How to Start a Startupepisodichttps://awesound.com/a/how-to-start-a-startupen-usCopyright 2026 Y CombinatorSun, 03 May 2026 22:43:49 -000020 lectures presented by Y Combinator in Stanford UniversityY Combinator and Stanford University: Sam Altman, Dustin Moskovitz, Paul Graham, Adora Cheung, Peter Thiel, Alex Schultz, Kevin Hale, Marc Andreessen, Ron Conway, Ben Silbermann, Alfred Lin, Patrick and John Collison, Aaron Levie, Reid Hoffman & moreY Combinatoruser-ycombinator@awesound.com2026-05-03 @ 22:43:49 UTC (reference: 44fa8)cleanstartup, advice20 - Sam Altman - Later-Stage AdviceConcluding lecture to YC/Stanford course CS183B120fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/sam-altman-later-stage-adviceSam caps off the How to Start a Startup series with things you should ignore when you start, but become important a year in (after product-market fit). Thanks for watching How to Start a Startup. Hope you learned a ton!

From YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup - Stanford CS183B

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Sam-altman-lecture-20-closing-thoughts-and-later-stage-advice-annotated

See the slides at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec20/

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:53:13 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/sam-altman-later-stage-adviceadvice, startup, yc, ycombinator, SamAltman48:29yes19 - Sales And Marketing, How To Talk To InvestorsTyler Bosmeny, Michael Seibel, Qasar Younis, and Dalton Caldwell119fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/sales-and-marketing-how-to-talk-to-investorsThree segments in this lecture:

Tyler Bosmeny, founder and CEO of Clever, starts off today's lecture with an overview of the Sales Funnel, and how to get to your first $1 Million.

Michael Seibel, founder of Justin.tv and Socialcam and Partner at Y Combinator, then goes over how to talk to investors - the pitch.

Dalton Caldwell, founder of imeem and App.net and Partner at Y Combiantor, and Qasar Younis, founder of Talkbin and Partner at Y Combinator, then perform an investor meeting roleplay to give you a taste of how it actually might look behind the scenes.

From YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup - Stanford CS183B

Lecture Transcript: genius.com/Tyler-bosmeny-lecture-19-sales-and-marketing-how-to-pitch-and-investor-meeting-roleplaying-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec19/

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:53:11 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/sales-and-marketing-how-to-talk-to-investorsmarketing, investor, startup, fundraising, ycombinator, yc, advice48:50yes18 - Legal and Accounting Basics for StartupsKirsty Nathoo, CFO at Y Combinator, and Carolynn Levy, General Counsel at Y Combinator118fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/legal-and-accounting-basics-for-startupsThere's a lot that goes behind the scenes in running a startup. Getting the legal, finance (equity allocation, vesting), accounting, and other overhead right will save you a lot of pain in the long run. Kirsty Nathoo, CFO at Y Combinator, and Carolynn Levy, General Counsel at Y Combinator, cover these very important topics in this lecture.

From YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup - Stanford CS183B

Lecture Transcript: genius.com/Kirsty-nathoo-lecture-18-mechanics-legal-finance-hr-etc-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec18/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64047

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:53:08 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/legal-and-accounting-basics-for-startupslegal, accounting, formation, companyformation, startup, advice, yc, ycombinator,48:19yes17 - Hosain Rahman - How to Design Hardware ProductsCEO and Founder of Jawbone - How to Start a Startup117fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/hosain-rahman-how-to-design-hardware-productsHosain Rahman, CEO and Founder of Jawbone, covers the design process for building hardware products users love.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Hosain-rahman-lecture-17-how-to-build-products-users-love-part-ii-annotated

See the readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec17/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64046

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:53:06 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/hosain-rahman-how-to-design-hardware-productsstartup, advice, yc, ycombinator, hardware, HosainRahman47:16yes16 - Emmett Shear - How to Run a User InterviewEmmett Shear, Founder and CEO of Justin.tv and Twitch116fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/emmett-shear-run-a-user-interviewBuilding product, and talking to users. In the early stages of your startup, those are the two things you should focus on.

In this lecture, Emmett Shear, Founder and CEO of Justin.tv and Twitch, covers the latter. What can you learn by talking to users that you can’t learn by looking at data? What questions should you ask? How can user interviews define or redefine your product goals?

From YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup - Stanford CS183B

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Emmett-shear-lecture-16-how-to-run-a-user-interview-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec16/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64045

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:53:04 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/emmett-shear-run-a-user-interviewinterview, startup, advice, ycombinator, yc, EmmetShear, yc, twitch, justin.tv46:27yes15 - Ben Horowitz - How To ManageFrom YC Startup class, "How to Start a Startup"115fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/ben-horowitz-how-to-manageYou are not the only one whom your decisions impact. Ben Horowitz, founder of Andreessen Horowitz and Opsware, discusses this important management perspective that founders miss, with, of course, the gratuitous rap lyric or two sprinkled in.

From YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup - Stanford CS183B

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/B-horowitz-lecture-15-how-to-manage-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec15/

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:53:01 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/ben-horowitz-how-to-manageycombinator, startup, advice, management, manage, BenHorowitz, a16z49:43yes14 - Keith Rabois - How to OperateKeith Rabois, Partner at Khosla Ventures and former COO of Square114fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/keith-rabois-how-to-operateWhat should the CEO be doing on a day to day basis? How do you make sure the company is moving in the right direction?

Keith Rabois, Partner at Khosla Ventures and former COO of Square, tackles the nitty gritty - How to Operate. Lots of actionable takeaways from this lecture!

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Keith-rabois-lecture-14-how-to-operate-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec14/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64043

From YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup - Stanford CS183B

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:59 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/keith-rabois-how-to-operatestartup, ycombinator, yc, advice, operations, ops, operate, KeithRabois46:39yes13 - Reid Hoffman - How to be a Great FounderReid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn and Partner at Greylock Ventures113fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/reid-hoffman-how-to-be-a-great-founderSo you've learned how to get started, how to raise money, how to build products, and how to grow. Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn and Partner at Greylock Ventures, addresses many of the questions and confusions that might be cropping up - How to be a Great Founder.

From YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup

Lecture Transcript: genius.com/Reid-hoffman-lecture-13-how-to-be-a-great-founder-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec13/

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:56 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/reid-hoffman-how-to-be-a-great-founderReidHoffman, founder, ycombinator, yc, startup, advice49:46yes12 - Aaron Levie - Building For The EnterpriseYC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup112fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/aaron-levie-building-for-the-enterpriseAaron Levie - founder of Box, enterprise master, Twitter comedic genius. In this lecture, he'll convince you to Build for the Enterprise.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Aaron-levie-lecture-12-sales-and-marketing-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec12/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64041

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:54 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/aaron-levie-building-for-the-enterprisestartup, advice, AaronLevie, Box.com, ycombinator, yc, enterprise, software46:20yes11 - John Collison, Patrick Collison and Ben Silberman - Hiring and Culture, Part 2Second lecture on culture from YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup111fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/john-patrick-collison-and-ben-silbermanStripe and Pinterest - two companies well known for their strong cultures. The founders - John Collison, Patrick Collison, and Ben Silberman - take Q&A from Sam in part 2 of Hiring and Culture.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Patrick-collison-lecture-11-company-culture-and-building-a-team-part-ii-annotated

See the readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec11/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64040

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:51 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/john-patrick-collison-and-ben-silbermanstartup, ycombinator, collison, Stripe, Pinterest, Silberman, BenSilberman, culture, CorporateCulture50:37yes10 - Brian Chesky and Alfred Lin - CultureHow to build a great company culture110fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/brian-chesky-and-alfred-lin-cultureBrian Chesky, Founder of Airbnb, and Alfred Lin, Former COO of Zappos and Partner at Sequoia Capital discuss how to build a great company culture.

Lecture 10 from YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Alfred-lin-lecture-10-company-culture-and-building-a-team-part-i-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec10/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64039

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:49 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/brian-chesky-and-alfred-lin-cultureycombinator, startup, advice, AirBnB, Zappos, corporate culture, culture50:26yes09 - Marc Andreessen, Ron Conway and Parker Conrad - How to Raise MoneyPanel Q&A on fundraising - YC Startup Class - How to Start a Startup19fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/marc-andreessen-ron-conway-and-parker-conradSam leads a panel Q&A on fundraising in this lecture with Marc Andreessen, Founder of Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz, Ron Conway, Founder of SV Angel, and Parker Conrad, Founder of Zenefits.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Marc-andreessen-lecture-9-how-to-raise-money-annotated

See Ron Conway's slide, and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec09/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64038

This audio is under Creative Commons license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:47 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/marc-andreessen-ron-conway-and-parker-conradstartup, funding, ycombinator, fundraising, Marc Andreessen, Ron Conway50:10yes08 - How to Get Started, Doing Things that Don't Scale, PressLecture 8 features Stanley Tang, Walker Williams and Justin Kan18fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/how-to-get-started-and-things-that-dont-scaleLecture 8 features 3 speakers:

Stanley Tang, Founder of Doordash, covers How to Get Started.

Walker Williams, Founder of Teespring, covers Doing things that Don't Scale.

