?
Wedontuseafaxmachine.
Onlinedashboardtoorganizedocuments,understandwhichdocumentsareneeded.
Teleporterforproducts,insteadofpeople.
30millionshipmentsentertheUSusingacustomsbroker.
Iveimported1,000containersandgottenthemthroughcustoms.Iknowhowtodothismyself.
Whyhasnoonedonethisbefore?
Customsbrokerconvention:hasntchangedin40years.
Highlyregulated,hardtogetlicense.
Untilrecently,itwasntpossibletoclearshipmentexceptatyourlocalport(PortofOakland).
Unlessyouhadanofficeateveryport.
Weareacustomsbroker.Wedotheclearance.
ItsnotlikeUber.Yeah,Ididntquitegetthatanalogy,tobehonest.
WehaveeveryimporterinAmericainadatabase.
Wow,thatsveryconvenient.
Howfaralongareyou?
Itsawebapp,youcansignupforit.Nottakingnewusersrightnow.
Thegovernmentshutdownfurloughedourguy.Wecouldntclearourfirstshipment.Nowhes
backsoweputinourforms.Wantedtogetonstageandsayweclearedourfirstshipment,but
notyet.
Grossmargin75%anddoesnttakealotoftime.
Wellcharge$100.
FDAextrapaperwork.
Theywillpaymoreintaxestothegovernment.Tothebroker,itsstilljustoneform.
Currentones:theychargemore.Brokerageisjustthewaytoenteramuchlargerlogistics
space.NowIknowyoursupplychain.Freight,etc.
Othersdontlookatthisasawaytomakemoney.Itsnottheirlossleader.
Howmuchcanyoumake?
Logisticsisa$2.3trillionindustry.Ijustliketosaytrillion.
Ifthenumberistoobig,investorsjustdontbelieveit.
$30Mprofittaking1%ofthecustomsbrokerbusiness.$23k/yearpercustomer.
$30Mis1%.Basedon#ofshipmentscleared,etc.notexactnumbers.
Armyofsalesguysinmylastcompanywasntthatfun.
Tryingtodoitbetterthanlasttimesothatitsmorefun.
Lunch
Chris Dixon / Partner, A16z; Founder, Hunch, SiteAdvisor -
Bio
RecommendsPeterThielsBlakeMastersnotes
Knowasecret:
Knowtheproblembetterthananyoneelse
Knowthetoolsbetterthananyoneelse
BeforeDropbox,therewere100cloudstoragecompanies,halfofwhichwereVCfunded.
ButDropboxknewtheproblembetterthananyoneelse,focusedonmakingtheactual
useofspaceeasier,anddisruptedtheexistingsolutionswhoweremerelytryingto
competeoneconomy(offermorespaceand/orchargeless)
Kickstarter:10yearstryingtoraisemoney
PerryChenFounder/CEOartisticcommunity
2004wastheworstyearonthewebintermsofsecurityproblems:popupads,internet
explorer,phishingeverywhere,itwasamess.
TherewasMcAfeeSiteAdvisor.
Whydidn'tSymantecdoanythingaboutit?Theysawitasbeingtechnicalproblems:OS
exploit,etc.
However,mostproblemsweresocialengineeringproblems.Thetechnicalfeatures
operatedproperly,butusersweretrickedintodoingthings.Theirsolutionwastoputout
whitepapers,sayingthingslikeUsersshouldbesmarteraboutdownloadingsoftware.
Weapproacheditfromtheconsumerinternetperspective.Letsjustcreateabetteruser
experience,usingwhatevermeansnecessary.(samethingDropboxdid)
LikeSkype.Biggestconcern:Mostpeopledidnthavemicrophonesyet.Microphone
adoptionisthekeyissue.WouldtheybewillingtodrivetoBestBuyandgetone?
Lowquality.Lowbandwidth.Narrowband.Willbroadbandevergetadopted?
HeadofMcKinsey:Nobodywilleveradoptbroadband.(lol)
FunQuote:VinodKhosla:Don'teverlistentoanyonefromMcKinsey"(link)
Successful Startups Usually Start From:
Unbundlingfunctionsdonebyothers.
Example:Newspaperscollectionoffunctions(brand,curation,classifieds,distribution)
DisruptedbyplatformslikeFlipboard
Hobbies
HomebrewBlogsWebOpenSource...
