Ask HN: Why did I receive a reply from startup school – to add co founders

9 points by telospolis 7y ago ↗ HN

I submitted my application without a co founder. but I go this as a reply - "We noticed you have not added any co-founders to your Startup School application. If you have co-founders, please invite them to fill out their profile and complete your application."

what does it mean? I know, y combinator people strongly advice on getting a partner, is it like a band handed way of saying add a co-founder to be considered?

8 comments

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michaelgv 7y ago ↗

I received one also, unfortunately I don’t have a co-founder but have been seeking one out

zuck9 7y ago ↗

What've you tried to seek one out? I notice there's no contact info on your profile.

michaelgv 7y ago ↗

I’ve searched local circles to see if there’s someone I’m not best friends with, someone I can argue with, with no long term feelings in the line, and can feel I trust.

jppope 7y ago ↗

Y/C is a little funny about that recommendation. I'm guessing it serves their interests better than your business. There's some statistical evidence that says you might be better off without a co-founder: https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/26/co-founders-optional/

zuck9 7y ago ↗

How does it serve their interests better?

JohnAtLocalFund 7y ago ↗

I received the exact same message, when I applied to Startup School.

Interestingly, I am 99% certain that I added my co-founder to the list, the day I applied. Then I got the "reminder" message, the same as you.

There are dozens of articles, outlining the success of multiple founders. Single founders do not succeed (statistically speaking) as often as multi-founder companies.

I Founded the company about 14 months ago. I found my first investor and named him a co-founder about 12 months ago. I hired a CEO about 10 months ago, and also made him a co-founder.

Finding the right people, (early) is a critical component to your ongoing success.

telospolis 7y ago ↗

I agree. that's why i think you should not settle for suboptimal people.

I would work on my own rather than compromising

michaelgv 7y ago ↗

Precisely the key, you need in my opinion:

1. Someone you can trust 2. Someone you’re not afraid to speak up with or against, without fear of repercussion personally within reason (ie, if you call each other crap every day, you’re not a good match most of the time)