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    Michael Seibel

    Y Combinator, Socialcam, and Justin.tv / Twitch.tv

    Hello, my name is Michael Seibel. I am 41 years old and have lived and worked in the Bay Area since 2006. Currently, I work at Y Combinator as a partner and I lead the accelerator at YC from 2016 - 2024. I also serve on the board of two YC companies, Reddit and Dropbox.

     

    Previously, I was a co-founder and CEO of two Y Combinator startups Justin.tv/Twitch (2007 - 2011) and Socialcam (2011 - 2012). In 2012 Socialcam sold to Autodesk Inc. for $60m (link) and in 2014, under the leadership of Emmett Shear (CEO) and Kevin Lin (COO) Twitch sold to Amazon for $970m (link).
     

    Before getting into tech, I spent 2006 as the finance director for a US Senate campaign in Maryland. In 2005, I graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in political science. Today I spend the large majority of my free time cooking, reading, traveling, and going for long drives. I live in San Francisco, CA with my amazing wife Sarah, our son Jonathan, and our daughter Jessica.

     

    For fun, I try to maintain two additional sites: CooksLarder.com which features my favorite ingredients and recipes, and JonathansApps.com which features my favorite iOS apps for kids.

  • Video Playlists

    Here are a number of videos that have been helpful to startup founders:

  • Apply to Y Combinator

    Y Combinator (YC) was the path I took to gain entry into the startup ecosystem. To learn more about YC click here and apply click the button below.

  • Twitch / Justin.tv Story:

    Listen to the real story behind the founding of Twitch/Justin.tv

  • Essays

    Here is some advice I commonly give to YC startups:

  • If you want to learn more about starting a startup:

    Check out Startup School, a massive open online course (MOOC) created by YC that can be your guide to getting your startup up and running.
     

    Also, check out the YC Startup Library to read amazing advice from the smartest startup founders and investors over the past 15 years.

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  • Investments

    I am a personal investor/advisor for the following companies/funds

    Companies:

    Reddit, Cruise, Brex, Figma, Triplebyte, Captain 401k, Equipment Share, Pine Park Health, Promise, PayFazz, Easypost, Paystack, Mattermost, Rezi, Rippling, Zenysis, Jopwell, AptDeco, Magic, True Link, Wave, Scentbird, Squire, Bellabeat, Panorama Education, Arcus, Burrow, PeerWell, L., Give Campus, iLabservice, Lugg, Career Karma, Social Construct, Reach Labs, Grain, Aella Credit, Elpha, TIZETI, Wallets.ng, SketchDeck, Cambly, RankScience, Waystocap, Goodcover, CareRevolutions, Transcelestial, Better Health, Driver Technologies, Point, Newcraft, Qwest, Elpha, Vitable Health, Swipe Technologies, Evry Healthcare Inc, Clipboard Health, Taste Technologies, Inc., Bishop Fox, Partnered

     

    Funds:

    Y Combinator, Initialized, Precursor, Equal, Next Play, Cherubic, Microtraction, Ingressive, Dream Machine, Weekend Fund, Plexo, Ventures Platform, 645 Ventures, Investo, Black Capital, Debut Capital, Magic Opportunities, Rarebreed Ventures, Stellation Capital, Weekend Fund, Jude Gomila Rolling Fund, Quint Capital

  • Favorite Books

    I always get asked this question - so decided to just keep a list here:

    A Promised Land - Barack Obama
    Becoming - Michelle Obama
    Heat & Dirt - Bill Buford
    Hackers and Painters - Paul Graham
    Atomic Habits - James Clear
    Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War - Robert Coram
    Factfulness - Hans Rosling
    Chickenhawk - Robert Mason
    The House of God - Samuel Shem
    Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
    The House of Morgan - Ron Chernow
    Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller - Ron Chernow
    The Art of Living according to Joe Beef - David McMillan & Frederic Morin
    Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better More Relaxed Parenting - Emily Oster
    Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic
    Kitchen Confidential, The Nasty Bits & Medium Raw - Anthony Bourdain
    The Martian - Andy Weir
    The Prize & The Quest - Daniel Yergin
    World War Z - Max Brooks
    The Reach of a Chef & The Soul of a Chef - Michael Ruhlman
    The Nation City: Why Mayors Are Now Running the World - Rahm Emanuel

    Tai-Pan & Shogun - James Clavell

     

  •  

    Bio and Headshot

    Michael Seibel works at Y Combinator as a Group Partner and Managing Director of YC early stage. He joined YC in 2013 as a Part-time Partner and in 2014 as a full-time Group Partner. Michael also serves on the board of two YC companies, Reddit and Dropbox.

     

    He moved to the bay area in 2006, and was a co-founder and CEO of two Y Combinator startups Justin.tv/Twitch (2007 - 2011) and Socialcam (2011 - 2012). In 2012 Socialcam sold to Autodesk Inc. for $60m (link) and in 2014, under the leadership of Emmett Shear (CEO) and Kevin Lin (COO) Twitch sold to Amazon for $970m (link).

     

    Before getting into tech, Michael spent 2006 as the finance director for a US Senate campaign in Maryland. In 2005, he graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in political science. Today he spends the large majority of his free time cooking, reading, traveling, and going for long drives. Michael lives in San Francisco, CA with his amazing wife Sarah, son Jonathan, and daughter Jessica.

     

    Click here for headshots.

  • Contact me

    Feel free to reach out anytime:

    Twitter: @mwseibel

    Email: michael "at" ycombinator "dot" com

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