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What I've Learned from Users

paulgraham.com · 2,222 words · saved by 1 readers

September 2022 I recently told applicants to Y Combinator that the best advice I could give for getting in, per word, was Explain what you've learned from users. That tests a lot of things: whether you're paying attention to users, how well you understand them, and even how much they need what you're making. Afterward I asked myself the same question. What have I learned from YC's users, the startups we've funded? The first thing that came to mind was that most startups have the same problems. No two have exactly the same problems, but it's surprising how much the problems remain the same, regardless of what they're making. Once you've advised 100 startups all doing different things, you rarely encounter problems you haven't seen before. This fact is one of the things that makes YC work. But I didn't know it when we started YC. I only had a few data points: our own startup, and those started by friends. It was a surprise to me how often the same problems recur in different f

What I've Learned from Users --> September 2022 I recently told applicants to Y Combinator that the best advice I could give for getting in, per word, was Explain what you've learned from users. That tests a lot of things: whether you're paying attention to users, how well you understand them, and even how much they need what you're making. Afterward I asked myself the same question. What have I learned from YC's users, the startups we've funded? The first thing that came to mind was that most startups have the same problems. No two have exactly the same problems, but it's surprising how much

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