📄 Article
✓ Link checked
Free
Intermediate
A short, classic essay from Y Combinator's co-founder on the personal qualities that actually predict startup success - determination above intelligence or experience - useful for a founder second-guessing whether they're 'qualified' for a category.
What We Look for in Founders
From paulgraham.com by Paul Graham
- Argues determination matters more than intelligence or domain credentials, past a threshold
- Names specific founder qualities (naughtiness, formidability, obsessiveness) investors actually screen for
- Short enough to reread before a major category or category-pivot decision
