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by stuckFounder
3735 days ago
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> Remember, Airbnb and Dropbox... This comment has also been made pretty much every batch. Trotting out companies that were picked before the growth strategy was implemented as evidence that the growth strategy is a good idea doesn't make sense. Dropbox and Airbnb were massively successfully with in 2-3 years. What are the big successes from 2013 to the present? |
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That's debatable. They both went a long time struggling to get growth and big funding in the first few years, and (particularly for Airbnb) it was more like year 4 when they became mainstream hits.
What are the big successes from 2013 to the present?
Magic, Myo & Teespring are some of the more promising ones.
And if you take it back to 2012 you have Crowdtilt, Instacart and Coinbase.
And going right back through the batches you have dozens of companies that are doing very well - servicing big markets, generating big revenues, employing many people, making good returns for investors - but you don't know them because they're not mass market brands.
And as for Zenefits; yes they deserve criticism, but they're still a formidable company with big revenues and a strong leadership team and I'd expect them to survive and do very well long term.
But the main point remains: it's the easiest thing in the world to scoff at a bunch of nascent companies presenting themselves to the world for the first time after a few months' work.
And you will always be about 95%-100% right when you judge a whole batch of startups as trivial and doomed to failure or mediocrity.
But that says precisely nothing about the effectiveness of YC's strategy.