To avoid the post-YC slump, Aegis's founders maintained momentum by continuing their group office hours for accountability and setting a weekly goal to meet with one exceptional founder. This external input and accountability helps replicate the high-velocity environment of the accelerator batch.
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YC provides a built-in go-to-market engine where startups treat their 200+ well-funded batchmates as their first customers. This 'win YC, win the market' strategy de-risks early customer acquisition and provides critical initial revenue and case studies to build momentum.
As startups hire and add structure, they create a natural pull towards slower, more organized processes—a 'slowness gravity'. This is the default state. Founders must consciously and continuously fight this tendency to maintain the high-velocity iteration that led to their initial success.
A founder credited his accelerator's grueling schedule—pitching to 20 investors weekly with harsh feedback—as a transformative experience. This intense repetition wasn't just for fundraising; it was a powerful training ground that polished his core sales and communication skills for all future business dealings.
In industries with long sales cycles like healthcare, early traction isn't about dozens of logos. For YC's Demo Day, Aegis focused on securing just one large medical billing company as a happy, paying customer. Deep engagement—evidenced by data sharing and product co-development—is a powerful early signal for investors.
Instead of scheduling rigid, three-hour co-founder check-ins that often get canceled, adopt a 'counter-puncher' mindset. Keep important topics top-of-mind and seize spontaneous opportunities—like another meeting getting canceled—to have those crucial conversations. This fluid approach is more effective in a chaotic startup environment.
To avoid "set it and forget it" goal setting, Atlassian teams use a monthly ritual. They score progress on their OKRs and write a public, tweet-sized update. This lightweight, consistent practice ensures accountability, maintains visibility across the company, and prompts regular re-evaluation.
Contrary to common belief, YC partners may review and even encourage the submission of incomplete applications after the deadline. Aegis's founders were contacted by a partner who saw potential in their draft and urged them to finish and submit it, leading to their acceptance.
Establish a consistent, public commitment (e.g., team newsletter) primarily to hold yourself accountable for learning. The audience is secondary; the process of preparing the content is the true career accelerator, forcing you to stay current and synthesize information.
A marketing system is not a "set it and forget it" solution. To ensure it runs effectively, implement a structured, recurring "momentum meeting." This monthly check-in drives accountability, facilitates alignment, and allows for continuous tuning and optimization of the system.
