Introduction at Startup School NY 2014

Ohanian opens the first Startup School in New York City by asking attendees which boroughs they come from. He welcomes people who traveled to attend and jokes about the city’s summer weather.

Ohanian recalls attending the first Startup School in Boston in 2005 with Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman. He says the event was created to give early-stage founders practical insight from peers and experienced builders, and encourages attendees to meet one another during breaks.

Ohanian notes that the event coincides with the World Cup and mentions that 28 Y Combinator companies are based in New York. He names Amicus, Hacker School, One Month Rails, Viable, Rant Hop, Weave, Rocket Trip, Parse, and Scribd, describing how YC companies can build in the Valley and return to grow their businesses in New York.

After visiting 80 universities across the United States and Canada, Ohanian says he has seen students take initiative to start building, learning, and coding. Reflecting on his own undergraduate years at UVA, he says he would have valued that level of energy while starting Reddit.

Ohanian urges attendees to be kind to one another and make the most of the opportunities around them. He argues that internet-era founders can pursue world-changing ideas with a laptop, without needing to open a factory.