Bitcoin,3dprinting,drones,bigdata
Thingsthataredismissedastoys.Whentechisatthelowpoint,itlookslikeatoytoalotof
people.
Ifyoureintosomething,chancesarethereare100millionpeoplewhoareintoitto.Unless
yourereallyweird,inwhichcasetheresmaybe10,000peopleintothat.~paraphrased
ChallengingSocialNorms
PeoplewereweirdedoutatfirstbyplatformslikeAirbnbandeBay,nowtheyrebilliondollar
companies,becausetherewerewillingtochallengesocialnorms
Todevelopstartupideas:
1. Bestideascomefromdirectexperience
2. Theabstractlikeanalystreports,trends,analogies
3. Theabstract,bydefinitioncomesfromconventionalwisdom
Inshort:startupsecretsare"drawnfromdirectexperience",are"dismissedashobby"and
"challengesocialnorms".(via:@rlacombe)
Diane Greene / Founder, VMWare - Bio
Startups are one lucky break after
another
Diane Greene on doing a startup - Im just another slob trying to do a startup
VMWare:hersecondstartup.Shescurrentlyworkingonher3rdstartup.
Createdvirtualizationindustrystarting1998.Fakesoutoperatingsystemtothinkits
runningonhardware[seeVMWareonWikipedia]
YoYGrowthof54%.6kpeopleinofficesaroundtheworld,steadilygrowing
Bigvision:facilitateconstraintsbyfreeingupinnovation.
Startagiantvisionbymakingasmallgoalthatyoucanworktowardswhatsmallthings
couldwedo?
OnVMWare
Didntwanttorelyonspecifichardware(Microsoft,etc)
Firstmilestone:platform/hardwareagnostic
TakeittomarketasLinuxtool
PeoplewantedtoworkinLinuxbutwererequiredtouseMicrosoftTools(runfixed
WindowssoftwareunderLinux)
ThreeLinuxcompaniescametousandtriedtobuyus
MichaelDellthoughtallLinuxcompanieshadzerochanceofsucceeding,buthe
supportedthembecausehewantedtoseeLinuxsurvive.
FunFact:CheckoutthemarketcapstodayofDELLvs.VMW...
Launchedwithfreebeta/30daydemo,$299forcommercialuse
Spreadingthewordofthecompanybyattendingastartupdemoday.
ManagedtogetonSlashdot,anddecidedtospend$0onmarketing,focusedonPR
PickedupbyWallStreetJournal
Duetoallthishitstheyranoutofbandwidth,arandomstudentatCornelltookitupon
himselftomirrorthesite(wasregardedasveryfriendly)
TIP:thisCornellstudentgothimselfaninternshipoutofthis
WhenyousitbetweenMicrosoftandIntel,youwanttoprotectyourIP(intellectual
property).
Werentterriblyconcernedwithpatents/IPbutacquiredsaidpatents
Microsoftboughtacompetitor/similarproductwewerentgoingtosuethembecause
weknewwewouldbeatthem.
Intheendshedoesntthinkherpatentshelpedhercompanyatall
Ifyoucanthinkofagoodreasonforsomeonetohelpyou(besidesthefactthattheyre
rich,etcetera)theywillusuallyhelpyou
GotameetingwithLarrySonsini,heendedupjoiningtheboardasanadvisor
Foundawaytohelphardwarevendorsmakemoney.
Triedtalkingtoanalysts,flewovernighttoForresteroffice,endeduptalkingtoanauto
industryanalyst.[signthatthemainstreamindustrywasbehindthetimesandVMWare
wasinonsomethingearly]
LawyersfoundoutLinuxsoftwarewasintheproduct,didntwantalltheirstufftoendup
opensourcedduetoGPL
Resellerswereabletosellthesoftwarewithoutrunningintothatissue
Bring something to market that people
absolutely love
Balaji Srinivasan / Founder, Counsyl; Lecturer, Stanford - Bio
Topic:SiliconValleysUltimateExit:IstheUSAthemicrosoftofnations?(sessionsheet,via:
@aley)
LarryandSergeywantedchange:whattheyhadtodowasexit
Voice:changesystemfromwithin
Exit:creatinganewsystem
Voicevsexitinopensource:respectivelypatchvsfork
TheUSisshapedbybothvoiceandexitsoisSiliconValley.
