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‘College dropout’ has become the most coveted startup founder credential | TechCrunch

‘College dropout’ has become the most coveted startup founder credential | TechCrunch

Although iconic founders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg famously didn’t finish college, multiple studies show that the vast majority of successful startups had founders with bachelor’s or graduate degrees.

Despite this data, the appeal of a dropout founder persists, though VC enthusiasm for the ‘un-degreed’ is far from constant. It is a phenomenon that cycles in and out of fashion, and right now it is certainly having a moment amid the AI boom.

This trend is particularly evident during Y Combinator Demo Days, where founders are increasingly touting their dropout status in their one-minute pitches.

“I don’t believe YC formally tracks dropout status but, anecdotally, in recent batches, I was struck by how many founders highlight being a dropout from college, grad school, and even high school,” said Katie Jacobs Stanton, founder and general partner of Moxxie Ventures. “Being a dropout is a kind of credential in itself, reflecting a deep conviction and commitment to building. I think it’s perceived as something quite positive in the venture ecosystem.”

Although many of the leading founders of the AI wave are young, most still opted to stay for the diploma. For instance, Michael Truell, the CEO of Cursor, graduated from MIT, and Cognition co-founder Scott Wu graduated from Harvard.

Yet despite these examples, a growing number of aspiring entrepreneurs fear that staying to graduate means missing the most critical window of the AI building cycle. Some, like Brendan Foody, who co-founded Mercor, have famously dropped out of prestigious schools like Georgetown to pursue their startups.

As Kulveer Taggar, founder of the YC-focused venture firm Phosphor Capital, told TechCrunch: “There’s just this sense of urgency and maybe FOMO.” There is a calculation right now: “I can finish my degree, or I can just start building.”

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This fear is leading to extreme cases. One professor at an elite university recently described a student walking away from his degree in his final semester. That student was convinced that having a diploma would actually hurt his chances of getting funded.

While some founders fear that a diploma could be a negative signal, Yuri Sagalov, who leads General Catalyst’s seed strategy, suggests that VCs are less fixated on the dropout label, especially for students close to graduating: “I don’t think I’ve ever felt any different about someone who graduated or didn’t graduate when they’re in [their] fourth year and drop out.”

Even though self-taught tech prodigies can build startups without a formal education, Sagalov argues that there’s still value in the social network that a university creates and the brand of the university, even if the founder doesn’t receive a diploma.

‘You get a lot of the social value… because you can put the fact that you participated,’ Sagalov said. “Most people will look you up on LinkedIn and not care as much whether you finished or not.”

While many investors now believe founders can forego a university degree, not all VCs agree that young founders have an edge in this market.

Wesley Chan, co-founder of FPV Ventures, isn’t as eager to invest in dropouts because he prioritizes a trait most young founders haven’t developed yet: wisdom. Chan believes that wisdom is typically found in “older founders or people who have a couple of scars under their belt.”

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TL;DR: Amazon has the LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor back on sale for $499.99, knocking $400 off its $899.99 list price. That’s a 44% discount on a QHD OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification.


$499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400

OLED gaming monitors are steadily becoming more affordable, but this returning Amazon deal on an LG model is worth jumping on right away. 

As of April 22, Amazon has cut the price of LG’s 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor by 44% — dropping to $499.99 from $899.99. This brings this LG monitor back to its lowest ever price with the retailer, as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel.

At 27 inches with QHD 2560 x 1440 resolution, this monitor hits a sweet spot for both competitive gaming and everyday desktop use, while fitting nicely into any setup without taking too much space. With a 240Hz refresh rate, this UltraGear monitor promises to keep even fast-paced titles running smoothly — the 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time means motion stays crisp without ghosting. 

Effectively, these specs mean they’ll make a noticeable difference in anything you play; that’s whether you’re going for an intense multiplayer game like Overwatch or a cinematic story-driven game like Saros, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, or Pragmata.

Mashable Deals

By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

No matter what you’re playing or watching, the LG UltraGear should make the experience even better with its added picture quality. After all, the OLED panel covers up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and the VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification backs up what you can see with your own eyes — blacks that are genuinely black, not the washed-out grey you get from most LCD panels.

It also plays nicely with a wide range of setups, with both NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro on board. The anti-glare coating, height and pivot-adjustable stand, and a two-year OLED warranty round out a package that’s hard to argue with at this price.

If you have a bit more space in your setup for an even bigger unit, the 45-inch curved LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is now over $400 off. If you want something from another brand, Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 is $300 off at Amazon.

#gaming #monitor #deal #27inch #UltraGear #OLED #Amazon">Best gaming monitor deal: 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED now 0 off at Amazon
                                                            TL;DR: Amazon has the LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor back on sale for 9.99, knocking 0 off its 9.99 list price. That’s a 44% discount on a QHD OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification.
    
