Notes, Insights and Takeaways of an aspiring college entrepreneur from CS 183: How to start a Startup by Sam Altman

Everything that you’ll be reading in this document are notes taken down from CS183 which is a Stanford course being taught by the President of YCombinator Sam Altman. Moreover, I will be injecting a few of my own insights and insights of other people from my discussion group.

The first UPenn class session was held at the First Round Capital

As an aspiring entrepreneur and avid journalist, I’ve decided to take notes, write about the experience and the different discussions points from this class and publish it to the public. I hope that people can find these notes and insights as a way to either learn more about the class and entrepreneurship (some people might not have enough time to watch the lecture) or as a way to start discussions about this growing startup culture.

I will be starting out all my posts with 4-6 key takeaways, the overall experience and then the full notes along with discussion points raised in my group.

The lectures for this course are being recorded and are posted on Youtube. You can find the lectures here: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIJaCMEptJjxmmQgGFsnCg

You can read more about the reason behind the class here: http://www.newsweek.com/y-combinator-teach-stanford-class-available-online-271275

Interestingly, a lot of Universities from all over the world (even all the way back in the Philippines! Shout-out to Jaime Young who is leading the ASES Philippines discussion group for this class!) have decided to start discussion groups and turn it into an actual class where students discuss the content of what is taught afterwards. The University of Pennsylvania recently had its first class lecture video showing on September 25, 2014.

6 Key takeaways:

1. “You should never start a startup for the sake of doing so.”
2. “The best companies are always mission oriented.”
3. “Build something that a few users really really love.”
4. “Recruit your first set of users by hand/manually and ask for feedback.”
5. “The life of an entrepreneur isn’t as easy and glamorous as what media portrays it to be.”
6. “The best reason to start a startup is because YOU CAN’T NOT DO IT.”

The Overall Experience

More than the lecture, which I could’ve just watched online in my dorm room, what I really enjoyed from the first session was the community participating in this class. Everyone was just so passionate about startups and entrepreneurship and was eager to learn more. Everyone was really looking deep into the ideas discussed and questioning whether one practice is better than the other. It was honestly really refreshing being in this environment, bouncing off ideas and opinions with one another and simply meeting new people with similar interests and new insights. Definitely can’t wait for the next session!

Finally a High School Graduate (Repost from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Finally, a high-school graduate

Right before graduation!

High school flew by so quickly. I couldn’t believe I was sitting there, ready to graduate. We were finally at the finish line, about to walk up that stage to get our diploma.

It’s amazing how much all of us have changed over the past few years. Going through all our photos, I realized much has happened since we entered high school. Some of us have gotten fatter, while others have gotten thinner. Some of us have gotten into relationships, while others have explored various activities, ranging from academics to athletics and extracurricular activities.

High school was about growing up and discovering ourselves, trying new things and exploring our interests. It was also about getting acquainted with the opposite sex, hanging out with friends and learning how to socialize. It was about finding a group to be part of, or in local terms, a barkada. But more importantly, high school was about learning how to care not only about ourselves, but also about the people around us.

As I went through the Facebook timeline of my different batchmates right before graduation, I couldn’t help but feel sentimental as I remembered the different experiences we had had in Xavier School.

Honestly, it was only this past year that I really learned how to fully appreciate my Xavier education, which has given me a plethora of unique experiences like the One2One Program (where we got to use laptops in class), the SM Immersion Program (where we got to experience being an SM employee), the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Entrepreneurship Project (where we partnered with GK social enterprises) and a myriad of other programs and activities.

But now the challenge is using all these to try and make a bigger impact on society as we move to the next chapter of our lives. We may not know how exactly we can make a difference in such a complicate d world, but I firmly believe that our generation will find a way.

Our generation is known as the one that has been given the gift of being able to share every single moment in our life. We have gone through our high school years documenting every memory and sharing them with the world with the different social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And it’s exciting to guess what this connectedness and advancements in technology will do for us in the future, as we enter the next chapter of our lives.

Separate ways

Nothing will ever be the same. I will honestly miss seeing the faces of each one of my classmates from section A. I will miss the A-men and H4A, the class that taught me that school isn’t all about the grades; it’s also about learning how to have fun in life. They taught me how to value every member of the class, and how to simply enjoy the moment.

Although we may be going to different universities in the Philippines and abroad, we will always carry with us the values and skills that we learned in Xavier School—from cramming assessments, going on service programs and class retreats, and reflecting upon all these experiences.

As I look back at the past year, I couldn’t have asked for more. It’s perfectly fitting that I end my senior year by thanking everyone who has made a difference in my life over the past 18 years, and more specifically this year.

