TickerTain
TickerTain
NewsroomShortsPortfolioConvergence
NewsroomShortsPortfolioConvergence
←
▶ 23:19 · $BREX · YC partners cite Brex as proof they bet on founders not ideas
episode briefing
Y Combinator

What Actually Makes A Startup Durable

2026-07-25 · 4 company · 15 thematic
sentiment
4 bull0 bear0 neu
speakers
tom

Tom is a Y Combinator partner and the founder of GoCardless (founded 2011), which he describes as the kernel of the London fintech ecosystem spawning companies like Wise and Monzo. He speaks extensively on startup durability, AI-native companies, co-founder dynamics, and pivoting frameworks.

quote
“The Brex founders applied when they were 19 years old and they were brilliant. They as 15y olds, I think 15 or 16 year olds in Brazil, they'd started a payment network and sold it for something like $50 million before they were 18. Like te…”
—tom
now playing · $BREX
$GOCARDLESSbullish· high· postom
GoCardless founder describes it as kernel of London startup ecosystem
GoCardless (founded 2011) seeded the London fintech ecosystem, with a traceable family tree to Wise, Monzo, and dozens of other companies, proving that a single strong startup can…
$BREXbullish· hightom
YC partners cite Brex as proof they bet on founders not ideas
Brex founders applied with a terrible idea (VR cardboard sunglasses) but were so exceptional that YC would have funded any idea; they later built a $5B company, demonstrating YC's…
$SPCX···bullish· mediumtom
SpaceX alumni founding deep-tech startups backed by YC
Former SpaceX engineers are launching YC-backed companies in adjacent hard-tech domains (radio frequency test equipment, space manufacturing re-entry vehicles), demonstrating tale…
$CURSORbullish· hightom
Cursor founder's repeated launches exemplify YC's launch-early philosophy
Tom used a tweet showing the Cursor founder's repeated low-upvote Hacker News launches as an example of putting work into the real world, gathering evidence, and iterating instead…