Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat, Interview, Panel
Female Founders Conference 2017
Y CombinatorAvni Patel-Thompson, Emily Weiss, Laura Behrens Wu, Padmashree Warrior, Aileen Lee, Elizabeth Lyons, Vanessa Torridilla, Erica, Morgan de Bon, Diane Greene, Kirsty Nathoo, Carolyn Lebe, Anu Hariharan, Adora Chung, Jessica Livingston, Kat
- Upcoming content will include a demonstration on making a simple cake where both sides are prepared identically, with the creator expecting to return in a subsequent video.
- Plans are in place to subscribe viewers to the channel and enable notifications for future uploads.
- A female speaker based in England anticipates delivering a complete speech despite experiencing jet lag after 24 hours in the Bay Area.
- Speakers express hope that increased visibility of women speaking out against harassment will encourage more women to report discrimination and end it.
- Predictions indicate a rise in female founders of unicorn and billion-dollar startups driven by the need for role models and the success of a few individuals.
- Speakers expect that highly successful startup founders prioritize genuine interest in the idea over wealth or status, leading to harder work, longer-term thinking, and reduced acquisition appeal.
- Market size predictions are described as impossible to forecast accurately, with luck playing a significant role in success.
- Advice is given to focus on building personal desires and hoping for a market rather than targeting large markets early, noting that most massive startup ideas initially appeared dubious.
- Founders of huge startups are expected to possess exceptional drive, view the company as a life's work that they would not willingly sell, and successfully transition into management roles they can learn to enjoy.
- A speaker named Avni Patel-Thompson sets a goal to give a talk in 2017, two years after her previous appearance, and aims to help others connect their journeys to her path.
- Avni Patel-Thompson predicts success for her startup by correcting a previous mindset failure and plans to pivot from a cultural subscription box to a product solving childcare problems based on parent feedback.
- The goal is to grow the childcare platform 10% to 20% weekly over a four-week test period using SMS to approximate childcare experiences, with plans to reapply to Y Combinator if growth targets are met and a team is assembled.
- Plans include working with a technical partner for six weeks to assess compatibility before formalizing the partnership and re-engaging with user feedback to resolve current challenges.
- Emily Weiss plans to launch Glossier internationally in October and establish European headquarters in London within the next three months.
- Growth projections for Glossier include 600% growth in the next 12 months, with 79% of last year's growth attributed to peer-to-peer recommendations rather than paid acquisition.
- Future retail strategies for Glossier involve opening experiential spaces like art galleries or clubhouses rather than traditional stores, leveraging direct-to-consumer models to offer special access and customer relationships.
- Laura Behrens Wu predicts there is no magic formula for entrepreneurship, characterizing it as a marathon, and plans to continue growing and hiring at Shippo while acknowledging uncertainties.
- Padmashree Warrior expects Level 4 self-driving cars by 2020 and Level 5 fully autonomous vehicles by 2025 or 2030, anticipating an intersection of technology maturity, cost reduction, and behavioral changes.
- Hiring plans for Padmashree Warrior include personally interviewing the first 150 candidates, utilizing diverse panels for all hires to prevent microcultures, and institutionalizing "team time" every Wednesday from 4 to 6 PM to prevent burnout.
- A global startup strategy is expected involving separate China and US companies sharing capital-intensive elements like manufacturing and design, alongside a commitment to hiring diverse management teams.
- Aileen Lee expects to launch a smaller, more personal venture fund (Cowboy Ventures) to provide hands-on founder support and work to correct disparities in funding access for women.
- Predictions suggest a surge in stories about unacceptable industry behavior, prompting founders to prefer working with modern, inclusive investment firms over older ones.
- Investment expectations include the necessity of picking a Series A lead investor who will own 20-30% of the company, viewed as a decision comparable to a marriage, with investors now being more open to backing diverse entrepreneurs.
- Early-stage funding is expected to be the most difficult check to close, particularly during the vulnerable angel round for women, with Series C requiring proven business models and ROI metrics.
- At the Series A stage, investors are expected to focus on metrics and product-market fit rather than vision, necessitating preparation of financial models and key KPIs.
- Morgan de Leon expects to embrace a big vision without editing it down for investors and aims to build Blavity into a brand providing positive energy for Black people, potentially expanding into the untapped music sector.
- Diane Greene expects to build companies with a strategy similar to racing a sailboat, requiring planning, reevaluation, and a capable crew, while eventually becoming unafraid of failure.
- Anu Hariharan expects the YC Continuity Fund to assist companies in scaling from 30 to 500 employees by supporting company building efforts.
- Speakers expect that mothers should not wait for a "perfect time" to start a company, noting that being passionate allows entrepreneurship during pregnancy or with young children, and that founders can succeed as long as they can focus full-time once traction is achieved.
- Investors asking about children or social life may be viewed as identifying potential distractions, which is considered a red flag, while having a non-investor, non-family mentor is expected to be helpful for idea validation.