Thank you to my family for their never-ending support, and for being there with me every step of the way. Thank you so much to all my teachers who taught me lessons both in and out of the classroom. Thank you to my coaches and mentors for challenging me and for bringing out the best in me. Thank you, Xavier School, for teaching me how to make the most of my talents, and to always strive for excellence.

At the start of this school year, after I tore my anterior cruciate ligament, I wasn’t sure how exactly the year would turn out. But I told myself that I would make the most of my last year in Xavier School by joining as many activities as I could and by giving my best shot both in academics and extra-curricular activities.

Yet, throughout the year, I realized that senior year was more than just about the test scores, college applications, achievements or the clubs and committees I joined.

Senior year was extremely memorable because I chose to spend more time with the people I care about. It was about choosing to make new friends and cherish old ones. It was about choosing to stay that extra hour in school so I could spend more time with my friends. It was about turning every single day in class into a shared experience. And finally, it was about turning every single experience into a memorable one.

So, thank you to all my friends, who have made this senior year of mine the perfect encapsulation of what a journey it has been. May we never forget the little wonders, small hours and shared experiences we spent with each other because 10, 20 years from now, when we cross paths once again, we will be looking back at high school as some of the best years in our life.

Class picture 🙂

 

Read more: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/155231/finally-a-high-school-graduate#ixzz2xGcZizuQ
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What I Learned from Rappler CEO and Co-Founder Maria Ressa

Last wedenesday, February 18, 2014, I atteneded the 3rd Filipino Technopreneurship Summit and I got to hear Maria Ressa, the CEO of Rappler give a talk about technopreneurship.

Focusing on using crowd sourced data, real time reporting and real time responses, Rappler.com is one of the up and coming news sites in the Philippines right now, and no doubt, CEO and co-founder Maria Ressa has played a big role in its success.

Being highly interested in the intersection of journalism, media, technology and entrepreneurship, I made sure to take down the different insights and lessons Maria Ressa shared about technopreneurship during her talk, and also during my short interview and conversation with her afterwards.

With Maria Ressa, the CEO and founder of Rappler.com and more importantly, one of the greatest Filipino journalists turned entrepreneur!

Our Generation

It today’s workplace and society, the generation gap is very evident. Throughout her talk, Maria emphasized how a lot of times, we might even know more than our bosses when it comes to technology. We’re the ones who have been exposed to all these technology and social networking sites like Facebook our entire life.

Nothing Will Ever Beat Face to Face Live Communication!

Chatting with friends on Facebook, texting with friends and even conversing on twitter has become prosaic, banal and commonplace especially nowadays where almost every person has a smartphone. Online communication has become a phenomenon and has alleviated a lot of our communication problems.

Communicating with a long lost relative or a friend who lives on the other side of the world has never been this easy. However, the advent and rise of these technologies has hampered and devalued real life communication. We become so engrossed in the online world that we forget about real life.

Don’t get me wrong, social networking sites are ingenious and phenomenal inventions that help us keep in touch with the rest of the world 24/7, but we must not forget about real life and the art of conversing face to face. 

It’s much easier to hide what one is feeling when behind a screen but when face to face, the expressions seen in one’s face is something that’s fresh; something that’s sincere; something that’s real!  Nothing will beat seeing the genuine smile of your friend who has waited days, weeks, or perhaps years just to see you. Nothing will beat seeing your friends laugh whole heartedly at your embarrassing moments instead of the usual “LOL” or “:))” sign had you told them that story through Facebook chat.

We are social beings and authentic happiness comes to us when we are around real people. So what are you waiting for? Give your long time best friend whom you have been chatting with but haven’t seen for ages an invitation to your favorite hang-out place and be refreshed by the difference it makes!

-DOitChoco

Kaiser – My Multi-Talented Best Friend (My response to the Daily Prompt: Call Me Maybe)

This is my blogpost in response to the daily prompt: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/daily-prompt-phone/

I was never really a fan of smartphones or all those fancy phones. To tell you the truth, it was just around 5 months ago when I finally replaced my ancient stone-aged phone with an Iphone and the rest is history. There were actually several reasons that really pushed me to stop being a hipster with an artifact of a phone, and succumb to modern day technology.

Prior to my realization that I needed a new phone, I was a strong believer in the fact that phone’s are just for texting and calling and the occasional “snake” game if you still remember that pretty addictive game in old school phones. Every time my dad would offer to get me a better looking phone and a smarter phone, I’d refuse and say that I didn’t need or so I thought. The day my view on this issue changed was the day I started breaking out of my shell and socializing with others more often. I realized the importance of an efficient and powerful smart phone during this day and age in staying connected and in touch with the rest of the world.

