Paul Graham

Paul Graham co-founded Y Combinator in 2005 with Jessica Livingston, Trevor Blackwell, and Robert Morris. YC pioneered the seed accelerator model — investing small amounts ($150k) in many startups in exchange for equity and running intensive mentorship programs. YC alumni include Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Reddit, Coinbase, and over 4,000 other companies with a combined valuation exceeding $600 billion. Graham is also a prolific essayist; his essays on startups, ideas, and technology are widely read throughout the tech industry. His essays on topics including startup ideas, working with investors, and the nature of wealth creation have influenced a generation of founders and investors, and his framework for identifying "ramen profitable" startups — those able to survive on minimal revenue — shaped how early-stage founders think about the balance between growth and survival during their most vulnerable period.