HelpfulFact:NoncompetesarenotenforceableinCA.
exitamplifiesvoice
voicegainsmoreattentionwhenpeopleleaveindroves
exitisametaconceptaboutalternativesthechoicetopeacefullyoptout
reducetheimportanceofdecisionsmadeinDC(withoutlobbying,etc)
SiliconValleyvsThePaperBelt
SiliconValleyisreinventingeveryindustryandseriouslythreateninggovtpower
USgovtcantbanthingsitwantstobananymore
Paperjam
WeneedtoactivelyrepudiatethatSVisthecauseoftheeconomyfault
Technology is about reducing prices
Govtraisesthem
respondviavoice,reducesprice
WhatwouldasocietyrunbySiliconValleylooklike?
LarryPagewantstosetasideapartoftheworldforexperimentation.#
Buildanoptinsocietyrunbytechnology/innovation,totallyseparatefromtheUS
NotsayingtakeawayUSlawsjustmakinganexit
YoudontactuallyhavetobuyyourownislandParticipatinginonlinecommunities(goingon
Reddit/HN,etc)isanexitinasense
Takingcontrolofyourownmedicinethroughquantifiedself
Rejecttraditionalcurrency(UseBitcoin)
Telepresencerobots.
Chase Adam / Founder, Watsi - Bio - @ChaseAdam17
Sometimes you give people something that helps them
the first time, but ends up hurting them on day 365
Thosewomenaresellingriceat1/100ththepricetheyshouldnormallyget.Whenevertheres
ahumanitariandisaster,charitiessendfreeorheavilysubsidizedricetoHaiti.Thatput
allofthelocalfarmersoutofbusiness.
EveryTuesdaynight,weworkedonWatsi.
Isaid,Fucknonprofits.ThelastthingIwantedtodowasstartalargenonprofit.Ithoughtitwas
cool,fun,andwewantedtobuildthenonprofitthatweourselveswouldwanttodonateto.Being
smallmeantwewerebeholdentonoone.Wecouldtakerisksanddothingsthatnononprofit
woulddo.
WatsisCoreValues:
RadicallyTransparent:wewouldbethemosttransparentnonprofitintheworld.Well
takescreenshotsofeachbanktransferandpostthemonline.
100%ofyourdonationfundsmedicalcare.Wellnevertakeacut,nomatterwhat.
MinimalFundraising.Operationalfundraisingkillsnonprofitsbecauseitssucha
distraction.Nonprofitsgetfocusedonannualgalas!
CircularStructure:Nohierarchy.Nofounder/cofounder.Watsiisinaperpetualstateof
beingfounded.EachnewpersonchangesWatsiandtakesitinanewdirection,sowere
constantlygettingfounded.
GoldenRule.Treatourpatientsthewaywedwanttobetreated.
Launched:August23,2012at9AM.Immediatelysentemailtoournetwork,thinking
Okay,itllgocrazynow.15minuteslater,nobody.
Mymomdonated.Gracesmomdonated.Jessesmomdonated.Friendsandfamily.2
hourslater,thatwasit.
DecideditshouldbepostedtoHackerNews.Ifitgotupvotes,Idtelltheteam.Ifnot,Id
justdeleteitandpretenditneverhappened.Bylunchtimethepostwas#1whichresulted
in16kuniquevisitors.Spendtheentiredayparticipatinginthecommentsection.
Fundedeverymedicaltreatmentinourpipelinealmostinstantly.Hundredsofemails,
Facebookposts,tweets,emails.Atthetime,IwasworkinginfinanceItoldmybossthat
Ineedthedayoff..
NBCwroteitup
GoogleALERT:TechCrunchwroteaboutWatsi.Ihadnoideatheywould,orthatthey
evenknewwhatWatsiwas.
I asked my girlfriend, Do you think all the startups that
TechCrunch writes about are secretly as crappy as we
are?
Youcantevendonateanymorebecausewerecompletelyoutofpatients.
Wethoughtwehad6monthsofpatients,andtheywerefundedinafewhours.Inourwildest
dreamswedidntthinkthiswouldhappen.
IquitmyjobandknewIhadtodoitfulltime.
Wehadtofundraisebecausewehadnomoney.Ourfirstattemptwasatotaldisaster.Nobody
tellsyouNo.
