Dalton Caldwell

Dalton Caldwell is the Managing Director and Group Partner at Y Combinator (YC), a prominent startup accelerator. He has played a significant role in advising numerous successful startups, with the companies he has worked with collectively valued at around $170 billion.

Background and Career

Caldwell co-founded and served as the CEO of imeem, a music streaming service that was acquired by MySpace in 2009. He also co-founded App.net, a social network designed to be ad-free and supported by user subscriptions. Additionally, he founded Mixed Media Labs, which developed various digital products, including the photo-sharing app picplz.1234

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Symbolic Systems and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stanford University, graduating in 2003. His extensive experience includes conducting over 6,500 office hours with founders across 21 YC batches, and he has advised more than 35 YC unicorns, such as DoorDash and Webflow.24

Contributions to Y Combinator

At Y Combinator, Caldwell has been instrumental in shaping the strategies and operations of numerous startups. He emphasizes the importance of resilience in entrepreneurship, often advising founders to maintain a mindset focused on survival and adaptability. His insights into startup dynamics, including the pitfalls of certain business ideas and the significance of market size, have made him a respected figure in the startup community.24

Caldwell is also active in sharing his knowledge through various platforms, including podcasts and speaking engagements, where he discusses the challenges and strategies for startup success.4