description Paul Graham Overview
Paul Graham is a British-born computer scientist, programmer, essayist, and entrepreneur. He co-founded Viaweb, an early web-based application for creating online stores, and later co-founded the startup accelerator Y Combinator in 2005. Through Y Combinator and widely read essays on programming, company formation, fundraising, and startup growth, Graham became an influential figure among software founders and early-stage technology investors.
insights Ranking position
Paul Graham ranks #10 of 170 in the Entrepreneur ranking, behind Ray Kroc, ahead of Gabe Newell.
help Paul Graham FAQ
What happened to Paul Graham's company Viaweb?
Graham co-founded Viaweb with Robert Morris and Trevor Blackwell as a web-based tool for building online stores. Yahoo acquired it in 1998 and turned the product into Yahoo Store.
Why did Paul Graham create Y Combinator?
Graham co-founded Y Combinator in 2005 with Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris, and Trevor Blackwell to fund very early-stage startups in batches. The accelerator later backed companies including Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, and Reddit.
What programming language did Paul Graham create?
Graham created Arc, a Lisp dialect intended to explore concise language design. His earlier work with Lisp also shaped Viaweb, whose server-side software was largely written in Common Lisp.
Which Paul Graham essays are most useful to startup founders?
"How to Start a Startup," "Do Things that Don't Scale," and "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule" are among his most widely discussed essays. They address founder selection, early customer acquisition, product work, and the cost of interrupting creative concentration.
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