Startup idea checklist

The Startup Marketing Checklist

I tried dozens of side projects before starting Draft.dev, and now I’ve worked with hundreds of early-stage startups and established enterprises to help with growth marketing. So, a lot of founders ask me how to get started in marketing when your marketing budget is small and your product is new. I created this list to […]

12 Best Startup Financial Model Templates [Free & Paid]

Need a financial model for your startup? Fear not. I have extensively compared the top 12 templates, free and paid, so you don't have to do it.

Startup Playbook

We spend a lot of time advising startups. Though one-on-one advice will always be crucial, we thought it might help us scale Y Combinator if we could distill the most generalizable parts of this advice into a sort of playbook we could give YC and YC Fellowship companies.

Idea Generation

The most common question prospective startup founders ask is how to get ideas for startups. The second most common question is if you have any ideas for their startup. But giving founders an idea...

The Metagame

Notes on Paul Graham's "How to Get Startup Ideas"

7 Startup Agreements That Save Companies (and Friendships) | Signus

Founder blowups and cap-table surprises are mostly preventable. A focused seven-document set—Founders Agreement, SAFE (Post-Money), Mutual NDA, Independent Contractor Agreement, Advisory Agreement, Consulting Agreement, and PIIA—closes the early gaps that orphan IP, muddle equity, and stall deals. Right-size what you send; use the subset that fits the moment. Clarity beats memory.

Later Stage Advice for Startups

Read more on Y Combinator's blog.

“Is your startup idea taken?” — and why we love X for Y startups at andrewchen

☝️Above: Michelle Rial (follow her at @TheRialMichelle), then working at Buzzfeed, posted this hilarious infographic with all the “X for Y” ideas. Here’s the original article.

Build the thing you wish to see in the world

For most of my career, I've been confusing building products with building businesses—and that confusion kept me from pursuing a lot of ideas. Two weeks off helped me realize that not everything needs to be a startup, and some of the best things we build are the ones we build just because we want them to exist.

Requests for Startups | Y Combinator

Y Combinator is looking for startups working on these ideas. If you're working on something we're interested in, we'd love to hear from you.

Build Your Startup

Top startups like Airbnb and Zocdoc build on AWS. Access resources to solve challenges, hire engineers, and secure funding.

Startup Mistakes: First-Hand Lessons from 80+ Failed Startups

We've analyzed why +80 startups have failed and identified some of their common mistakes. Here're our findings!

Field Guide

The Startup Field Guide provides essential tools and insights to support early-stage founders on their journey to success.

How We Evaluate Companies: Our 8 T Framework

When evaluating startups for investment, byFounders uses its 8 T framework to structure their thinking. Looking for funding for your startup? Check it out!