YC New Way

Apply Y Combinator’s “New Way to Build a Startup” playbook to ship fast, validate with real distribution, and iterate using data. Use when the user asks to follow “New Way”, design a 7-day startup sprint, pick a narrow wedge, build a lightweight MVP/SEO site/newsletter, set up experiments, or turn a vague idea into a testable plan with metrics, launch checklist, and weekly iteration loop.

YC “New Way” (ship → distribute → learn)

Goal

Turn an idea into a running distribution loop fast (days, not weeks), using the smallest product that can measure real demand.

Workflow (default)

0) Clarify the bet (2 minutes)

Fill this sentence:

• For [who] with [pain], we offer [promise] via [channel], and we’ll know it works when [metric] hits [threshold].

If missing, use references/experiment-brief.md.

1) Pick a narrow wedge

Prefer wedges that are:

• High intent (people already searching/buying)
• Clear objects (SKUs, listings, templates)
• Easy to prove with evidence (links, screenshots, timestamps)

Output:

• 1 primary wedge + 1 backup wedge
• 3 user stories

2) Choose one distribution channel first

Pick exactly one:

• SEO (content library + internal links)
• Newsletter (weekly digest)
• Community (Reddit/Discord/forums) where posting is allowed

Do not build more channels until one shows signal.

3) Ship the smallest MVP that measures

Default MVPs:

• SEO site: 10 pages (2 money pages + 8 support pages)
• Newsletter: 1 issue + signup + archive
• Tool page: 1 calculator/checklist with email capture

Include:

• Clear CTA
• Analytics
• Evidence links (avoid “AI says”)

Use references/landing-page-checklist.md and references/seo-10-page-plan.md.

4) Instrumentation & decision rules

Track only the fewest metrics:

• Traffic → CTA CTR → Outbound clicks → (optional) purchases
• Time to publish / pages per week (throughput)

Define stop/iterate rules:

• If CTR is low → fix promise/copy
• If CTR is high but no conversions → fix offer/price/trust
• If no traffic after 7 days → distribution problem (not product)

Use references/weekly-loop.md.

5) Weekly iteration loop

Every week:

1. Double down on 1 thing that worked
2. Kill 1 thing that didn’t
3. Add 1 new experiment

Keep a changelog; avoid rebuilding.

Output templates (use these verbatim)

• Experiment brief: references/experiment-brief.md
• Landing page checklist: references/landing-page-checklist.md
• SEO 10-page plan: references/seo-10-page-plan.md
• Weekly loop: references/weekly-loop.md

Guardrails

• Distribution before system: don’t over-automate until there’s signal.
• Evidence-first: recommendations must cite sources.
• Narrow first: one wedge, one channel, one metric.
• Legal/ToS: prefer public sources / allowed APIs; avoid bypassing logins or CAPTCHAs.