Good talk by Jessica Livingston of Y-Combinator at the Female Founders Conference.
Part 1, an announcement from Jessica:
I want to start off today with some personal news. After working on Y Combinator for 11 years, I’m going on sabbatical for the next year. I want to focus on some projects and, to be honest, I’m a little tired. YC is one of my favorite things in the world, but it’s also all-consuming, and it’s hard to work on something all-consuming for 11 years without a break. I also want to spend more time with my sons. They’re 7 and 4 now, and I won’t be able to get these years back.
Part 2, her keys on how not to fail, including:
- Make something people want.
- Stay focused.
- Don’t worry about being a woman.
- Measure your growth.
- Know if you’re default alive.
- Keep expenses low.
- Fundraising gets harder.
- Unicorns