Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator, shares insights from his early career mistakes, observing that the hottest areas for innovation aren’t what you read about in the media – they’re ideas that sound like a bad idea initially, but turn out to be a good idea.

Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator, encourages startup founders to remember they have to start small and gradually pick up customers, cofounders, and capital. Getting each of these things helps a startup get more of the others.

Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator, encourages founders to be dedicated to hands-on, authentic customer service. People are desperate for human connection on the Internet, he says — and this applies to B2B as well as consumer products.

Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator, encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to view themselves as people who can learn to do anything, not as specialized parts in a big machine. You don’t have to be the best at everything, he says, but knowing the basics will make you more successful.

Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator, disagrees with a common business adage that there are too few good ideas and too few good people in the world. Instead, he says, the world has innumerable problems but is full of smart people who can use technology to solve them.

Garry Tan, president and CEO of Y Combinator, advises young people to recognize that they create value for the companies they work for, but the companies only give a fraction back. However, he says, the opportunity to learn from each workplace is priceless.