EntireemailfromPaulGraham:AreyouintheBayArea?Ifso,Idliketomeet.*cannedlaughter*
WatsigotthreemajorpointsoutofYC
1. focus:onlyfocusononemetric(likeAirbnbdid)inourcase,weeklydonations
2. network:advisors,entrepreneurs
3. stampofapproval:nobodywilltakeabetonanonprofit,YCdidandshowedtotheworld
itwas/isworthit
Find something to work on that you care more about
than yourself.
ItsliterallyimpossibleforWatsitofailbecauseallwehavetodoisfundonemorepatient.
(tearsduetoWatsiitsmissionORbecauseweareaheadofschedule)
Break

Jack Dorsey / Founder, Square

twitter
HEREWEGO,BRACEYOURSELVES
Insteadofdoingapresentation,JackDorseywillprovideuswithexcerptsfrombookshe
recommendsandhasfoundvaluablelessonsin.
Dorseysbookrecommendations:
1. TheArtSpirit,RobertHenri
a. Artistsworkinanymedium.
b. Theworkandthecraftarejustasimportantastheendproduct.
c. Entrepreneursare,foralongtime,alonetherearecoststobeingan
entrepreneur.Indoingsomethingmeaningful,youllhavetopayforpartofthe
work,butyoullalsoenjoyitforalongtimeafter.
d. Wearenotheretodowhathasalreadybeendone.
e. Beamasterofyourowntools.Constantpractice
f. Whatreallymattersistheworkthatimplementstheideas
g. Dontworryabouttherejections.
h. Weworksohardtotrytogetsomesortofpositivefeedback.Whenwelookat
othersitseemssofast.Butittakesyearsandyearsandsomepatience.
i. Essayswillbeshorterinwords,andlongerinmeaning.
j. Wemustpaintonlywhatisimportanttous.Wemustnotrespondtooutside
demands,theyknownotwhatwehavetogive.
k. Youarebuildingwhatyouwanttoseeintheworld.Andyouarebettingotherswill
wanttoseethatintheworldtoo.Sometimesyouwin,sometimesyoulose.
2. TheScoreTakesCareOfItselfBillWalsh
a. Startfirstwithanidea,aphilosophy,apurpose,amission,andyoufindpeopleto
helpyou.Bookprovidesaseriesoflistsofwhattodoandwhatnottodo
b. Recommendtopeoplewhowanttobealeaderorleadateam
c. Teachconnectionandextensions.
d. Ifyoureacttotheoutside,youarebuildingsomeoneelsesroadmap
e. TwelveHabitsofBeingaLeader
i. Beyourself
ii. Becommittedtoexcellence
iii. Bepositive(thisisthehardestpart)
iv. Beprepared
v. Bedetailoriented(buildanorganizationthatcaresaboutitselfandraises
thebar)
vi. Beorganized
vii. Beaccountable
viii. Bebothnearsightedandfarsighted
ix. Befair
x. Befirm
xi. Beflexible
xii. Believeinyourself
xiii. Bealeader.Leadbyexample.
f. WhatNottoDo(missing3points)
i. [missing]
ii. [missing]
iii. [missing]
iv. Spendexcessiveamountsoftimesocializingwithsuperiors/subordinates
v. Becomebestbuddieswithcertainemployees
vi. KissingassTenuredstaffmembers
vii. Trustotherstocarryoutyourfundamentalduties
viii. Findwaystogetoutfromresponsibilitiesofyourposition
ix. Promoteanorganizationthatisfun,lightheartedness,tensionfree.
Youneedbalance
g. GeneralPatton
i. Praiseismoreimpactfulthancriticism
ii. Tellpeoplewhatsexpectedofthem
iii. Disciplineisbasedonprideintheposition
iv. Officersmustassertthemselvesbyexampleandbyvoice
v. Generalofficersmustbeseeninthefrontlineduringaction
vi. Tendencyforthechainofcommandtooverloadjuniorofficersby
excessiverequirements
h. SuccessDiseasewhathappenswhenyoustartwinning?
