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NIGHTOWLS
November 30, 2011
September 25, 2013
An odd, semi-regular gathering: the
"Night Owls" group that meets in
hacker workspaces in Soma in SF.
This is a funny scene from my point of view,
because I'm much like the people who go to them--
a computer professional that gravitates toward
the backshift whenever possible-- but also much
unlike them...
These events are very much about "networking",
a gathering of venture capital pimps and
whores, all interested in talking about their At one of them, a guy
*fascinating* mobile app startup ideas. asked me a technical
question-- I can't
remember about what, it
At one such event, hanging out was something trendy
up in the balcony at Citizen's Space, that I barely care
Paul Graham's name came up somehow-- about, and there are
he runs a VC firm called "Y Combinator"-- *many* such things.
and on impulse I tried to offer my
opinion of Graham, pointing out that When I tried to tell
a lot of his essays are fatuous, that him I didn't know,
he got rich a little early to have I apparently sounded
much industry experience, etc. unexcited and must've
made it clear that
A fellow at the other end of the I didn't really care,
table-- doing a remarkable imitation because he then went
of a sweaty, hyper, speed freak-- off into a harrangue
went off into a defense of Graham about why I should care
and "Y Combinator", something along because it was obviously
the lines of "Do you *know* that the Next Big Thing--
'Y Combinator' is one of the most
successful and imitated VC firms, (The number of crazed,
a pioneer of *data-driven investing*?" sweaty speed-freak types
in start-up circles
So, Y Combinator claims to have really should give one
enough data on multiple start-up pause, and probably would,
attempts to be able to discern provided you're not one
patterns in their profiles? yourself.)
Zipcode right, average ages
right, hair length too short,
not enough beards, not enough
Xs in the name? This sounded BUT... I mentioned this guy's
like some serious snake-oil to rap to a friend of mine, who
me... follows the doings of Y
Combinator more closely than
I could barely get a word in, I, and he finds the whole
and eventually threw up my hands: idea unrecognizeable... so
"I give up! You're not allowed to perhaps I got it wrong-- or
criticize rich people." the guys pitch was so far off
it's not funny.
One thing that "Y Combinator"
does that makes sense to me
Another Night Owl who had is that they tend to do
apparently been funded by relatively small grants...
Graham offered his own instead of a 100 million
mild criticism: like a to keep a dozen people
lot of smart people, his fully employed, Y Combinator
advice needed to be taken might kick in 20k so that
with a grain of salt. a single programmer can
afford to put in 6 months
finishing some code.
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