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Independent

Startup School

Y Combinator via Independent

Overview

We believe the barrier to entry for people to start a startup is still too high. We want to make it easier for people to start a company, regardless of who or where you are, so we're starting by sharing what we've learned, through Startup School.

Startup School is a free 8-week massively open online course (MOOC). 

Got a startup? Sign up for Startup School.

For founders actively pursuing your own startup, we welcome you to participate in the course. You will have additional access to active founder-advisors who can help give you feedback on your company.

Taught by

Eric Migicovsky and Kyle Corbitt

Reviews

4.9 rating, based on 42 Class Central reviews

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  • Just started but helpful so far. Maybe a little too much info and some modules overlap. Waiting for the 2018 version.
  • Profile image for Lubomir Hristev
    Lubomir Hristev
    I'm currently a founder of a high-tech consumer hardware startup. As such, in the past few years, I've been actively involved in various learning experiences related to the topics of entrepreneurship and launching own venture. In a nutshell, here'…
  • Start Up School : (The MOOC version) This is the best place to A) learn If you are cut to be an entrepreneur B) question whether your product fits with what market wants C) get inspired to do more faster D) get funded! Method The course runs ten w…
  • I finished the first iteration of Startup School last year in mid-2017. The lectures were posted online and were available publically, but that wasn't the most important part of the program. Once you get accepted, you will be assigned a mentor who i…
  • Anonymous
    There are five good aspects of this course: the content, the deals, access to mentors, the chance to win a bulk payment, and the on-road to larger venture capital through entry to the YCombinator accelerator. The content is available anyway (search…
  • Anonymous
    I have taken many MOOCs to improve my skills, but this is the first MOOC I've taken to improve my life. In particular, this course got my company to private beta. I had been working on my startup's product for a while with no specific launch date i…
  • Profile image for Abdirizak Yusuf Mohamud
    Abdirizak Yusuf Mohamud
    Thank you. You can start from the bottom and finish at the highest level, whether it is video, speech or writing. No one can learn. Everyone knows what they are learning.

    so insha allah you will succeed in learning english
  • Profile image for Mike Cunneen
    Mike Cunneen
    This is not a course so much as a condensed apprenticeship. I was lucky enough to be assigned a group with an experienced YC alumni, Mark, who proved to be a great listener and provided very thoughtful and helpful advice. If you're after a qualific…
  • Anonymous
    It's a great course, I will definitely be applying again. Due to an email error, they accidentally invited over 15,000 people when they only intended ~3k. That mistake unfortunately decreased the quality of the community because the forum was inun…
  • Anonymous
    I think these courses are useful, especially for first time startup founders! Good luck to everyone :) Cheers,
  • Anonymous
    This is Beginner-Friendly Course Taught Directly by an Existing YC Partner, It Course In-Depth knowledge Ranging From What is Startup To Executive and various Steps of launching a startup.
  • Anonymous
    I went through 3 accelerators in my country and I can say that the value of the content presented by Startup School surpassed the others. I wonder how rich the Y Comb acceleration should be. I'm enjoying it a lot. Congratulations!
  • Great start for founders who don't have a business background or are looking to get some insight about the startup ecosystem.
  • Profile image for Jackie Rivera
    Jackie Rivera
    Great course. Totally worth it, I learned so much from this course I was kind of lost with my company before taking this course.
  • Once upon a time there was a little girl name sina , she's a polynesian girl ,she lives in the capital of Western samoa Apia . Sina wake up in the morning and went to brush her teeths and wash her face , after that she went and say to her mom and da…
  • Anonymous
    For us with only a basic idea and no product in the beginning, it was the perfect fit to learn and profit from the experience of successful founders. We also liked the way YC works with their own startups and the hands-on approach they take. The vi…
  • Profile image for Felipe Neuwald
    Felipe Neuwald
    So, honestly, I believe every startup founder, before even think in starting a startup, should read and study Paul Graham and Y Combinator stuff. Startup School is part of it. In my opinion, Startup School is a tremendous opportunity to gain access to the top-tier startup material and advice from the best minds in the world. Individuals that have done-that-before and can share with you priceless advice that can definitely save your company's life and help you put your brain to work and ask the right questions before making decisions.

    Startup School, for me, is like Startup 101. Thank you, folks.
  • Anonymous
    I love startup school, it cured my pain points at the right time. Best startup contents ever.

    To make weekly progress it made me do things faster which is extremely great for my company.

    The forum was so useful, whenever I was curious I would post a question which had 3-8 smart people replying to my question.

    Group office hours was amazing, you share your weekly updates and get feedback from your group mates.

    Overall this has been my best career experience.
    Thank you startup school and the team for giving us this valuable experience and knowledge.
  • One of the most helpful courses on startups online. You get a lot of YC wisdom and opportunities at no cost. Everyone is super helpful and friendly. One of the very important aspects is peer pressure. It definitely accelerated the launch of my product and helped move faster. I cannot recommend this more!

    P.S. YC is one of the very few early stage startup institutions who actually know what they are doing.
    P.P.S. Huge shout out to Geoff, Adora, all the founders who lead office hours, amazing speakers, and everyone else involved for making this happen!!
  • Anonymous
    Sharp, simple, truth telling, startup advice on steroids, ethics & growth. Be good people.
    TLDR:
    Make something people want
    How?
    1) talk to users
    2) build product
    3) know your numbers
    4) have a intensely focused but healthy life (sleep enough, exercise, eat healthy, repeat: cut out all the fluff and distractions)

    Quantum of utility: launch as soon as you can make someone happy because you provide him/her with a way do do something s/he couldn't do without your (kinda crappy) product. Improve relevant relentlessly from there, and get lucky!

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