We help founders make something people want. The Y Combinator Podcast is where builders talk about building. From the earliest days of an idea to scaling a company that changes the world, YC partners and founders share real stories, lessons, and tactics from the frontlines.
Mathilde Collin is the cofounder and CEO of Front. Front is a shared inbox for teams and they were part of the YC Summer 2014 batch.
You can check out Front at https://frontapp.com/
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
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Topics
00:25 - Tuomas Grannas asks - What's your favorite LEGO theme?
1:25 - What is Front?
3:50 - Google Inbox shutting down
5:25 - Prioritizing features
7:50 - Features that have increased Front usage
9:50 - What Front looked like at launch
12:45 - Early user acquisition
15:40 - Starting Front and meeting her cofounder
19:10 - The idea for Front
20:25 - When her cofounder was diagnosed with cancer
23:20 - Hardest moments running Front
25:25 - Employee retention
30:55 - Transparency
32:40 - Front's office in France
33:30 - KP asks - What is the one unique insight about the problem you didn’t have at the start but only discovered later after your launch?
36:15 - Did she consider other ideas Front?
37:40- Jordan Jackson asks - Email at least for me - has taken on a different meaning in a life of messaging apps and chat platforms. It is more serious in a way. How do you see email evolving and the ecosystem that encompasses in peoples lives?
39:55 - If she could remove any email feature
41:20 - When did they hit product market fit?
45:05 - Meditation
Eli Schwartz is the Director of SEO and Growth at SurveyMonkey . He came in to answer commonly asked questions about SEO.
Eli blogs about SEO and growth at elischwartz.co
You can find him on Twitter at 5le .
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
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Topics
00:23 - Does SEO matter in 2018?
2:23 - Where should a company start with SEO?
3:53 - Who’s doing SEO well?
4:48 - Why is Amazon doing SEO well?
5:48 - How should you crosslink?
7:33 - Paying for links
7:58 - SEO don’t dos
8:38 - Things that are no longer useful in SEO
9:43 - Keywords
13:08 - Reviews
13:48 - Content
17:48 - Images
23:08 - Link building
28:23 - How much time to give SEO?
28:53 - Mobile
30:58 - Ranking
32:08 - International SEO
34:18 - Translation
37:38 - International search
39:53 - GDPR
42:13 - Hiring someone to do SEO
44:08 - What to do when you organic SEO disappears
46:53 - Metrics for an SEO hire
48:53 - Tools for SEO
50:23 - Getting started in SEO
Joan Lasenby is a University Reader in the Signal Processing and Communications Group of the Cambridge University Engineering Department, and is a College Lecturer and Director of Studies in Engineering at Trinity College. Here's a list of her published work .
In this episode we talk about Joan’s research into 3D reconstruction from multiple cameras and her interest in geometric algebra.
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
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Topics
00:32 - What's a tangible example of geometric algebra?
1:52 - What is geometric algebra?
6:47 - What resparked interest in geometric algebra?
7:42 - Why is it important?
11:32 - When did Joan start working on it?
13:27 - Rotations
17:17 - Computer vision in the early 90s
19:32 - Joan's fellowship at the Royal Society
23:32 - What's changed in computer vision since the 90s to allow for Joan's drone research?
30:07 - Machine learning in computer vision
31:52 - How Joan and her students are applying machine learning
35:02 - Unifying qualities of geometric algebra
41:02 - Joan's paper ending up on Hacker News
45:32 - Where could geometric algebra take hold?
47:32 - Running and mobility
48:32 - Where to learn more
Peter Reinhardt is cofounder and CEO of Segment .
Segment helps companies capture data from every customer touchpoint and send it to the tools where it can be used most effectively.
They were part of the YC Summer 2011 batch.
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
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Topics
00:26 - What is Segment?
1:56 - Segment’s first customers
3:31 - Their YC application
4:26 - Going through YC
5:56 - Realizing their first product didn’t work
10:56 - Launching Analytics.js
12:11 - Experiencing product market fit
17:21 - Debating whether to launch or build out the product
19:41 - Evan Farrell asks - You mentioned in the SS lecture that you had to totally pivot to Analytics.js to find PMF, is it possible to purely iterate on something people kinda like to find PMF, or should it be clear from the outset if a new idea is something people want?
20:56 - The importance of having a skeptic on your team
23:56 - Customer interviews
26:56 - Benjamin Liam asks - How did they know they have the right messaging to explain their product?
28:26 - Idea generation
33:11 - Danny Prol asks - What values and standards do you have in place for your team at Segment? And how do you actively build that culture into your company?
37:26 - Ashwin Doke asks - How has GDPR impacted Segment's business model?
