Everything else: demo day, what investors you get, how much you raise, what press covers you -- it is all window dressing.
I just gave a talk to the W2021 YC batch. It's my favorite startup audience to talk to. Here are some of the highlights:
Everything else: demo day, what investors you get, how much you raise, what press covers you -- it is all window dressing.
1/ What is \u201cproduct/market fit\u201d? I\u2019m not sure I can give you a definition. But maybe I can share what the subjective difference is in how it feels when you have it and when you don\u2019t. Founding a startup is deciding to take on the burden of Sisyphus: pushing a boulder up a hill.
— Emmett Shear (@eshear) July 27, 2019
YC is really an accountability framework for you to make fast progress in finding PMF. No one wants to be the person that shows up during office hours and reports that nothing got done the last two weeks.
You should outline your values up front. Then make decisions in accordance with your values. I can’t tell you what they should be (and no one else can).
Start with values. Values will keep you together when you face stressful decision points (selling the company, shutting down, pivoting).
With your cofounders, build trust through vulnerability, clear communication, clear areas of responsibility.
More from Justin Kan
More from Startup
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2/
With 5 validation blocks, https://t.co/ePe7HTa9of will help you understand if your idea is viable:
- Validating The Market
- Validating The Problem
- Validating The Value Proposition
- Validating The GoToMarket
- Validating The Willingness To Pay / demand

3/
Have no idea on how to validate?
Easy: Follow the 27 validation checks into 5 validation blocks. One checklist by validation block.

4/
Not sure if a block is validated?
The validation scoring will help you know if a block is validated.
Check, score, validate and move to next block.

5/
What about the execution of every step?
I've got you. Inside every check, you'll find:
- Hands-on section (action items)
- Examples/cases
- Pro Tips
- Explanations and guides
- Questions to help you think and squeeze your brain!

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I believe that @ripple_crippler and @looP_rM311_7211 are the same person. I know, nobody believes that. 2/*
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1. LWJ’s sword Bichen ‘is likely an abbreviation for the term 躲避红尘 (duǒ bì hóng chén), which can be translated as such: 躲避: shunning or hiding away from 红尘 (worldly affairs; which is a buddhist teaching.) (https://t.co/zF65W3roJe) (abbrev. TWX)
2. Sandu (三 毒), Jiang Cheng’s sword, refers to the three poisons (triviṣa) in Buddhism; desire (kāma-taṇhā), delusion (bhava-taṇhā) and hatred (vibhava-taṇhā).
These 3 poisons represent the roots of craving (tanha) and are the cause of Dukkha (suffering, pain) and thus result in rebirth.
Interesting that MXTX used this name for one of the characters who suffers, arguably, the worst of these three emotions.
3. The Qian kun purse “乾坤袋 (qián kūn dài) – can be called “Heaven and Earth” Pouch. In Buddhism, Maitreya (मैत्रेय) owns this to store items. It was believed that there was a mythical space inside the bag that could absorb the world.” (TWX)