This article is an interview between Natasha Mascarenhas and Alex Wilhelm with Y Combinator’s Managing Partner Garry Tan. However, it seems that the interview was actually with David Yuan, not Garry Tan.
The conversation focuses on diversity at Y Combinator. Here are some key points:
- Diversity metrics: The current batch of startups has 15% female founders, a slight dip from the last cohort’s 17.9%. Around 7% have Black founders, and 12% have Latinx entrepreneurs.
- Application pool: David Yuan suggests that there might be an issue with who opts into Y Combinator versus those who remain on the sidelines. He also mentions that people who apply to Y Combinator tend to be more economically secure, both personally and financially.
- Skills distribution: There’s an uneven distribution of skills, particularly in writing code. This can impact the diversity of startups that get accepted into the program.
- Global perspective: David Yuan notes that being a global organization helps in understanding different cultural biases and encouraging underrepresented groups to pursue computer science and entrepreneurship.
The conversation highlights the complexities surrounding diversity at Y Combinator and the startup ecosystem as a whole.
