When we started Y Combinator, many thought we were crazy, but we focused on helping a few founders and expanded from there.

I co-founded Y Combinator, the first startup accelerator, which began with a hypothesis about what people wanted, and it turned out they did want it, leading us to fund over 1,800 startups valued at over a hundred billion dollars.

The goal of Y Combinator is to create thousands of startups that solve real problems and create jobs, rather than have people join big tech companies.

Joining Y Combinator turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made, especially as we faced severe financial challenges before receiving their support. Starting and running a company as a founder can be a very lonely experience, where you often feel responsible for everyone's future and only you know the reality of the low times.

Y Combinator does not only fund companies with significant traction; many successful companies were accepted based solely on their ideas.

Y Combinator has sufficient funds available to support a large number of companies, ensuring that any startup accepted into the program will have the necessary resources to thrive.

The early days of Y Combinator were magical and pure; we focused on helping a small group of founders without distractions or negative scrutiny from the press.

At Y Combinator, we invest in founders at the idea stage, understanding that it may take over a decade to see if their concepts are viable, so short-term valuations are less critical.

Getting into Y Combinator is just the beginning; many founders mistakenly believe that this achievement equates to success, but real impact comes from the work that follows.