I’d like to personally thank Cadran for her hard work and everything she has contributed during her three years at YC.</p>\n<p>Congratulations, Team Elpha!</p>\n<!--kg-card-end: html-->","comment_id":"1103421","feature_image":null,"featured":false,"visibility":"public","email_recipient_filter":"none","created_at":"2019-02-04T01:00:44.000-08:00","updated_at":"2021-10-20T11:58:02.000-07:00","published_at":"2019-02-04T01:00:44.000-08:00","custom_excerpt":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"custom_template":null,"canonical_url":null,"authors":[{"id":"61fe29e3c7139e0001a710b0","name":"Michael Seibel","slug":"michael-seibel","profile_image":"/blog/content/images/2022/02/Michael.jpg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Michael Seibel is a Group Partner and Managing Director, Early Stage at YC. He was the cofounder and CEO Justin.tv and Socialcam. 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It’s common knowledge, especially in the tech community, that many successful startups were created during recessions (just search “startups + recession” and you’ll find a bunch of articles), which may be one reason we’ve seen high numbers of applications from founders leaving their big tech company jobs, especially in the last couple of months.</p><p>If running a startup is like commanding an army, then YC is elite basic training. You’ll learn how to navigate the challenges (or realize you’re not up for it) when your company is small and with the support of advisors and YC batchmates. You’ll build a solid foundation of learning how to build something people want and staying alive. </p><p>The YC training prepares you by default for succeeding through recessions. And it’s easier to internalize that training today when the macroenvironment supports it. The alternative is learning it on the battlefield when the stakes are way higher — when you’ve already raised money and have employees who depend on you. </p><p>As YC founder Paul Graham <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"http://www.paulgraham.com/die.html/">wrote, “Bad shit is coming. It always is in a startup.” If you’re interested in starting a startup, we’re entering a counterintuitively good time to do it. It won’t be easy, but if you get through the early days, you’ll be better prepared than most. And if the challenge excites you, you probably have the right personality for it.</p><p>*Their products were also tailored to a cost-sensitive environment. Stripe made it easier for brick-and-mortar businesses to cut costs by selling online and Airbnb created a new income stream for hosts and lower-priced accommodations for travelers.</p>","comment_id":"63ed7c5ebb97530001aa5cd2","feature_image":"/blog/content/images/2023/02/stephblog.png","featured":true,"visibility":"public","email_recipient_filter":"none","created_at":"2023-02-15T16:44:14.000-08:00","updated_at":"2023-02-21T08:30:00.000-08:00","published_at":"2023-02-21T08:30:00.000-08:00","custom_excerpt":"In an economic downturn, there are obvious downsides of starting a startup — but there are also powerful upsides; because to survive, you have to *actually* build something people want.","codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"custom_template":null,"canonical_url":null,"authors":[{"id":"61fe29e3c7139e0001a710c8","name":"Stephanie Simon","slug":"stephanie","profile_image":"/blog/content/images/2022/02/steph-af6b11e61b7a3c55b099c780fe0a359236ceaab496850b530d178aedb8cefb2c.jpg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Stephanie Simon is the Head of Admissions at Y Combinator. \n\nPrior to YC, she was a software engineer at Earnest and co-founded Murmur, a venture-backed local search startup.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/stephanie/"}],"tags":[{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71173","name":"YC News","slug":"yc-news","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/yc-news/"},{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a7116d","name":"Essay","slug":"essay","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/essay/"},{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a7117d","name":"Admissions","slug":"admissions","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/admissions/"},{"id":"63ed8ba5bb97530001aa5ced","name":"#271","slug":"hash-271","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"internal","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/404/"},{"id":"63ed8ba5bb97530001aa5cee","name":"#240","slug":"hash-240","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"internal","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/404/"}],"primary_author":{"id":"61fe29e3c7139e0001a710c8","name":"Stephanie Simon","slug":"stephanie","profile_image":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/content/images/2022/02/steph-af6b11e61b7a3c55b099c780fe0a359236ceaab496850b530d178aedb8cefb2c.jpg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Stephanie Simon is the Head of Admissions at Y Combinator. \n\nPrior to YC, she was a software engineer at Earnest and co-founded Murmur, a venture-backed local search startup.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/stephanie/"},"primary_tag":{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71173","name":"YC News","slug":"yc-news","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/yc-news/"},"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/why-would-you-start-a-startup-in-an-economic-downturn/","excerpt":"There will likely be a recession in 2023, and the major downsides to starting a startup are obvious: There is less money in the system so selling and fundraising are harder; 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Our goal is to virtually meet founders and future founders from cities and universities around the world. At each location, we will host talks with YC group partners and YC alumni, who will discuss their founder journey, the YC experience and myths around starting startups.</p><p>We will also be hosting two virtual admissions sessions to chat about the YC application process, give application tips and answer your questions about the batch program.