Y Combinator's Startup School is free, self-paced, and taught by the same partners who advise YC's funded companies. It covers how to evaluate ideas, talk to users, launch before you feel ready, set key metrics, and — only later — raise money. It's opinionated in the venture-backed direction, but its core lessons about users and iteration apply to any business. Watch the core lectures, then use the co-founder matching and weekly progress updates to keep yourself honest.
Scaling from ten to a thousand people: executives, boards, and M&A. For after product-market fit.
Elad Gil
The definitive guide to options and equity. Read it before issuing your first grant.
Holloway
Clear guides on incorporation, equity, and business basics, written for first-time founders.
Stripe
The standard seed documents, with explanations. Understand them before you sign one.
Spanx's founder on bootstrapping, product, and selling with little money. Candid and motivating.
Founders sharing revenue, tactics, and mistakes openly. Especially useful for bootstrapped businesses.
Indie Hackers
Talks on bootstrapping software businesses without venture capital. Refreshingly practical on pricing.
Bill Aulet's method for finding a first customer. The opening of MIT's Disciplined Entrepreneurship.
MIT Learn
Long, tactical articles from operators on hiring, management, and go-to-market.
First Round Review
Thousands of talks from founders and investors, searchable by topic. A lifetime of free lectures.
Technion's four-course path from idea to business plan. Structured, practical, and graded.
The essays that shaped a generation of founders. Start with "Do Things That Don't Scale."
Paul Graham
Customer conversations done right. Read it before your first interview, not after your tenth.
Essays and talks from YC partners on every stage. Search it before paying anyone for advice.
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Course availability, level, and pricing are set by the provider and can change. Verify on the provider's site before enrolling.
