Familiar with the lore of Y Combinator? Then you’ll know Jessica Livingston – one of the original co-founders who started YC back in 2005. On a recent visit to our SF headquarters she shared with the Lightcone hosts the stories and decisions of the early days that would form the foundations of YC as we know it today.
0:00 Intro
0:55 The social radar
1:49 YC was unique from the beginning
5:20 Why events are so important to YC
13:39 The DNA of YC
18:02 The first batch
23:07 YC dinners were strong motivators to work hard
28:00 Why YC alumni help new founders
29:57 YC going from underdog to serious + desired
35:55 Harj’s legendary meeting with Yuri Milner
41:33 The first YC startup school
46:12 Diana’s experience going through YC
50:08 Lessons from interviewing so many founders
58:05 Outro