i. Formallycelebratevictoryandmakeeveryonefeelapartofit
ii. Allowpatsonthebackforalimitedtime
iii. Beapprehensiveaboutapplause
iv. Developaplantogetyourteamworkingagain
v. Addressspecificsituationsandfocusonthingsthatwere
lessthanspectacular
vi. Developaplanforyourstaffstoproducesuccessinthefirstplace
vii. Usethetimeaftersuccesstomakeharddecisions
viii. Neverfallpreytothebeliefthatgettingtothetopmakeseverythingeasier
3. Music:AngoisseAlainGoraguer(SergeGainsbourg)(listenonYoutube)
Hehasnotesforeverysinglethingheisdoingandforeverypersoninhiscompanytokeep
thingsorganized.Averyhandymemorydevice.Makedo/dontslists.Noteallthethingsyou
neverwanttodoagain
toomanyitems,toomanylists.andthemusiciskindofawkward.whatisdorseydoing?(its
hardtobeBEFOREZucky)
DorseysDailyList(thisisanexamplegivenofthememorydevice)
Do Dont
Staypresent Drinkhardliquororbeer(onweekdays)
Drinkonlylemonwaterandredwine Avoideyecontact
Standupstraight Belate
Sayhellotoeveryone Setexpectationsforsomeoneandnotableto
meetit
Standupstraight
Meditateonthislist
Videojournaleverysingleday
7hoursofsleep
6setspushups/squats/planks.Run3miles
Mark The Zuck Zuckerberg / Founder
Facebook
This is a question and answer session between Paul Graham and Mark.
PG:WhatdidyoutesttoseeifFacebookworked?
MZ:Idontknowwhatthefirstpieceofcodewas.Ibuiltstuffformyself.WhenIgottocollege,I
wantedtobuildthingstoconnectwiththepeoplearoundme.IbuiltthefirstversionofFacebook
duringthereadingperiod
PG:WhenyoufirstlaunchedFacebook,whatdidFBhavethatcompetitorsdidnt?
MZ:Itwasthefocusonrealidentityandtheconnectionsbetweenpeople.Thatinformationisnt
justindexedoutthere,youhavetobuildtoolsthatgivepeoplethepowertosharethat
themselves,andthosetoolsdidntexist.Interactionwasmostlyanonymousitwasscarytoput
yourrealidentityonline.Noneofthecompetitorshadaconceptofconnections(relations
betweenpeople).Friendingisimportantbecauseyoucouldputsomeoneonyourprofileandbe
connected,thiswasrevolutionary.
__
DontonlyuseFacebookconnect.Twitterisfinetoo,butusetwo.
TheonlythingIgotoutofFacemashwasmywife
PG:Hypotheticalquestion:ifyouhadntstartedFacebooktherewouldprobablybe
somethinglikeFacebooknow.Wouldithavebeensomethingwhichstartedoutasa
networkforcollegestudentsorwouldhaveMySpacegrownfurthertothatposition?
MZ:
PG:Howmanyschoolsdidyouhavebeforeyourealizethiswasit?Youstillthought
somebigcompanycouldovertakeFacebook?
MZ:Ispendabunchoftimeanalyzinghowwewereabletodoitallreasonsuggeststhatwe
werentabletodoit.Allreportssuggestthatwedidnthavetheresources(servers,time
employees).Weendedupbecomingthebiggestbecausewecaredmorethananyoneelse.It
feltinourgut.Skeptics:theycouldntbecomeabusiness.Companieswouldntinvestbecause
therewasntamodel.Someoneelsecandoit.Thebigemphasisisinternet.org(???)
Our mission isnt to get 1/7 people in the world - our
goal is to connect everyone
PG:Isthereanythingthatyoufeelmakesyouuniquelyqualifiedtobethepersonto
found/runFacebook?
MZ:Iactuallythinkdeterminationisprobablythebiggestpiece.Somanythingsgowrong,and
peopleaskaboutmistakes.Dontevenbothertryingtoavoidmistakes,justlearnfrommistakes.
Somanythingscouldandwouldhavekilledus,butyoujustbouncebackandyoulearn.Nothing
isimpossible.PGsummarizes:Sothebiggestmistakeisthemetamistakehmm(*canned
laughter*)
MZ:IknewnothingwhenIgotstarted(19yearsold).
PG:Howdidyoulearn?
MZ:Ionlyknewsolittleatthetime.PeterThieldemandedeveryonebeonvestingschedulesI
didntevenknowwhatavestingschedule???was.Ohshit,nowwhatdowedo?That
mistakeprobablycostmebillionsofdollars,butyoulearn!
PG:Youstartoutasa19yearold,youhavethiswebsite,andyouhavetolearnhowtobea
manager,tocreatethisorganization.Howdidyoulearnhowtomanagepeople?
MZ:Keypoint:makemistakes,trialanderror.
