Ralston introduces himself as the host for the sessions and instructors. The course is a livestreamed, four-day program, with the syllabus and resources online; sessions are planned to start at 10 a.m. and include a lecture, break, and Q&A. Attendees can submit questions in person or through the #YCsis hashtag.
Startup Investor School Day 1
Speaker
Geoff Ralston of Y Combinator welcomes attendees to Startup Investor School in Mountain View and explains the course and its goals.
Accredited investors will receive an online invitation to YC's Winter 2018 Demo Day on March 19 and 20, and ten attendees will be selected to attend in person. Ralston asks participants to share feedback through the end-of-course survey or by email, since this is the first time YC is teaching the class.
Ralston says angel and seed investors help startups get their first funding and grow into larger companies. He also sees investing as a way to learn about the future founders are building, and says YC hopes more investors will support YC companies.
Ralston points to Georges Doriot's 1957 investment of $70,000 in Digital Equipment Corporation, which later became $35 million, as an example of the potential of early investing. The four-day, roughly ten-hour course will cover investment fundamentals, deal mechanics, evaluating companies and founders, investor experiences, and changes in startup investing. YC also hopes to build a lasting online repository of the material.
Takeaways
- Angel and seed funding can help early companies take their first steps toward scale.
- Treat startup investing as a way to learn about emerging companies and technologies.
- Evaluate companies and founders through a deliberate process before making investment decisions.
- Use investor education resources as a starting point, then keep learning as the market changes.
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What was claimed 5
- role atGeoff Ralston is leader at
Y Combinator“I am Geoff Ralston, YC's president”
0:00inParting AdviceYouTube Verified3 sources· Talk
- metricDigital Equipment Corporation: The $70,000 investment turned into $35 million
“That $70,000 turned into $35 million”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- invested in$70,000 seed investment
“made what we'd consider a seed investment of $70,000 in 1957”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureStartup Investor School: Covers the fundamentals of startup investing, including why, how, and which companies
“the fundamental questions of why, how, and which companies”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureStartup Investor School: Four days and about ten hours of instruction
“we have four days, about ten hours”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
