👋 Hey it’s Sawyer. Hope this helps!

1. Interviews/Screening

As horrible as it sounds, you shouldn’t let everyone join your startup community.

There is a reason YC doesn’t accept just anyone, and it’s not merely because they have a standard deal. The allure of YC is a direct result of their powerful screening process.

Things to keep in mind while screening:

a. Does this sound like buzzword bullshit?

b. How does the proposed technology work and what makes it disruptive?

c. Is this a problem worth solving?

d. What progress have they made so far?

e. Why are they the person/team to solve this?

f. What strategy do they have to move forward?

The way they respond to these questions will give you plenty of insight into the team and startup.

From the founders perspective, the worst case scenario is that they get denied, receive advice/pointers in a rejection email and encouragement to re-apply later. Not so bad.

2. Office Hours

Office Hours are the most impactful thing you can offer to founders apart from capital.

As cliche as it sounds, by providing a space for founders to ask specific questions regarding their business, you’ll drive change and build meaningful relationships with them.

Doing one-on-one or small cohorts of office hours at a set cadence also builds accountability. If you check on them weekly, they’ll feel a social pressure to perform and meet established goals. You can even gamify this if you’d like.

Office Hours is also where you’ll receive honest feedback about your community, enabling you to adjust to your founders wants and needs.

3. Value Abstraction

There is an overwhelming amount of startup and business content. It’s hard for founders to know where to begin, what to consume, and who to trust. Bingo! This is where you come in.

By distilling valuable lessons or concepts into a refined curriculum, you’ll save founders hundreds of hours. This can be a blend of curated and original content.