Nooneisgoodathiringpeople,outofthebox.Imabsolutelynot[amanagementexpert].Ihave
developedafewheuristicsovertimethattheorganizationcouldunderstand.
Wouldyouworkforthepersonyourehiring?
Hirepeoplethatyoulearnfrom.
IusedtobereallyterrifiedofpublicspeakingOvercamethisbythrowinghimselfintopublic
speechwithoutpreparinganything.
PG:Doyoulikemanagingpeople?
MZsirrelevantanswer:Mostsmartpeoplelikelearning.Ifyoucansetupateamdynamicwhere
youreconstantlylearningfromthepeoplearoundyou,ittendstowork.
(haveyoueverseensuchanunorganizedquestionanswersession
itislikequestion:completelyirrelevantanswer){yes,everypoliticaldebateever}
MZonthebestwaytomakehire/nohiredecision:Answerthequestion,"Wouldyouworkforthis
person?"
MZ:Ineverhadagoalofstartingastartup.Mygoalwastogetittobeagoodcompanyas
quicklyaspossibleandgetoutofriskystartupphase(buzzwords).
PG:WereyouinfluencedbyPeterThiel,SeanParker,etal?
MZ:IpaidalotofattentiontoMicrosoft(MZ:3.1and95wereunbelievablethings//PG:ina
sensetheyreallywere(*cannedlaughter*))
PG:WasmakingFacebookaplatformagoalallalong?
MZ:TurningFacebookintothatplatformcamelater,butIalwaysfeltthattherewould/shouldbe
asocialplatform.Corething:Sharingisreallycoretohumanpsychology.
(ps.IamhavingmorefuncollaboratingthanIwillprobablyeverhavereadingallofthisstuffagain
2aminmylocaltimezone)!!!
PG:Canyourememberaparticularstrategicinsightfromearlyon?
MZ:PeterThielwasreallyfocusedonnetworkeffects.Iagreewiththemodelthatasthe
companygrows,thingscouldgoinamilliondirectionsandyouneedtopicktheoneortwothat
actuallymatter.WhenIstartedsurroundingmyselfwithpeople,Ihadtolearntofocusonwhat
mattersandtuneoutthenoise.
PG:Whenyousayconnectingpeople,youdontnecessarilymeanalotmoresignups(?)
MZ:Webuiltalotoftoolstohelppeopledowhattheyalreadywantedtodo.Ourjobwasto
removeasmuchfrictionaspossible.Ourstrategywastobranchout,fromHarvard,toother
schoolsthatwouldhavedensesocialconnectionstotheexistingnetworkandgrowthenetwork
inameaningfulway.
2005collegefacebook(clone)
strategy:theywantedtostartinplaceswewerent(coastsdiversity,race)
dustintookitverypersonal
Lockdownconcept
Lockingeveryoneintheofficewhencompetitorgetsaheaduntilyouregainthelead
Russia:cloneoffacebook,hardtocompetewith(notbeenabletobeat),hostsillegalfile
downloads(warez)
We try not to break the law
Maybethoselockdownswereunnecessary
PG:ignorecompetitors?
Somecompaniesclonecompaniesthathavebeendevelopedinotherplacesandbringthemto
europetogetaheadstartonthenetworkeffectinEurope.
PG:Itseemslikethemostsuccessfulfoundersarealittlebitobsessed.Whatisitthatyoucare
toomuchabout?
MZ:Connectingeveryone.*enthousiastic*No,seriously!ThisaestheticsenseoftheworldIhaveisthat
communitiesofpeoplecanchanneltheirenergytodogreatthings.Andwhentherewasallthis
uncertainty,wealwayspushedonbecausewejustcaredmore.Andyoucouldsayitwasa
startupthing,butwerestilldoingit.Nowwerehereandweconnectmorethanabillionpeople,
butwerepouringtonsofmoneyandresourcesintoconnectingpeoplewhodontevenhave
internetaccess!Becausewethinkitstherightthingtodo.
PG:Soitsamovement,andFacebookthecompanyissortofa
subsetofit.
Female:Mark,yourelikeafinewine,yougetbettereveryyear.Oohlala.
Nate Blecharczyk / Founder @nathanblec - Bio
airbnb
Everyoneexpectstopullahockeystick.
Hopefully,year2comesalone,stillhockeysticky3,y4,andifyou'rereallylucky,y5andyou
stillhavethathockeystick.
