Elad Gil - https://twitter.com/eladgil - is an entrepreneur, operator, and investor. He cofounded Color Genomics - https://www.color.com/ - and Mixer Labs. Worked at Google and Twitter. And has invested in companies including Airbnb, Coinbase, and Stripe.

He just released the High Growth Handbook - https://www.amazon.com/High-Growth-Handbook-Elad-Gil/dp/1732265100/ - which is a guide to scaling startups published by Stripe Press - http://press.stripe.com/

It contains tactical advice on key issues for post product-market fit companies such as the role of the CEO, hiring executives, late stage fundraising, M&A, and other topics. It also includes interviews with people in tech, including Sam Altman, President of YC Group.

You can find the High Growth Handbook on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/High-Growth-Handbook-Elad-Gil/dp/1732265100/

The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon - https://twitter.com/craigcannon

We're accepting applications from startups for the Winter 2019 funding cycle. Apply here: http://ycombinator.com/apply

Read the transcript here - https://blog.ycombinator.com/elad-gil-shares-advice-from-the-high-growth-handbook-a-guide-to-scaling-startups

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Topics

00:14 - Why should an entrepreneur read the High Growth Handbook?

4:45 - On Marc Andreessen's comment, "The companies that charge more tend to grow faster."

6:00 - Myths about startups

7:00 - Leon Coe asks - What types of businesses do you avoid investing in?

8:30 - Things to just say 'no' to

11:50 - Companies that may be too early

14:02 - On Naval Ravikant's comment, "The most successful class of people in silicon valley on a consistent basis are either the venture capitalists, or people who are very good at identifying companies that have just hit product/market fit. They have the background, expertise, and references that those companies really want to help them scale."

16:51 - On Claire Hughes Johnson's "Guide to Working with Claire"

18:50 - Masud Hossain asks - How did most of the companies you interviewed get their first 10 customers?

20:05 - Masud Hossain asks - Is content really king?

22:00 - Narayan Mallapur asks - Where do founders make the most mistakes? Is it on hiring? What steps should they take to avoid these pitfalls?

24:05 - Brianne Kimmel asks - What are some lessons learned in highly regulated sectors? When should you hire a General Counsel? How do you prioritize public policy and lobbying efforts?

28:15 - Media cycles

30:05 - Marius Chawa asks - What are the top three things a startup "must" achieve before VC firms would line up to fund them?

33:55 - Taylor Caforio asks - My company is at our early MVP stage. What is he best way to find a balance between giving our earliest customers the 6 star treatment while also having swift and exponential growth in the back of our minds.

36:04 - Tanmay Khandelwal asks - When you are sprinting in growth stage, how do you predict engineers required and hire accordingly?

37:51 - TD Bryant II asks - When your organization is experiencing exponential growth, how do you choose which functions to outsource vs build/hire?

41:00 - Andrew Pikul asks - Who is your favorite Dragon Ball (Z/GT/Super) villain?