The university you go to is a factor in your entreprenurial journey. Stanford is likely the best outcome in the school factor you want to be a startup founder. But there are many other factors to optimize for beyond college.
The ultimate thing to optimize for is to build something people want.
The college you go to is just one factor feeding into that.
Don't let a poor outcome in one factor cause you to lose focus on the ultimate goal.
And here's a tip: go to another school in the Bay Area, find the hottest startup, and offer value to them until they let you intern there. 4 years of that (or even at a few startups) is worth more than anything you would have gotten from any school. And don't forget to read all the startup books.
Edit: I realized I didn't really answer your question so here goes: yes luck plays a huge factor, especially as you move from predicatable businesses such as commerical real estate to hypergrowth moonshots like Google and Facebook. But all startup founders face setbacks, and you've just witenssed your first highly visible setback. Don't let it rock your ship; instead use it to fuel your fire.
I'm currently building something that has shown great product market fit at another company, although they aren't pursuing it, and is in a big industry. I am technical, and am looking for a technical cofounder. If you can build web and mobile software, send me an email at [email protected]. Preferred location is SF or LA.
The ultimate thing to optimize for is to build something people want.
The college you go to is just one factor feeding into that.
Don't let a poor outcome in one factor cause you to lose focus on the ultimate goal.
And here's a tip: go to another school in the Bay Area, find the hottest startup, and offer value to them until they let you intern there. 4 years of that (or even at a few startups) is worth more than anything you would have gotten from any school. And don't forget to read all the startup books.
Edit: I realized I didn't really answer your question so here goes: yes luck plays a huge factor, especially as you move from predicatable businesses such as commerical real estate to hypergrowth moonshots like Google and Facebook. But all startup founders face setbacks, and you've just witenssed your first highly visible setback. Don't let it rock your ship; instead use it to fuel your fire.