4yearstoservicefirst4millionguests.Inthelastninemonths?anotherfivemillion.
73xgrowth
Anygivennight,150kpeoplestayingduetoAirbnb
The startup journey is like
going to the Olympics
Youregonnafailmoretimesthanyoullsucceed,youneedtopersevere.
Everyexperienceshouldbeadditive,youshouldalwaysbelearning.
Joinedastartup:learnedeverythingnottodo
Youcanchangeyouridea,pivot,butyoucantchangeyourpartnerswithoutstartingover.
Givethisalotofthought.
Goal:threeclickstobookit(greatUXprinciple)
Thereisalotofstresswhenyouarestartingacompanyandnooneisgettingpaid
Yougottoberealisticaboutwhatyoucanaccomplish
TroughofSorrows:whereyouworkreallyhard,andnothingyoudomatters
(wasittheirpitchordidtheyobserveit?didntgetthat)Oneoftheinvestorstheypitched
walkedoutmidsmoothie(bets/heregretsthat)
Beforeyouquit,youhavetogiveita100%
GoesinforYC,interviewgoesofftherails.convincePGoftheircharacter
Youneedpeoplewhonevergiveup
RamenProfitabilityestimatedat$1000aweek(makejustenoughtopaythefounders'
livingexpenses)
You can change your idea, pivot, but you
cant change your partners without
starting over.
PG:Ithoughtyouguyswerecockroaches
PG:Surestroutetosuccessistobethecockroachesofthecorporateworld.
"It'sbetter,initially,tomakeasmallnumberofusersreallyloveyouthanalargenumber
kindoflikeyou.PaulBuchheit(creatorofGmail)
Dothingsthatdontscale(likemeeteveryuser,all40ofthem*cannedlaughter*)change
theirprofilepagesandpricing,takeprofessionalphotosimprovetheoverallqualityofthe
placelistings
Perseveranceiswhatmattersthemost
Ifyoucanpaceyourselfsoyoudontquittooearly,youcandoamazingthings.
Investors dont want Ms, they want Bs
baby
- Sam Altman
IfanyonewantstohearthestoryofAirbnbastoldbyJoeGebbia(anothercofounder):hetellsitwell
AtAge14:Gotpaid$1000foraprogramminggigincreasedconfidence
PGs lifecycle of a startup
You need that confidence Youre going to
fail more times than youll succeed.
Attendance
Name - Keywords - Phone / iMessage - URL (max 1 line total, per person)
1. Elliot@intelliotadnetworkwebiOSmultiplayergamesPHPObjC2138634775
2. ZacAltmanfoodtravelObjCJavascriptiOSaustraliazac@basind.com
http://www.loungebuddy.com/
3. KatherineYipTechConferenceProducer,UIDesign,BizDev
katherine.yip21@gmail.comhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineyip
4. HiteshParasharPython,Django,ObjectiveChitesh@appcircles.com
www.linkedin.com/in/hitesh/
5. MitchellKarchemskyroboticsdesignjavapythonmitch.karchemsky@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mitchellkarchemsky/78/346/613
6. YixiZhangPython,Ruby,JavaScriptyixi.zhang.max@gmail.comangel.co/yixizhang
7. BillnguyenPYTHON,nodejsbil.nguyen@gmail.com@bilnguyen
8. NicolasDUCDODONExperienceDesignernicolas.ducdodon@gmail.com
9. RomainArandelMScinFinancegraduateromain.arandel@gmail.com
10. ChrisBuckleyComm./BrandingConsultantchrstphr_|chrisdotbuckley@gmail.com
11. VikasLalwaniBusinessDevelopmentandMarketinglalwani.vikas20@gmail.com
12. ColinHeilbutBusinessDevelopment&PRcolinheilbut@gmail.com
13. JoelGarciaBizDevforCleantechinMexicojoelgarciagalan@gmail.com
14. AnthonyChenwww.thebalanceddesigner.comac.chen1@gmail.com
15. JonathanLuDesigner/mobiledeveloperinHongKonghttp://jonathan.lu
awesome@jonathan.lu
16. BrandonQuachStudentbrandon.quach@gmail.com
17. JohnnyChangUIUCjohnny@johnnychang.com
18. DuncanSmithDesigner(UX/UI/Web)/FullStackDeveloperhttp://duncanmsmith.com
hello@duncanmsmith.com256.682.6570
19. ErikLinde,http://notezilla.io
20. AdamSimmonsC++,UX/UI,psychology,founderajeansimmons@gmail.com
@princeofcodehttp://awesomium.com
21. MikeTung,CEOofDiffbot,anAPIforextractingdatafromwebpageshttp://diffbot.com
22. kufreInyangElectricalElectronicEngineering(Bsc.)@isjustku
23. RaedMarjiPredictiveAnalytics,RecomendationEnginesCTOJoGeeks.com
@hla3mi
24. JonathanChizickBusinessDev&Marketinghttp://jonathanchizick.com@JCinSV
25. TineRavnikarPartyhikerTeam
26. DanGaileyhttp://techendo.co/Ruby/PHP/ObjC/etcdan@techendo.co
27. LaurensSeghersStudent,FutureEntrepreneurrale.com
28. MikeGlombaRubyonRailsandJava,scalablewebappshttp://www.codedose.com
mglomba@codedose.com
29. RicardoSanchezSoftwareEngineering(fullstack)@rickyCoFounderof
TheTechMaphttp://www.thetechmap.com
[Addyourselftothislistbyaddinganewlineabove]
Meta
Addyourcomments,questions,andcriticismsofthisdocumentrighthere.
