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People may laugh at you…

shauna
July 13, 2017
Courses
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Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, the Wright brothers… This clearly doesn’t scratch the surface of all the great minds throughout history, but what unites them all—outside of their genius—is their naysayers. People laughed at them. They doubted their ability.

Yet look who made history.

Same thing happens to modern-day greats. Consider Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, “the world’s most powerful startup incubator.” When Graham and his team started Y Combinator, the venture capital world laughed. The founder’s vision was so different from the norm, that people in his own industry didn’t get it.

 

But that didn’t stop him. 

 

Y Combinator is now one of two “Platinum Plus Tier U.S. Accelerators.” They have incubated companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit, and their portfolio companies have a combined valuation of over $80B.

(Needless to say, venture capitalists aren’t laughing anymore!)

Friends: Naysayers aren’t the worst thing that can happen. But missing out on an opportunity to learn through pursuing an idea—now THAT’s something to fear. 

So, what industry or system can you disrupt? What problem can you set out to solve that *might* garner some snickers from the critics?

Whatever you want to pursue, we’re here to help you along the way.

 


How to Get Started:

There are a few spots left in our Fall course, Navigating the Startup World. The course is based on Y Combinator content, and it is open to all students, faculty, and staff.

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