#144 - Startup School Week 3 Recap - Anu Hariharan and Adora Cheung

About this episode

<p>We've cut down the third week of lectures to be even shorter and combined them into one podcast.<br><br>First, a lecture from <a href="https://twitter.com/anuhariharan">Anu Hariharan</a>. Anu is a partner at YC. <a href="https://youtu.be/PTg3RZPXgLg">Her lecture</a> covers nine common startup business models and the metrics investors want to see for each.<br><br>Then, a Q&amp;A with Anu and <a href="https://twitter.com/nolimits">Adora Cheung</a>. Adora is also at partner at YC. <a href="https://youtu.be/zcG-kXH4mPk">During their Q&amp;A</a> they’ll answer questions from Startup School Founders on how investors evaluate startups.<br><br>Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.<br><br>Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/">https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</a><br><a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/"></a><br>***<br><br><b>Topics<br></b><br>00:00 - Intro<br><br>00:39 - Anu Hariharan on Nine Business Models and the Metrics Investors Want<br><br>1:44 - Enterprise<br><br>4:09 - SAAS<br><br>8:55 - Subscription<br><br>11:33 - Transactional<br><br>14:44 - Marketplace<br><br>19:04 - E-commerce<br><br>21:14 - Advertising<br><br>23:12 - Hardware<br><br>23:44 - Common mistakes<br><br>25:35 - Anu Hariharan and Adora Cheung on How Investors Measure Startups Q&amp;A<br><br>26:07 - Team, product market fit, and market opportunity<br><br>27:10 - What if the founder doesn't have experience in the are in which they're building a product?<br><br>28:19 - How do investors know you're moving fast?<br><br>29:40 - Local vs remote<br><br>30:40 - Evaluating solo founders<br><br>31:45 - Clarity of thought<br><br>33:35 - International founders<br><br>35:17 - Solo founders<br><br>36:21 - Should I fundraise?<br><br>38:33 - How does an investor evaluate a company with a heavy MVP?<br><br>39:36 - How do you avoid investors who say "it's too early for us"?<br><br>40:06 - Is it sensible to engage with investors before product market fit?<br><br>40:26 - How do you find the perfect investor?<br><br>41:21 - What are the best approaches for minority female founders to gain visibility within VC?<br><br>42:36 - How do investors come up with valuations?<br></p>