This week was an important one for the YC W24 batch, but not one that’s super-widely known outside of YC: the retreat.

At the beginning of each batch, we take over an awesome venue for a few days and bring all of the new founders together in person. It’s an opportunity for these founders to hit pause on work for just a couple of days and really get to know the people they’ll be building alongside for the years ahead.

While the retreat is specifically not meant to be one big work sprint, it’s wild how much progress just happens when you get a bunch of smart people together under one roof. I can’t count how many times this week I’ve seen a founder mention a challenge their startup is facing only for the person they’re speaking with to say “Wait! You should meet [another founder standing five feet away]. They worked on exactly that for years!”

Founders are encouraged to give off-the-cuff talks about things they know a lot about, whatever that may be. (This week, for example, I learned how to land a plane in an emergency situation — or at least not crash quite as hard — from a founder who is also a pilot.) The Group Partners get super candid about the realities of building a startup, and about their own founder journeys. There is literally zero “always be crushing it” vibe; it’s all just very real. 

Want to be at the next one? Apply to YC here.

- Greg

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