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RC

Ron Conway

10/15/14

@ Y Combinator

All the biggest companies are founded by individuals who had a personal need, which led them to create a solution that others also wanted.

Video

YC

Ron Conway at Startup School SV 2014

@ Y Combinator

10/15/14

Related Takeaways

YZ

Young Zhao

09/21/24

@ EO

Entrepreneurs often start by addressing their own needs and then expand their solutions to help others, driven by a desire to make a positive impact on society.

GR

Guillermo Rauch

06/03/25

@ Accel

I think founders often have a moment where they realize nobody is solving the problems they see, and they decide to create the solution themselves.

PN

Pejman Nozad

03/09/18

@ Y Combinator

I believe the best founders are those who have a personal connection to the problem they are solving, rather than just chasing trends.

AL

Alfred Lin

07/31/14

@ Y Combinator

Companies that start from personal passion and aim to solve a personal pain tend to perform better than those that do not.

JL

Jessica Livingston

07/25/17

@ Y Combinator

The founders of most successful startups often don't realize early on how big they're going to get; they work on something they themselves want and hope that many others will want it too.

MS

Michael Seibel

01/20/22

@ Y Combinator

In all three cases, the founders had firsthand experience with the problems they aimed to solve, which made the opportunities to create something significantly better clear in hindsight.

DC

Dalton Caldwell

01/06/22

@ Y Combinator

There are individuals who face real problems daily and are passionate about solving them, which can lead to meaningful startups.

MS

Michael Seibel

04/29/23

@ Y Combinator

Founders who have experienced the challenges their customers face can create better solutions than those who haven't, as they can empathize with the user's perspective.

MS

Michael Seibel

05/18/19

@ Y Combinator

You don't need to work at a big tech company if you already have a problem to solve, savings, or a co-founder; you should just start building your startup instead.