    
    
        
                                        
                                        
                    
                                                    9.99
                                                             at Amazon
                                                        9.99
                                                                                         Save 0
                                                                        
                
                                        
                    
        
    

OLED gaming monitors are steadily becoming more affordable, but this returning Amazon deal on an LG model is worth jumping on right away. As of April 22, Amazon has cut the price of LG’s 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor by 44% — dropping to 9.99 from 9.99. This brings this LG monitor back to its lowest ever price with the retailer, as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel.At 27 inches with QHD 2560 x 1440 resolution, this monitor hits a sweet spot for both competitive gaming and everyday desktop use, while fitting nicely into any setup without taking too much space. With a 240Hz refresh rate, this UltraGear monitor promises to keep even fast-paced titles running smoothly — the 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time means motion stays crisp without ghosting. Effectively, these specs mean they’ll make a noticeable difference in anything you play; that’s whether you’re going for an intense multiplayer game like Overwatch or a cinematic story-driven game like Saros, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, or Pragmata.
    Mashable Deals
        
            
            
            
            
            
                By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
            
        
    

No matter what you’re playing or watching, the LG UltraGear should make the experience even better with its added picture quality. After all, the OLED panel covers up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and the VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification backs up what you can see with your own eyes — blacks that are genuinely black, not the washed-out grey you get from most LCD panels.
        
            Mashable Deals
        
        
            
                            
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
                        By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
                    
                
                        
        
    
It also plays nicely with a wide range of setups, with both NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro on board. The anti-glare coating, height and pivot-adjustable stand, and a two-year OLED warranty round out a package that’s hard to argue with at this price.If you have a bit more space in your setup for an even bigger unit, the 45-inch curved LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is now over 0 off. If you want something from another brand, Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 is 0 off at Amazon.

                    
                                            
                            
                        
                                    #gaming #monitor #deal #27inch #UltraGear #OLED #Amazon

back on sale for $499.99, knocking $400 off its $899.99 list price. That’s a 44% discount on a QHD OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification.


$499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400

OLED gaming monitors are steadily becoming more affordable, but this returning Amazon deal on an LG model is worth jumping on right away. 

As of April 22, Amazon has cut the price of LG’s 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor by 44% — dropping to $499.99 from $899.99. This brings this LG monitor back to its lowest ever price with the retailer, as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel.

At 27 inches with QHD 2560 x 1440 resolution, this monitor hits a sweet spot for both competitive gaming and everyday desktop use, while fitting nicely into any setup without taking too much space. With a 240Hz refresh rate, this UltraGear monitor promises to keep even fast-paced titles running smoothly — the 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time means motion stays crisp without ghosting. 

Effectively, these specs mean they’ll make a noticeable difference in anything you play; that’s whether you’re going for an intense multiplayer game like Overwatch or a cinematic story-driven game like Saros, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, or Pragmata.

Mashable Deals

By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

No matter what you’re playing or watching, the LG UltraGear should make the experience even better with its added picture quality. After all, the OLED panel covers up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and the VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification backs up what you can see with your own eyes — blacks that are genuinely black, not the washed-out grey you get from most LCD panels.

It also plays nicely with a wide range of setups, with both NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro on board. The anti-glare coating, height and pivot-adjustable stand, and a two-year OLED warranty round out a package that’s hard to argue with at this price.

If you have a bit more space in your setup for an even bigger unit, the 45-inch curved LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is now over $400 off. If you want something from another brand, Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 is $300 off at Amazon.

#gaming #monitor #deal #27inch #UltraGear #OLED #Amazon">Best gaming monitor deal: 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED now $400 off at Amazon

TL;DR: Amazon has the LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor back on sale for $499.99, knocking $400 off its $899.99 list price. That’s a 44% discount on a QHD OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification.


$499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400

OLED gaming monitors are steadily becoming more affordable, but this returning Amazon deal on an LG model is worth jumping on right away. 

As of April 22, Amazon has cut the price of LG’s 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor by 44% — dropping to $499.99 from $899.99. This brings this LG monitor back to its lowest ever price with the retailer, as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel.

At 27 inches with QHD 2560 x 1440 resolution, this monitor hits a sweet spot for both competitive gaming and everyday desktop use, while fitting nicely into any setup without taking too much space. With a 240Hz refresh rate, this UltraGear monitor promises to keep even fast-paced titles running smoothly — the 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time means motion stays crisp without ghosting. 

Effectively, these specs mean they’ll make a noticeable difference in anything you play; that’s whether you’re going for an intense multiplayer game like Overwatch or a cinematic story-driven game like Saros, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, or Pragmata.

Mashable Deals

By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

No matter what you’re playing or watching, the LG UltraGear should make the experience even better with its added picture quality. After all, the OLED panel covers up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and the VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification backs up what you can see with your own eyes — blacks that are genuinely black, not the washed-out grey you get from most LCD panels.

It also plays nicely with a wide range of setups, with both NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro on board. The anti-glare coating, height and pivot-adjustable stand, and a two-year OLED warranty round out a package that’s hard to argue with at this price.

If you have a bit more space in your setup for an even bigger unit, the 45-inch curved LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is now over $400 off. If you want something from another brand, Samsung’s 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 is $300 off at Amazon.

#gaming #monitor #deal #27inch #UltraGear #OLED #Amazon

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