The Launch Pad Audiobook By Randall Stross cover art

The Launch Pad

Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups

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The Launch Pad

By: Randall Stross
Narrated by: René Ruiz
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Twice a year in the heart of Silicon Valley, a small investment firm called Y Combinator selects an elite group of young entrepreneurs from around the world for three months of intense work and instruction. Their brand-new two- or three-person start-ups are given a seemingly impossible challenge: to turn a raw idea into a viable business, fast.

Each YC session culminates in a demo day, when investors and venture capitalists flock to hear pitches from the new graduates. Any one of them might turn out to be the next Dropbox (class of 2007, now valued at $5 billion) or Airbnb (2009, $1.3 billion).

Randall Stross is the first journalist to have fly-on-the-wall access to Y Combinator. He tells the full story of how Paul Graham started this ultra exclusive institution, how it chooses among hundreds of aspiring Mark Zuckerbergs, and how it teaches them to go from concept to profitability in record time.

©2012 Randall Stross (P)2012 Random House Audio Business Development & Entrepreneurship Corporate Corporate & Public Finance Entrepreneurship New Business Enterprises Programming & Software Development Inspiring Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

"Y Combinator is a national treasure, a Silicon Valley seed fund that is mass-producing new startups. Randall Stross’s behind-the-scenes look at YC offers a rare glimpse into what it really takes to conceive an idea and get it to market as quickly as possible. The Launch Pad is a must-read for anyone interested in the realities of modern entrepreneurship." (Eric Ries, author of the New York Times best seller The Lean Startup)

"The Launch Pad is an intimate look at the white-hot center of the new Silicon Valley startup ecosystem. Stross’s account of the best new entrepreneurs and the exciting companies they’re building at startup schools is a great read for founders and would-be founders alike." (Marc Andreessen, cofounder, Andreessen Horowitz)

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Loved it, I feel like I finally know a bit of what they look for.

Perfect intro for outsiders

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This is a very well written book if you love tech, i suggest reading it.

Y Combinator

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I cant wait to listen to it again, great audio book! I ghink I will get the printed version as well

Grear

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Great book. Very insightful and educational. As the leading photography platform (think Uber for professional photographers) we thought Splento was an ideal fit for YC. This book clearly explains why it wasn't. Having a great business and team do not necessarily matter, both team and idea have to be right for YC and tick certain boxes. So if you are an aspiring entrepreneur thinking of applying to YC, read this book first to save yourself time and disappointment.

I wish I read it two years ago

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Interesting inside view of high tech start-up culture. Especially valuable to young computer geeks with entrepreneurial inclinations. Can I get a do-over?

What Haight-Ashbury was to Hippies, Y-Combinator is to Geeks

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Super interesting, this is what America is about, unlimited opportunity to do something interesting and great.

Makes me wish I lived in Silicon Valley

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An awesome tale describing the whole 3 month crucible at YCombinator’s startup program. The author takes you from start day - describing some of the ideas of the batch, to demo day. Along the way, we learn a few things about the founders. We learn their troubles, and listen to their thinking process when conjuring new ideas.

I listened to the book on Audible. The narrator performed well. Really enjoyed his clear voice.

A motivating book that was much needed for myself. This book has motivated me towards a new journey - the startup journey.

On Towards a New Journey

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Great book! Would have loved to hear more from the YC attendees, pre-work and post batch.

Great book!

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I really enjoyed this audio book. It gives nice overview of y combinator and that your ideas don't have to be big to be successful.

peak behind the scenes

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Interesting look at the startups that have come out of y combinator. I enjoyed it.

Interesting look at startups

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