Justin Kan, Founder of TwitchTV and Partner at Y Combinator, covers Press.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/William-sydney-walker-lecture-8-doing-things-that-dont-scale-pr-and-how-to-get-started-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec09/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64037

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:44 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/how-to-get-started-and-things-that-dont-scaleycombinator, startup, advice, doordash, teespring, twitch, press52:13yes07 - Kevin Hale - How to Build Products Users Love A talk on having the right culture towards customers and product17fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/kevin-hale-build-products-users-loveKevin Hale, Founder of Wufoo and Partner at Y Combinator, explains how to build products that create a passionate user base invested in your startup's success.

This is lecture 7 from startupclass.co

Links:

Transcript of this speech on genius.com

Slides and readings

TechCrunch: WuFoo Exits For $35 Million, After Raising Only $118,000

Kevin Hale on twitter: @ilikevests

Discussion page on startupclass.co

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:42 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/kevin-hale-build-products-users-lovestartup, yc, funny, retention, growth, virality48:02yes06 - Alex Schultz - GrowthExperience as VP of Growth at Facebook16fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/alex-schultz-growthAlex Schultz gives an overview of Growth for startups, speaking from a position of authority as the VP of Growth at Facebook.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Alex-schultz-lecture-6-growth-annotated

View the readings Alex refers to, his slide deck, at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec06/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64035

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:39 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/alex-schultz-growthAlex Schultz, ycombinator, growth, facebook47:27yes05 - Peter Thiel - Competition is for LosersBusiness Strategy and Monopoly Theory15fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-losersBusiness Strategy and Monopoly Theory

Peter Thiel, founder of Paypal and Palantir, discusses business strategy and monopoly theory in "Competition is For Losers".

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Peter-thiel-lecture-5-business-strategy-and-monopoly-theory-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec05/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64034

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:37 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-losersPeter Thiel, ycombinator, startup, advice, monopoly, competition50:16yes04 - Adora Cheung - Building Product, Talking to Users, and GrowingLecture 4: Homejoy's CEO Adora Cheung on getting started14fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/adora-cheung-building-product-talking-to-usersSo you have an idea. How do you go from zero users to many users?Adora Cheung, Founder of Homejoy, covers Building Product, Talking to Users, and Growing, in Lecture 4 of How to Start a Startup.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Adora-cheung-lecture-4-building-product-talking-to-users-and-growing-annotated

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec04/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64033

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:34 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/adora-cheung-building-product-talking-to-usersstartup, Homejoy, advice, founder, product, scaling52:22yes03 - Paul Graham - Before the StartupCounterintuitive Parts of Startups, and How to Have Ideas13fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/paul-graham-before-the-startupCounterintuitive Parts of Startups, and How to Have Ideas

Paul Graham delivers an informative (and highly amusing) talk, addressing counterintuitive parts of startups, in Lecture 3 of How to Start a Startup.

Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Paul-graham-lecture-3-counterintuitive-parts-of-startups-and-how-to-have-ideas-annotated

See the readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec03/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64032

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:32 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/paul-graham-before-the-startupPaul Graham, ycombinator, startup, founder48:07yes02 - Sam Altman - Team and ExecutionLecture 2: Team and Execution (Sam Altman)12fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/sam-altman-team-ideas-and-executionSam Altman finishes up "Ideas, Products, Teams and Execution" by covering Team and Execution, in Lecture 2 of How to Start a Startup.

Links:

Blog post: Stupid Apps and Changing the World by Sam Altman

Blog post: Do things that don't scale by Paul Graham

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:30 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/sam-altman-team-ideas-and-executionteam, ideas, execution46:19yes01 - Sam Altman and Dustin Moskovitz - Intro to the course, "How to Start a Startup"Lecture 1: Welcome, and Ideas, Products, Teams and Execution Part I 11fullhttps://awesound.com/ycombinator/sam-altman-and-dustin-moskovitz-products-teamLecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Sam-altman-lecture-1-how-to-start-a-startup-annotated

Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator, and Dustin Moskovitz, Cofounder of Facebook, Asana, and Good Ventures, kick off the How to Start a Startup Course. Sam covers the first 2 of the 4 Key Areas: Ideas, Products, Teams and Execution; and Dustin discusses Why to Start a Startup.

See the slides and readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec01/

Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-to-start-a-startup/lectures/64030

This video is under Creative Commons license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/

Links:

Lecture Transcript

See the slides and readings

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]]>Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:52:27 -0000https://awesound.com/@ycombinator/sam-altman-and-dustin-moskovitz-products-teamintro, ideas, idea, product, team, Sam Altman, Dustin Moskovitz43:53yes