FirstandforemostIthinkIspeakforalluswhenIsaythatIamimpressedwithhowthismany
peopleareabletofrictionlesslycollaboratewithoutoutsidecommunication.+1
Q:WatchingtheLivestreambutdidntgetthechancetoattendwonderingifIshould/couldput
myselfonthelistabove?
A:Yes,Definitely!
Q:WatchingthelivestreamhereinAccra,Ghanaandamnotreallyhavingasmoothwatching
experienceduetomyslowbroadband,Ihopetherewillbelinkstothe#startupschoolvideos
later?
A:Theyhavevideosforthe2012sessionssoIassumetherewillberecordedvideosforthis
year,too.See:https://www.youtube.com/user/StartupSchool12
Q:Whyareyouguyssoawesome?
A:Yearsoftraining,participation,andreflection.
Q.Isthepointofthisdocumenttoprovideatranscriptoftheentireevent,ordistillthetalking
pointsofspeakersintoactionableinformation?
A.Mymissionistoconnectpeopletogetherbyenablingthemtocollaborateinrealtime.Myfirst
attemptisWhiteboard,anappIfirstreleasedin2009andtodayhasabout300kMAU.Butthat
wasmerelythefirststep.Ihaveahypothesis:ImprovingNotesandtextbasedcollaborationwill
enablepeopletocommunicatemorebroadly,deeply,andaccomplishmore.Thisdocisthusan
experimenttotestthishypothesis.Ifthissoundsinterestingtoyou,letschat.Elliot(creatorof
thisdoc)
Therearesomanyofthesekindofappsbutnoonedoesthejob.Keepdoingwhatyou
dotobecometheonethatrulesthemall.:p
Q.Anyoneinhereworkingonanystartupsrightnow?Andifso,areyouhiring?
A.Yes.
Well,Iamofftobed.ItwasafunrideandIwillseewhetherthisdocumentkeepsgetting
updates.Thankseverybodyforhavingapleasantnightandmaybewewillevermeetagain.Bye,
bye!:)
PS.Elliot,ifyoueverreadthisyouareatthefrontpageofHNandpeakedataround50
GoogleDocsisaprettyremarkabletool.
Amen.
Somestuffworksflawless(likethecollaboration)butotherthingslikesimplyputtinginimagesin
documentsisahellofajob.
Hahayeahthatwasprettyrough.
HowaboutGoogleKeep?Itisstillnotavailableinmycountry.LookslikeagreatUIforonthego
use.
>ItisverylimitedinfunctionalitycomparedtoGoogleDocs.Youonlygetsimpleformatting,to
dolists,imagesandsuch.Youarerestrictedtowhatyoucandoandamuncertainwhetherit
hasDocsesquecollaboratingfunctionality.Ithinkitisintendedasalightweightnoteappfor
mobile.
DefinitelythemostfunIvehadataremoteevent(thisistheonlyremoteeventIveattendedbut
still).
~Cosigned
3
.
Agenda:
ShamelessEasterEgg:#500Stronghttp://youtu.be/cKVScfsmQo
http://youtu.be/cKVScfsmQo?t=2m26s