Paul Graham, Founder of Y Combinator, Live from Stockholm

Paul Graham, the Founder of Y Combinator, speaks live from Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. He covers two topics -- if you should you go to Silicon Valley and what Sweden can do to thrive as a Startup hub. Originally recorded on 4.29.2026 Chapters: 01:01 – Why the Big Center Matters 02:45 – The Power of Serendipitous Meetings 04:36 – Investors Move Faster in the Valley 06:03 – Respect Follows the Move 07:59 – The Dropbox Story 09:10 – Measuring Yourself Against Big Fish 12:21 – Silicon Valley's Pay-It-Forward Culture 15:36 – How to Help Stockholm Thrive 17:24 – YC as the Optimal Path 19:54 – Could Stockholm Become The Silicon Valley of Europe? Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs

Paul Grahamhost

May 13, 202621mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: May 13, 2026
Duration: 21m
Channel: Y Combinator
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Paul Graham, the Founder of Y Combinator, speaks live from Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. He covers two topics -- if you should you go to Silicon Valley and what Sweden can do to thrive as a Startup hub. Originally recorded on 4.29.2026 Chapters: 01:01 – Why the Big Center Matters 02:45 – The Power of Serendipitous Meetings 04:36 – Investors Move Faster in the Valley 06:03 – Respect Follows the Move 07:59 – The Dropbox Story 09:10 – Measuring Yourself Against Big Fish 12:21 – Silicon Valley's Pay-It-Forward Culture 15:36 – How to Help Stockholm Thrive 17:24 – YC as the Optimal Path 19:54 – Could Stockholm Become The Silicon Valley of Europe? Apply to Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply Work at a startup: https://www.ycombinator.com/jobs

SPEAKERS

Paul Graham
host
Founder of Y Combinator and essayist focused on startups and Silicon Valley.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Y Combinator, featuring Paul Graham, Paul Graham, Founder of Y Combinator, Live from Stockholm explores paul Graham on Silicon Valley’s pull and Stockholm’s startup future Graham claims every ambitious field has a “big center,” and founders should go there to access better and more abundant peers.

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