Only the strong survive and one must truly take every advantage and learn how to adapt with time. Modern day technology has brought us such a powerful tool and gadget that we might as well utilize and take advantage of. Because of this, I quickly told my dad my new perspective in life and he quickly obliged to get me a new phone. Since he actually just got an Iphone 4s but heard that an Iphone 5 was coming out in a few months, he decided to give me his one month old Iphone 4s, and it quickly became my new best friend that I never fail to check on each and everyday.

KAISER!

I guess it would be just right to finally baptize my phone and give him a name. This may sound a bit crazy and absurd, but why not. So of the top of my head, I name him, KAISER! Pretty bad-ass? Well, it’s just right for my side kick who almost never leaves my side. During my ups and downs and whenever I seem to need anything, my incredibly smart and multi-talented friend comes to the rescue. From text messaging and making phone calls to checking out the latest news and keeping up to date not only with sporting highlights but also with what has been going on with my friends’ lives. And then during the times I need some cheering up or some moments of relaxation or reflection, Kaiser is right there with soothing music that never fails to calm my nerves and make me walk on cloud nine. Aside from a thousand other skills of Kaiser, what I like most about him is his ability to capture ephemeral moments and help me look back at them. He truly is a jack of all trades.

Life may have been just fine before with my ancient nokia phone, but I wouldn’t want to go back to those days, for life is so much more convenient and productive with Kaiser. Although, Kaiser sometimes turns into a distraction and has gotten me 6 hours of detention already (the full story of how I got and spent the 6 hours of detention is seen here: https://doitchoco.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/my-sot-experience-how-somethings-arent-as-bad-as-they-seem/), I still love him to death for he has helped me in so many different ways already and I know that I’m only scratching the surface. As I get to know and understand Kaiser better, I will be able to unleash a thousand more of his talents and capabilities. We truly are best friends, for we help bring out the best in each other.

-DOitChoco

Another Day, Another Chance, Another Memory – Day 2 of My Journey Through The BLOGOSPHERE

Another Day, Another Chance, Another Memory – Day 2 of My Journey Through The BLOGOSPHERE

January 24, 2013 = My Second Post in this Blog. Accomplishment Unlocked! Living life one day and one blog post at a time.

Recently, before I actually started this blog, I dug up a bit and used the ever so reliable search engine, Google, to find out the basics about blogging. Quite interestingly, I read how thousands of bloggers have tried to climb and conquer the “blogosphere,” only to bow down as quick as they started and see all their zealousness in the start go down the drain. They started with such zest and enthusiasm (just like what I’m feeling right now) only to hit a stone wall after a few days, weeks or months. Well, I’m not part of that thousands, I’m an outlier, who plans to capture every worth talking about moment in my life and every thought provoking idea or better yet, every mind blowing ideology I come up with by engraving it into this blog.

Why do I seem so ebullient about this blog? Well, you can call me weird or crazy, but when I finished writing my first blog post, I felt so empowered, as if I just accomplished an amazing feat. Believe it or not, but that’s actually an understatement of how I felt, especially when just a while ago, I saw that two viewers actually liked my post. I don’t know how the human brain functions and I’m not really good in psychology, but I definitely felt a spark of joy when I saw that somebody actually read and appreciated my first blog post.

Besides what I’ve already previously mentioned, another reason I plan to write as frequently as I can is that, so many different things have been happening in my life right now, may it be good or bad. I want to use this blog as an outlet of mine to be able to express my thoughts and feelings regarding these things. Aside from that, I know how small the world can be especially during this day and age, and it’s highly probable that someone out there has or had a similar situation. With the rise of social networking sites like twitter, facebook, tumblr, instagram, and other sites, it is a breeze to stay connected with  friends. It’s as simple as clicking a button, which I’m sure even toddlers can do.

This may seem shallow to some but being able to write something, even a 100 word essay maybe each and everyday makes me feel that my day is complete and makes me feel as though I was actually able to make something out of the day. Each and everyday is a blessing and an opportunity to develop and grow as a person. These blog posts may not seem like much right now, but I know, in the near future, when I look back, these posts will be priceless to me.

I truly want to make the most out of my life and I know that writing in this blog about even the simplest of things will help me appreciate even the most minute detail of such a wonderful gift, the gift of life. I could go on and on about a thousand more reasons as to why I’m writing on this blog, but I would probably reach the word limit (if there is one) or bore you readers to death or maybe get you too emotional that you wouldn’t come back to my blog. Actually, those aren’t the real reasons why I’m signing off even if I still want to write about a million other things. The truth is, I am your typical, but not so ordinary student, so I have a life to live to, but don’t fret, I will be back and look out for my future posts that will surely go deeper than the surface.

#EnjoyLife’sSimplestTreasures

-DOitChoco