</p><p>This year, we’re working with AWS Activate to provide $1,000 in AWS credits to spend on AWS services, and $350 in Developer Support plan credits to attendees. This is on top of any AWS credits you may have received from AWS Activate previously. To learn more about AWS Activate, please visit <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"http://www.aws.com/activate/" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.aws.com/activate</a>.</p><p>Interested in applying to YC? <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"http://ycombinator.com/apply/">Applications for YC Summer 2022 are now open</a>.</p><p><strong>We hope you’ll join us (virtually) at these locations:</strong></p><p><strong>January 31</strong> - Mexico: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/309/">YC @ Orchata</a><br><strong>February 1</strong> - Canada: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/316/">YC @ University of Toronto</a><br><strong>February 4</strong> - France: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/318/">YC @ Station F</a><br><strong>February 9</strong> - United States: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/328/">YC @ HBCUs</a><br><strong>February 10</strong> - Russia: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/323/">YC @ ITMO University</a><br><strong>February 11</strong> - Spain: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/317/">YC @ Lanzadera</a><br><strong>February 16</strong> - United Kingdom: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/325/">YC @ Cambridge</a><br><strong>February 17</strong> - Indonesia & Singapore: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/313/">YC @ Payfazz & Xfers</a><br><strong>February 23</strong> - Europe: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/321/">YC @ Start Global</a><br><strong>February 25</strong> - Colombia: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/312/">YC @ Platzi</a><br><strong>February 25</strong> - United States: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/314/">YC @ Stanford</a><br><strong>February 25</strong> - United States: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/315/">YC @ UC Berkeley</a><br><strong>March 4</strong> - United States: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/324/">YC @ University of Washington</a><br><strong>March 4</strong> - United States: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/326/">YC @ Harvard</a><br><strong>March 11</strong> - United States: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/320/">YC @ MIT</a><br><strong>March 11</strong> - Canada: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/322/">YC @ University of Waterloo</a><br><strong>March 14</strong> - India: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/327/">YC @ IIT Bombay</a><br><strong>March 18</strong> - <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/319/">AMA w/ Michael Seibel</a><br><strong>March 21</strong> - <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/310/">YC Admissions</a><br><strong>March 21</strong> - <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/311/">YC Admissions</a><br><strong>March 25 </strong>- Ireland: <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://apply.ycombinator.com/events/330/">YC @ University of Limerick</a></p><p>If you are starting a startup or have questions about YC, we want to meet you. 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Previously, she worked on business operations at All Raise.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/tamanna-khemani/"},"primary_tag":{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71173","name":"YC News","slug":"yc-news","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/yc-news/"},"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/ycs-spring-tour-2022/","excerpt":"We are excited to announce our 2022 Spring Outreach Tour. Our goal is to virtually meet founders and future founders from cities and universities around the world. 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The program brings together a cohort of women engineers who are interested in finding roles at fast growing startups.</p><p>YC will host a 3-week-long series where participants meet once a week for two-hour sessions. During these sessions, you will hear from women founders, women who joined YC startups as early engineers and engineering managers, and startup recruiters. You’ll build a community of peers and learn about building a career at a tech startup. The program will culminate in interviews at YC startups who are excited to hire their next engineers.</p><p>Topics discussed will include:</p><ul><li>Why join a startup and what are the pros and cons</li><li>How to determine where you should work and what should you look for in a startup and founding team</li><li>How to prepare for the interview process – including live feedback on your interview skills from technical recruiters</li></ul><p>Each week, we will also host intimate breakout sessions with founders, engineers and hiring managers to dig deeper into startups and navigating your career. Our speakers come from a variety of YC startups – from early stage to growth stage – including:</p><ul><li><a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://twitter.com/jalehr/">Jaleh Rezaei</a>, Co-founder & CEO of <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/mutiny/">Mutiny
Leap Spins Out of YC
by Michael Seibel2/4/2019
In 2017, Cadran Cowansage, a software engineer at YC, started building Leap, an online community for women in tech. This YC project led to thousands of women talking openly about their experiences and sharing career insight.
Today, Cadran and her two co-founders, Abadesi Osunsade and Kuan Luo, are spinning Leap (now Elpha) out of Y Combinator and launching as an independent company. We believe in Elpha’s mission to build a place for women to share information and gain access to employment opportunities, and we’re excited to fund her and her co-founders in the next YC batch. You can learn more about Elpha at elpha.com.
I’d like to personally thank Cadran for her hard work and everything she has contributed during her three years at YC.
Congratulations, Team Elpha!
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Michael Seibel
Michael Seibel is a Group Partner and Managing Director, Early Stage at YC. He was the cofounder and CEO Justin.tv and Socialcam. Socialcam sold to Autodesk in 2012 and Justin.tv became Twitch.