I've been interested in the idea of Founder Schools -- institutions that help founders pick startup ideas, find co-founders, & take the leap.
These have been looked down upon, but IMO that's b/c of their execution, not b/c the concept isn't valuable.
These have been looked down upon, but IMO that's b/c of their execution, not b/c the concept isn't valuable.
Why does the world benefit from Founder Schools?
Because the world benefits from more founders.
Why? Aren't there too many founders?
No IMO. More good founders likely means more overall innovation
Because the world benefits from more founders.
Why? Aren't there too many founders?
No IMO. More good founders likely means more overall innovation
We need more investors too while we're at it.
Why? Aren't there too many investors? isn't there too much capital?
No IMO. Maybe it hurts the average investor, or has some negative side effects, but it also leads to more founders which is net positive:
Why? Aren't there too many investors? isn't there too much capital?
No IMO. Maybe it hurts the average investor, or has some negative side effects, but it also leads to more founders which is net positive:
Why would founder schools work when they didn't before?
Well, YC worked. It was a specific type of education for a specific type of founder.
Now that it's easier for non-technical founders to build products, more people can more easily be founders.
Well, YC worked. It was a specific type of education for a specific type of founder.
Now that it's easier for non-technical founders to build products, more people can more easily be founders.
Wait: Isn't it a bad idea to match co-founders? Shouldn't they be people they've known since college or worked with before?
That would be great, but that constrains the pool significantly, and many co-founder teams don't fit that bill.
That would be great, but that constrains the pool significantly, and many co-founder teams don't fit that bill.
Wait: Isn't it a bad idea for founders to soberly evaluate startup ideas, as opposed to seized in the middle of the night by a eureka moment?
It's great when solving their own problem and/or they've been thinking about it for years, but doesn't have to.
It's great when solving their own problem and/or they've been thinking about it for years, but doesn't have to.
Wait: Isn't it adverse selection for any founder to go through such a program? Aren't the best founders total rebels? Can entrepreneurship even be learned anyway?
There might be some truth there, but they prove too much in their conclusion.
More here:
There might be some truth there, but they prove too much in their conclusion.
More here:
Wait: if people need to be encouraged to go to a founder school to be a founder, do we really want them anyway?
Shouldn't founders just be the "true believers"?
Not if you believe startups are good for the world, then you want more.
Military does OK:
Shouldn't founders just be the "true believers"?
Not if you believe startups are good for the world, then you want more.
Military does OK:
Note: One bad rap schools (deservingly) get is they become gatekeepers in order to entrench their importance
I'm not talking about building a licensing institution. No founder should be looked down upon for not going through such a program.
But the ones who want should get it.
I'm not talking about building a licensing institution. No founder should be looked down upon for not going through such a program.
But the ones who want should get it.
Another bad rap is they become excuses to actually build.
There's no substitute for actual founding
If such a program prevents people from building, or makes them feel they need the program as permission, it's a failure.
Success is correlated w/ spurring new companies.
There's no substitute for actual founding
If such a program prevents people from building, or makes them feel they need the program as permission, it's a failure.
Success is correlated w/ spurring new companies.
VCs have been skeptical for the above reasons, but also b/c they want to be the educators. The more capable founders are, the less they'll need VCs
But they'll always need $, so they should view it as a complement
Startup education has been democratized
But they'll always need $, so they should view it as a complement
Startup education has been democratized
Would love to a focus on removing other bottlenecks preventing people from starting companies, structural ones that have nothing to do with ideas, co-founders, or motivations.
@beondeck (among others) is building a founder school for ppl who want to be founders in the future
Excited to see more pop up: the skills gained by such a program (& more so by actually founding) are helpful no matter what you do
Excited to see more pop up: the skills gained by such a program (& more so by actually founding) are helpful no matter what you do
One major goal of any founder school is to help turn founding a company from an opaque job to a clear job:
