Tools

Explore

Videos Channels Figures

Atmrix

Tools

Explore

Videos Channels Figures

Atmrix

JL

Jessica Livingston

02/24/15

@ Y Combinator

We did not expect the first batch of startups to make money; it was an experiment for us to learn how to be investors, which shaped our approach to supporting founders.

Video

Jessica Livingston Speaks at Female Founders Conference 2015

@ Y Combinator

Jessica Livingston Speaks at Female Founders Conference 2015

02/24/15

Related Takeaways

Jessica Livingston

09/07/24

@ Y Combinator

The reason we started doing batches was to learn how to be angel investors, allowing us to support multiple startups simultaneously.

Jessica Livingston

07/11/18

@ Y Combinator

Investing in batches allowed us to create a supportive community for founders, making the startup journey less lonely and more efficient for us as investors.

Jessica Livingston

07/11/18

@ Y Combinator

We decided to fund a large number of early-stage startups with small amounts of money, providing them with significant help, which was a departure from traditional VC practices.

Jessica Livingston

06/01/16

@ Y Combinator

Despite starting Y Combinator with the goal of helping a few entrepreneurs, we never anticipated funding a thousand startups, many of which have become very successful.

Ooshma Garg

04/19/16

@ Y Combinator

After launching our first product, we received positive feedback from investors, but I was unaware that we were about to face a long period of struggle.

Ben Horowitz

04/29/25

@ a16z

Our first fund was successful, with significant investments in companies like Skype and Instagram, which validated our approach and strategy in venture capital.

Olivier Pomel

06/14/24

@ The Logan Bartlett Show

In the early days, we struggled to raise money, which taught us to focus on solving real problems and to build an efficient, profitable business from day one.

Joshua Reeves

03/18/25

@ Y Combinator

To gain the trust of early customers, we initially targeted fellow companies in Y Combinator who were also new and had never paid themselves, which was a strategic move to build our initial customer base.

Paul Copplestone

05/14/25

@ Accel

I learned a lot from my first startup, especially about what not to do, like playing startup without having product-market fit.