39:41 - Andrew Pikul asks - Any advice he has on asking for more money than you're comfortable asking for.
42:11 - Juan Carlos Garza asks - How did YC help you to where Segment is right now?
43:41 - Juan Carlos Garza asks - In an early stage, what's the thin line between ignoring a customer suggested feature or moving a customer requested feature to the core of your application?
45:11 - Biggest learnings since YC
45:16 - Important hires at Segment
Ryan Petersen is the founder and CEO of Flexport .
Flexport is a global freight forwarder powered by software and analytics. They are making international trade easier for over 10,000 companies in 70 countries. They were part of the YC Winter 2014 batch.
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Topics
0:23 - What is a freight forwarder?
3:08 - Selling electric scooters on eBay 15 years ago
5:53 - Ryan’s business school experience
10:23 - Amazon competing with their vendors
13:23 - Matt Susk asks - What were the most important takeaways from Columbia Business School? Would you encourage entrepreneurs to pursue a MBA?
17:03 - Tyler Hogge asks - How did you get your first three clients at Flexport?
20:03 - Being a solo founder
23:08 - Varun Khurana asks - What's your strategy for rapidly hiring the best talent in so many different global hubs?
25:53 - Challenges of scaling Flexport
27:38 - Some of Ryan’s favorite books
29:43 - Scaling culture
34:23 - Jassim Ali asks - How has the Trump policy on foreign trade affected your business so far?
39:23 - PowerDecal asks - How do you poach clients from legacy providers?
46:23 - Automation in freight forwarding
49:23 - Jason Yannos asks - If you weren't operating Flexport and had to source a new idea to work on, where would you start?
53:23 - Derisking product ideas
56:53 - Biggest lessons learned at Flexport
David Zeevi is a James S. McDonnell independent fellow at the Rockefeller University Center for Studies in Physics and Biology. He focuses on developing computational methods for studying microbial ecology in the human gut and in the marine environment, and its contribution to human and environmental health.
He was one of the authors on the paper Personalized Nutrition by Prediction of Glycemic Responses .
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
Apply for $120K in funding from YC .
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Topics
01:15 - Why did David start working on personalized nutrition?
4:45 - How did the measure the effects of food in their study?
11:55 - How was the study standardized across people?
15:55 - How they measured an individual’s gut microbiome.
17:30 - What is the gut microbiome?
22:05 - Is there an ideal gut microbiome?
23:20 - How do you manipulate your gut microbiome?
24:50 - Fecal transplants.
26:55 - Elizabeth Iorns asks - Does post prandial glucose response regulation track with weight regulation? I.e. can they use their test to determine what individual people should eat or not eat to lose weight?
28:35 - Has this research been turned into a product?
29:35 - Who else worked on this research?
30:35 - How was their predictive algorithm made?
35:15 - Did they end up with any dietary suggestions?
36:15 - David’s bread study .
38:55 - Has David changed his own diet?
39:25 - Why fat was vilified.
43:15 - David’s ocean microbiome and other research.
51:05 - Traveling and your microbiome.
56:35 - Trying this out yourself.
Jessica Brillhart is the founder of Vrai Pictures . They’re an independent immersive content studio.
Before founding Vrai, Jessica was the Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google.
The YC Podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
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Questions
00:23 - Starting VRAI
10:23 - Story in film vs. VR
12:38 - Gaming
19:53 - Conditions at Omaha - The Weather Channel in VR
22:38 - Jessica's upcoming projects
27:48 - Andrew Peterman asks - How long until we'll be able to create 3D 360° video from cell phone hardware+amazing software?
30:13 - Matt asks - Where do you see VR in 10 years?
30:28 - Michael Hodapp asks - Does VR still have long term mass adoption potential, or will the market shift to AR?
32:23 - Will people be in VR for a significant percentage of their time in the future?
40:58 - Virginia Pigato asks - How can a traditional storyteller adapt to vr?
50:13 - Can Olcer asks - What key but non-obvious thing is missing for VR to become mainstream?
52:08 - Matt MacVey asks - What are some of the most exciting or scariest parts of social VR and what is the storytelling potential of social VR?
55:38 - Tony Cassara asks - What kind of dog do you have?
Geoff Ralston and Adora Cheung are both partners at YC.
This episode is about Startup School . It’s a free, online course we’re offering that starts on August 28th.
We’re also offering equity-free grants of $10,000 to 100 companies that participate in the course.
Anyone can sign up for the course at StartupSchool.org .
Read the transcript here .
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
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Topics
0:40 - What is Startup School?
3:40 - Who are the speakers this year?
5:00 - What are the different paths in Startup School?
7:00 - Success stories from last year’s Startup School.
