I make about 5 angel investments per year, several of which are YC companies. When I'm pitched by entrepreneurs, it's because they want my help, not my money.
Khosla may have a point. The last few deals I did were five-figure investments at eight-figure valuations. Statistically (my small number of investments) and mathematically (my small piece of large valuations), I'm not going to get rich off the investments. I just do it for fun.
But there may be other folks out there like me, who feel they can help -- but who also like the idea of making money. They might be more active if valuations were smaller, as they were in the olden days.
This is hypothetical. But as an entrepreneur & small angel investor who isn't backed by $1B LPs, it's hard to justify my investments from a financial perspective. I just find 'em fun and like helping when called on. I also find blackjack fun. (I don't really find blackjack fun, but illustrating a point. maybe poker is a better example since there's some skill involved).
That said, PG (and team, and YC alumni) seem to do a fine job of investing early, at low valuations, and mentoring. In other words, PG, Vinod is worried that YC is disrupting the angel investor business. Which is kind of bad-ass.
Forgive me if these questions are well known or answered elsewhere but I am genuinely interested
How did you invest in some YC companies at 25k levels - was this Pre-yc investment?
Did you come across these (and others I guess) via friends nd family, or are you well known as an angel? (for a given value of well known)
if as your edit says you have been disrupted, where next?
Or rather, if the secret seems to be finding talented teams and mentoring them (rather than great ideas), where will
a small investor get attention when YC has worldwide reach?
Edit: is it fair to say that mentoring and experience are all well and good but handing over enough cash that a small company just cannot go bust (ie the 150k each YC supposedly gets) actually more useful - telling people not to do something may help but paying for their survival while they learn the lesson is pretty good too.
I have sometimes thought it would be a good idea for governemnts to pay young people entrepreneur stipend - basically YC for anyone. It has to beat some of the ways I spent my twenties, certainly must beat welfare, and probably would make mcjobs just unbearable.
ps
thanks for doing fuckedcompany - it made not being a millionaire in 2002 seem normal again instead of the nagging worry I had not noticed the free money machine
outside.
I removed dollar amounts from my original post, because each deal is different (and because of nda's and such). But in my example I'm talking about post-yc investments (which of course means I don't deserve a low valuation).
"I have sometimes thought it would be a good idea for governemnts to pay young people entrepreneur stipend - basically YC for anyone."
I'm not sure that'd work out so well. For the folks who read Hacker News, sure, they're probably going to be productive (or at least work hard and learn things) if you pay their living costs. However, I know a lot of people from high school & college who, if you paid their living costs, would play video games, smoke weed, or bum around in front of the TV all day. Hell, a good number of them do that already, and live off of boyfriends/parents.
I know but ... My conjecture is that the vast majority of people, put in a situation where they are socially, culturally expected to deliver a better world, and given the time to do so, will.
I know it's pointlessly naive, but otherwise it's mcjobs all round.
They have to be given the means and direction as well. That's the main missing ingredient: a lot of people have time and expectations, but they don't know where to start. A lot of the people I know in this situation simply spin their wheel in unemployment-related anxiety because they can't think of any concrete first steps that will lead to making a better world.
"I have sometimes thought it would be a good idea for governemnts to pay young people entrepreneur stipend - basically YC for anyone"
Don't know about the US, but things like this exists in some countries[1] as well as in the EU IIRC. Of course, they don't just give out money to everyone :)
Khosla may have a point. The last few deals I did were five-figure investments at eight-figure valuations. Statistically (my small number of investments) and mathematically (my small piece of large valuations), I'm not going to get rich off the investments. I just do it for fun.
But there may be other folks out there like me, who feel they can help -- but who also like the idea of making money. They might be more active if valuations were smaller, as they were in the olden days.
This is hypothetical. But as an entrepreneur & small angel investor who isn't backed by $1B LPs, it's hard to justify my investments from a financial perspective. I just find 'em fun and like helping when called on. I also find blackjack fun. (I don't really find blackjack fun, but illustrating a point. maybe poker is a better example since there's some skill involved).
That said, PG (and team, and YC alumni) seem to do a fine job of investing early, at low valuations, and mentoring. In other words, PG, Vinod is worried that YC is disrupting the angel investor business. Which is kind of bad-ass.