Building Y Combinator with Garry Tan: What It Really Takes to Build a Successful Startup

Building One with Tomer Cohen

What do Airbnb, Stripe, and DoorDash have in common? They were built with support from renowned startup accelerator, Y Combinator. And Garry Tan knows exactly what made them work.

In the season finale of Building One, Tomer Cohen sits down with Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, to unpack what really makes a startup succeed, and why the startup journey is more about mindset, resilience, and ruthless honesty than having the “perfect” idea.

Garry shares rare insights from his dual perspective: as a former founder who went through YC himself, and now as the leader of the world’s most iconic startup accelerator. He’s seen the full spectrum of startup journeys and in this candid conversation, he breaks down what sets the enduring ones apart.

In this episode, Tomer and Garry cover:

• The difference between playing startup vs building one
• Why co-founders matter more than ideas, and how to find the right one
• How to avoid the startup “valley of despair”
• What YC looks for in early-stage founders and teams
• How to chase user truth instead of optics or false signals
• How to know when to persevere, when to pivot, and when to walk away

Whether you're a first-time founder or a serial entrepreneur, this conversation is packed with startup wisdom you won’t hear anywhere else.

Follow Garry Tan on LinkedIn.

Follow Tomer Cohen on LinkedIn and check out his newsletter, Building LinkedIn.