I think the main take away is that the best will survive. Those who figure out the model, figure out what types of people and companies to accept, and figure out how to best get them off the ground.
The idea of trying the incubator model in other areas such as health care and clean tech is an interesting idea and I'm interested to see if it will have the same effect on start ups that are much more expensive to start.
After being in 3 different incubators (2 government run, and 1 private in the US) I've learned a great deal about what works and what doesn't. The government doesn't work. If the folks who run the incubator have no stake in the companies and no interest as to whether they'll eventually be successful other than bragging rights, they will work as little as possible to not get fired.
Now when the incubator is run as a start up itself, the whole incentive system changes for the better. They want to work just as hard as you to make sure everyone is successful. Go YC!
Progression is everything to me. Not just as as developer, everything in life must progress. I found the article hit the nail on the head. You want to progress from decent-to-good, or good-to-great. You want to move forward.
I find it easy to continue getting better at what you're good at. You have a solid understanding of what you're working on, and it's easy to touch up areas where you might be lacking. But to make great strides, you really need to take on things you suck at. This is where the biggest progression leaps happen. It might be tough to get started, but once you accomplish something you have never touched before, that's where the true leaps in progression happen.
Being uncomfortable with what you're doing really exposes you to areas which need growth, keeps you humble and keep your hungry.
The idea of trying the incubator model in other areas such as health care and clean tech is an interesting idea and I'm interested to see if it will have the same effect on start ups that are much more expensive to start.
After being in 3 different incubators (2 government run, and 1 private in the US) I've learned a great deal about what works and what doesn't. The government doesn't work. If the folks who run the incubator have no stake in the companies and no interest as to whether they'll eventually be successful other than bragging rights, they will work as little as possible to not get fired.
Now when the incubator is run as a start up itself, the whole incentive system changes for the better. They want to work just as hard as you to make sure everyone is successful. Go YC!