Founders
This Stanford PhD co-founded Google
Larry Page
Facebook acquired this photo-sharing app for $1B in 2012
What is Instagram?
This accelerator has funded Airbnb, Stripe, and Reddit
Y Combinator
This company started as an online bookstore.
Amazon
This company’s original name was “BackRub.”
This Airbnb co-founder sold novelty cereal boxes to keep the company alive
Who is Brian Chesky
Microsoft acquired this developer platform for $7.5 billion in stock (announced 2018)
What is GitHub
This firm backed Google, Amazon, and Kleiner Perkins early.
Sequoia Capital
This company pivoted from a podcast platform into a music streaming giant.
What is Spotify?
This company started as an online DVD-by-mail service.
Netflix
This Facebook co-founder later became a founder of Palantir.
Peter Thiel
What company offered to buy Facebook in 2006 for $1B?
Yahoo
This VC firm was founded by former PayPal executives and backed Palantir and SpaceX early.
Founders Fund
This company was originally a location-based check-in app called Burbn.
This company famously asked users for referrals instead of paid ads.
Dropbox
This founder was fired from his own company before returning to save it
Who is Steve Jobs
Google acquired this AI company founded by Demis Hassabis for ~$500M in 2014.
What is DeepMind?
This VC firm is known for its “founder-friendly” reputation and minimal board control.
Andreessen Horowitz / a16z
This company nearly shut down in 2008 before raising emergency funding.
Airbnb
This startup’s original name was “Odeo.”
This Stripe co-founder was rejected by Y Combinator on his first application
Who is Patrick Collison
Google bought this ad-tech company for about $3.1 billion in 2007.
What is DoubleClick?
This firm coined the term “unicorn” to describe $1B startups.
What is Cowboy Ventures?
This gaming company pivoted internally, spinning out Slack as a side project.
What is Tiny Speck?
This founder once turned down a $1B acquisition offer, then sold the company years later for far more ~19B.
Jan Koum