Garry is one of the nicest, most helpful people I know. 5 years ago, he took a meeting with us, even though we had a barely functioning prototype, and helped us prep for our YC interview. After our first meeting, he even offered to meet up again. I was blown away by how generous he was with his time. We got into YC and he’s been an incredible advisor ever since.
He’s one of the few people I like to think of when I think of Silicon Valley at its best. He genuinely loves product and the creation process. He’s hugely helpful and he’s a great person, through and through.
> He’s one of the few people I like to think of when I think of Silicon Valley at its best.
Seriously, because the way SC people describe each other constantly would make one think the place is filled to the brim, exclusively, bursting with the nicest most generous people in existence!
End of an era! While a lot of ex-founder partner/VC people seem to think mostly about nation-building, vision, and the marketing buzzwords you'd find on an analytics dashboard, Garry's advice is always extremely concrete and close the the metal. When success came, he never rolled down his sleeves and stopped building and that's something most of us around here can really respect.
Enjoy your time away Garry, excited to see what you build next!
Working with Garry at YC was one of the highlights of my career. He simply cares more about other people than anyone I've ever met, which makes him both a dream colleague and friend.
Garry is an incredible person and like most remarkable people he is also deeply humble. This kindness and approachable spirit, I think, allow him to be a great student of founders, startups, and cultures. I've learned quite a bit from Garry about how systems evolve and operate. He is a very rare person and a gift to the startup world.
Thanks Garry for all that you've done for the YC community. I wish you the very best in this next leg of your journey.
Garry was the partner we leaned on most at Ridejoy. He believed in what we were doing, helped us cut through to the highest priority work, and gave us tough love when we needed it.
Thank you Garry for being an amazing YC partner. I'm sure we'll be hearing about what you work on next soon, and in the meantime, enjoy the well-deserved R&R!
Garry's advice and support throughout YC (and afterwards) was unparalleled, but more importantly, he's just a really good person. I'll never forget when he broke out Photoshop during office hours and redesigned our app on the spot!
Hi Garry. I interviewed for W11 with my brother Andy. We flew out from Boston. We rented an RV and lived in it for a week before the interview. That fall was the first year the interviews were split between two rooms. We pitched a startup that helped people rent things (bouncy castles, excavators, photo booths etc) for temporary use. The interview didn't go well. I was fumbling all over and remember feeling hopeless. Then you stepped in and asked a bunch of optimistic product questions, driving the interview to a better place. We didn't end up getting in, but to this day I still remember the experience I had with you and consider the interview one of the best things I ever did. Thank you.
Garry really is as remarkable as all these comments are saying. He has an original mind and a kind heart and that's a damn fine combination. I'm so glad to know him. Yay Garry!
One fond memory that resonates well with how he thinks and works with other people was in an office hour we had with him. I asked him why he does what he does and his response was simple: "I do this to help people get out of the rat race."
Every office hours session we had with Garry we came away buzzing, the man has an amazing ability to inject raw enthusiasm when you are questioning yourself the most.
Congratulations on a great tenure at YC and best wishes for whatever's next! Your advice and friendship at YC are one of my fondest memories of our time there.
Garry is a hero. He is extremely nice, very kind, and has more empathy for the founder than anyone I know. Whatever he does next, I wish him happiness and success.
Garry, Thank you for your advice while we were there. I think I came in with my startup around the same time you came in as a partner.
I was always impressed with your calm demeanor and thoughtful pointers. YC is, in many ways a frenzied whirlwind for founders and it was great to have people like you around who made me feel that everything was going to work out OK.
Thanks Garry. I met you once in Waterloo, Canada in 2011, and you convinced me that I should start my own startup. I didn't start one yet, but I will be doing that some day following your advice.
Will definitely be missed. Garry is exceptionally kind, sharp, and helpful in an organization full of exceptional, kind and helpful people. Hope to work with you again, but love the decision you're making to spend time with family. Can't go wrong with investing in family time!
[+] [-] guiseppecalzone|10 years ago|reply
Garry is one of the nicest, most helpful people I know. 5 years ago, he took a meeting with us, even though we had a barely functioning prototype, and helped us prep for our YC interview. After our first meeting, he even offered to meet up again. I was blown away by how generous he was with his time. We got into YC and he’s been an incredible advisor ever since.
He’s one of the few people I like to think of when I think of Silicon Valley at its best. He genuinely loves product and the creation process. He’s hugely helpful and he’s a great person, through and through.
Look forward to seeing what he does next!
[+] [-] sinzone|10 years ago|reply
http://cl.ly/image/1e3o2W450h3w
[+] [-] tripzilch|10 years ago|reply
Seriously, because the way SC people describe each other constantly would make one think the place is filled to the brim, exclusively, bursting with the nicest most generous people in existence!
[+] [-] rgbrgb|10 years ago|reply
Enjoy your time away Garry, excited to see what you build next!
[+] [-] alexis|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Harj|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 7cupsoftea|10 years ago|reply
Thanks Garry for all that you've done for the YC community. I wish you the very best in this next leg of your journey.
[+] [-] jasonshen|10 years ago|reply
Thank you Garry for being an amazing YC partner. I'm sure we'll be hearing about what you work on next soon, and in the meantime, enjoy the well-deserved R&R!
[+] [-] ryanb|10 years ago|reply
Congrats and enjoy some much deserved time away!
[+] [-] aacook|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dang|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ritikm|10 years ago|reply
One fond memory that resonates well with how he thinks and works with other people was in an office hour we had with him. I asked him why he does what he does and his response was simple: "I do this to help people get out of the rat race."
Thank you, Garry, for everything.
[+] [-] jacquesm|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thiele|10 years ago|reply
Enjoy the time away, Garry!
[+] [-] jamescun|10 years ago|reply
I wish him all the best in his future endeavors!
[+] [-] mrtron|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dy|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] abbasmehdi|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] asdf333|10 years ago|reply
I was always impressed with your calm demeanor and thoughtful pointers. YC is, in many ways a frenzied whirlwind for founders and it was great to have people like you around who made me feel that everything was going to work out OK.
And it did.
Best of luck on your future endeavors.
[+] [-] jsnk|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tlb|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bobhaigler|10 years ago|reply