Khosla: Rate of founder change is the strongest indicator of success
Vinod Khosla · Vinod Khosla : How to Build the Future · Y Combinator · Jan 9, 2019 · at 11:04
Vinod Khosla and Sam Altman discuss evaluating startups during Y Combinator batches based on founder trajectory.
0:00 / 0:11exact quote · 11.6s
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube → 720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“In the three months that they're, that they've been at YC, what's their rate of change? If we've had multiple points of intercept. That may be a stronger indicator than any other single indicator.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →
More from Vinod Khosla
Khosla: 90% of VCs add no value, 70% add negative value
“I think, 90% of investors add no value. In my assessment, 70% of investors add negative value to a company.”
Khosla: Process managers prevent startups from becoming truly great companies
“And so, if you have great managers, good process people, they will work against allowing the company to become great. They'll take, take a great idea and turn it into a good one, And execute a decent idea at lower risk that's more reasonable, more sensible.”
Khosla tells Sam Altman his biggest problem with Y Combinator startups
“By the way, this is my single biggest beef with YC. Not enough option pools. Right? Not enough option pools. Not enough focus on recruiting the right co-founders.”
Khosla: Many investors prioritize short-term revenue over long-term strategic assets
“My big beef with a lot of investors is they want revenue, They want to meet plan as opposed to collect assets for this larger ascent to Mount Everest.”
Khosla: Rate of learning matters far more than experience in startups
“Experience doesn't matter. The rate of learning matters. First principles, thinking matters. Pick for the best athlete, not the person who's the most established wide receiver who knows how to run one pattern and one pattern only.”
Khosla: Top executive hires should elevate peers, not just execute functional roles
“Ah, when you hire a VP of marketing, and I've said this to you before, one question, the functional question is, can you do marketing? But that's not the most important question. If he's one of the top five people in the company, The most important question is…”