Oh wow - didn't know this was on HN, so I'm guessing at least a few founders are shaking their heads at me and wondering why I'm not engaging with the commenters...
I may have left YC, but HN is still home, so long as Daniel lets me stay.
I couldn't have raised money without Aaron's help. There's so many people who are willing to offer advice or try to be involved with a raise, but Aaron and Janelle were the only two people who actually helped.
They made great intros, had lots of advice, and were incredibly helpful from start to finish. I remember a few times calling Aaron randomly to get his take on a meeting I had just had, and he was always there to help. Aaron was the only person I trusted... he was on my side and helped when he could, but was also brutally honest when necessary.
Thanks Aaron, and best of luck with whatever is next!
So many people are eager to steer a conversation. That’s not Aaron. He’s one of the best listeners I have ever met.
And he’s one of those people that engenders so much respect that it makes you want to be better just because you don’t want to let him down. (Or maybe it’s because you don’t want to be on the wrong end of that “I’m not mad I’m just disappointed” look.)
I aspire to be the type of mentor someday that Aaron has been to us.
Aaron Harris and Adora Cheung leaving YC the same day. I wonder if that means there’s internal changes happening or if they’re founding something together.
Thanks Aaron. Your office hours with us were some of the most valuable parts of our YC experience. Happy trails & look forward to seeing what you do next.
It was a pleasure learning from Aaron during YC. Perhaps best of all was his uncanny ability to take some pieced together ideas that founders had but which didn't make any sense and re-structure them into the most compelling and eloquent pitches I've ever heard. Can't wait to see how you apply yourself next!
From all the comments, I wished we had a chance to speak with you during our time. One of the regrets is not have met you. I came across a lot of your content the last couple of years. "On Shutting Down" really spoke to me
How does someone with big ideas, but no clue how to pull off execution, ever make their way into the YCsphere? It all sounds cool, but I haven't the slightest clue how to build the starting phases of a project, when I haven't a coding bone in my body, nor any real contacts that I know to be capable of coding.
Sound like you may need a technical cofounder. Even better would be to learn to code or at least work alongside developers with systems/business analysis for example, so you can have a sensible discussion with them. The gap, if you have no idea how the tech works, tend to be very hard to bridge otherwise.
used to be like you few years ago (not YC yet but we are venture-backed). my only recommendation: find a partner and convince him/her to join with you. no need to be technical but do need to be complementary to your skillsets and characteristics. read somewhere (pg’s blog?) that cofounder relationship is like marriage but without the best part ;) so you can imagine. looking forward to your future success, don’t give up man.
I may have left YC, but HN is still home, so long as Daniel lets me stay.