The thirteenth search engine- and without all the features of a web portal, most people thought that was pointless.

We pretty much won't fund a company now where the founders don't have vested equity because it's just that hard to do.

We talk to a team they've gotten new things done, that's the best predictor we have that a company will be successful.

The best source by far for hiring is people that you already know and people that other employees in the company already know.

Don't let the company get distracted or excited about other things. A common mistake is that companies get excited by their own PR.

In YC's case, the number one cause of early death for startups is cofounder blowups.

Be suspicious of any work that is not building product or getting customers. It's easy to get sucked into an infrastructure rewrite death spiral.