Find a Co-Founder in 3 Weeks
Houston: I applied as a single founder to YC and I got an email from Paul saying — hey, idea seems interesting but you really need to find a co-founder. Only problem was the application deadline was like 3 weeks away.
That's like saying you need to get married in the next 3 weeks.
The Kyle Vogt Connection
Houston: I was complaining to Kyle Vogt — is there anyone great you know who could be a potential co-founder? All my friends, the folks I was closer to, timing wasn't right. They weren't ready to make the jump.
Kyle and I knew each other from MIT, we were both in the entrepreneurs club. He knew Arash Ferdowsi — they were floor mates at MIT, both from Kansas. Arash was having a similar experience to mine. We had friends who'd moved from Boston to San Francisco and suddenly their companies were raising millions of dollars and taking off. Both of us had a little bit of startup fever.
We had friends who moved to San Francisco and suddenly their companies are raising millions. Both of us had a little bit of startup fever.
Two Hours in the Student Center
Houston: We hung out in the student center for a couple hours and he dropped out of school the next day. Pretty wild.
I wish I could say here are the 17 things I was looking for on a seven-point scale. But no. This kid's clearly smart. A little quiet. Very thoughtful. And over time it became clear that this was a really good match.
We hung out in the student center for a couple hours and he dropped out of school the next day.