>"but could Airbnb have been as successful had they not joined YC?"
These guys had a good idea, some luck, and were able to execute. I doubt that the "brand" of their money or broad aphorisms from VCs had much to do with any of it.
For all intents and purposes, money is money. There's an element of "tech celebrity" in the Valley, and big-name VCs are part of that. In reality, successful businesses around the country are built, every day, by hard-working entrepreneurs who bootstrap it (because their business is making money) or get funding my more traditional means. I don't think VCs have any "secret sauce" for success.
Yes. I don't think that the YC brand or any VCs would have helped them to attract customers. The VCs are well too far as a marketing environment compare to the kind of people who could use their platform. If it's a company like docker then yes: the VCs, tech guys, and companies using it are all connected and know each other. Their mutual respect and actions create their own brand so it works. But here people renting their apartment not so much, even more cities outside the Valley. They can be in the energy industry, banking industry, manufacturing... so with no particular interest in the tech world or VCs/startup world.
The biggest challenge for them was to find people willing to use their platform to rent their apartment to strangers.
frbo.com had been up and operating for many years before airbnb came around. "good idea" in this case wasn't original, so that would leave luck or connections. maybe it wasnt the YC money that helped as much as YC's connections.
in the end we will never really know, but it wasnt the "good idea" part that made them successful.
These guys had a good idea, some luck, and were able to execute. I doubt that the "brand" of their money or broad aphorisms from VCs had much to do with any of it.
For all intents and purposes, money is money. There's an element of "tech celebrity" in the Valley, and big-name VCs are part of that. In reality, successful businesses around the country are built, every day, by hard-working entrepreneurs who bootstrap it (because their business is making money) or get funding my more traditional means. I don't think VCs have any "secret sauce" for success.