8:55 - Why offer $10,000 grants?
10:00 - What deals are offered to the startups in Startup School?
11:00 - When does the course start?
12:45 - What are the requirements to complete the course?
15:15 - What are the topics that will be covered?
18:00 - What happens during office hours sessions?
22:30 - Who else is working on this course at YC?
Michael Seibel is a Partner and the CEO of YC.
He cofounded Justin.tv, which was in the Winter 2007 batch and Socialcam, which was in the Winter 2012 batch.
For this episode we took questions from the internet. If you have questions for a future office hours episode, just tweet them our way.
Read the transcript here .
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
We're accepting applications from startups for the Winter 2019 funding cycle. Apply here .
Questions
00:25 - Why is YC worth 7% of your company?
6:25 - Generating leverage when fundraising
12:07 - Youssef asks - How did you validate your product market fit?
15:00 - LC Carrier asks - How does YC feel about companies who don't want to raise VC after the program?
17:05 - Edmilson Rodrigues asks - Do companies need to be incorporated already to participate in YC?
18:50 - Alex Rodriguez asks - What do you look for in startups that haven't had good growth but continue to push through (e.g. AirBnB) that makes you accept them?
26:50 - Fedor Paretsky asks - Do you have techniques you encourage to make pitches sound more exciting?
35:05 - David Chen asks - How to find mentors and advisors?
39:25 - building EatNeat asks - What if anything are you specifically looking for in a startup that wants to be a part of the Startup School 2018?
40:00 - Ryan Carl Mercer asks - What's your preferred way organizing your time?
41:05 - John Rigler asks - Can intrapreneurship be effective? I recently returned to IBM, have a patent, and yet have only vague ideas about how to signal and organize other like-minded folks. Could this path sabotage my dreams?
41:55 - Horacio Chávez asks - How would you approach an investor who says "I won't invest unless you have a patent"?
42:35 - Yahya Elamrani asks - Why does it feel like entrepreneurs aren’t marriage material? Should an entrepreneur look for an entrepreneurial spouse?
44:15 - Yahya Elamrani asks - How intense do you really have to be to found a startup?
48:50 - Is there a particular stage of company that's best served by Startup School?
50:35 - How do you get the most out of Startup School?
Elad Gil is an entrepreneur, operator, and investor. He cofounded Color Genomics and Mixer Labs. Worked at Google and Twitter. And has invested in companies including Airbnb, Coinbase, and Stripe.
He just released the High Growth Handbook , which is a guide to scaling startups published by Stripe Press .
It contains tactical advice on key issues for post product-market fit companies such as the role of the CEO, hiring executives, late stage fundraising, M&A, and other topics. It also includes interviews with people in tech, including Sam Altman, President of YC Group.
You can find the High Growth Handbook on Amazon .
The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon .
We're accepting applications from startups for the Winter 2019 funding cycle. Apply here .
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Topics
01:04 - Why should an entrepreneur read the High Growth Handbook?
5:35 - On Marc Andreessen's comment, "The companies that charge more tend to grow faster."
6:50 - Myths about startups
7:50 - Leon Coe asks - What types of businesses do you avoid investing in?
9:20 - Things to just say 'no' to
12:40 - Companies that may be too early
14:52 - On Naval Ravikant's comment, "The most successful class of people in silicon valley on a consistent basis are either the venture capitalists, or people who are very good at identifying companies that have just hit product/market fit. They have the background, expertise, and references that those companies really want to help them scale."
17:41 - On Claire Hughes Johnson's "Guide to Working with Claire"
19:40 - Masud Hossain asks - How did most of the companies you interviewed get their first 10 customers?
20:55 - Masud Hossain asks - Is content really king?
22:50 - Narayan Mallapur asks - Where do founders make the most mistakes? Is it on hiring? What steps should they take to avoid these pitfalls
24:55 - Brianne Kimmel asks - What are some lessons learned in highly regulated sectors? When should you hire a General Counsel? How do you prioritize public policy and lobbying efforts?
29:05 - Media cycles
30:55 - Marius Chawa asks - What are the top three things a startup "must" achieve before VC firms would line up to fund them?
34:45 - Taylor Caforio asks - My company is at our early MVP stage. What is he best way to find a balance between giving our earliest customers the 6 star treatment while also having swift and exponential growth in the back of our minds.
36:54 - Tanmay Khandelwal asks - When you are sprinting in growth stage, how do you predict engineers required and hire accordingly?
38:41 - TD Bryant II asks - When your organization is experiencing exponential growth, how do you choose which functions to outsource vs build/hire?
41:50 - Andrew Pikul asks - Who is your favorite Dragon Ball (Z/GT/Super) villain?
