massively open online course

Startup School is a free, 10-week online course designed to help early-stage founders start and improve their companies through lectures, peer community, and weekly advisor meetings. Participants can audit the course or apply for the advisor track, which includes a forum, exclusive deals, and eligibility for one of 100 equity-free $10,000 grants. The talk outlines the course curriculum, its application and in-person options, and how group meetings help founders tackle practical challenges. Geoff Ralston and Adora Cheung describe Startup School as a way to make startup knowledge and mentorship accessible beyond Silicon Valley.

Geoff Ralston previews Y Combinator’s four-day Investor School, which teaches the basics of angel investing, including evaluating founders, understanding investment mechanics, and building a portfolio. He advises investors to meet many founders, seek deal flow, make thoughtful decisions, and be clear and kind when declining. Good investors respect founders, understand the limits of their own influence, and invest with conviction while accepting that a startup investment may be worth zero. The course also covers changes in early-stage funding, including accelerators, online investment platforms, and ICOs.