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pb's comments

pb | 5 years ago | on: DoorDash from Application to IPO

Yeah, it's so easy to convince yourself that you knew all along that a company would succeed, which is one reason why it's helpful to keep actual notes.

It's also a great example of a company that was not popular on Demo Day. This kind of success is so hard to predict.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

The best known treatment at the time the infection is detected. That can be as basic as rest and hydration, but hopefully we'll have something better down the line.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

I agree that data is good, but the data you linked to seems to be for Italy only. Perhaps they had adequate PPE?

I'm kind of skeptical of the idea that the doctors and nurses in the United States are simply reacting out of irrational fear.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

Thermometers are better than nothing, but unlikely to stop the spread because of asymptomatic transmission (easy to catch the virus from someone who doesn't have a fever). This is why I think directly detecting the virus is essential.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

It's a fully automated solution, like an airport kiosk or a subway turnstile. Maybe I need to make that more clear?

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

The saliva stays inside the tube for that very reason. The test specifically identifies the virus, not the antibodies, again for the reason you identify.

Currently most public buildings are closed, so adding ten minutes is a big improvement relative to that. Also, it probably took them more than ten minutes to drive to work, so I don't think it's completely implausible.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

I'd love to hear more! Part of the reason I put this out is to encourage other people with technology for fast, easy, cheap testing come forward.

Is your protein test able to detect as soon as people become contagious? That's where a lot of ideas fail, but I think getting R0 < 1 likely requires it.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

Exactly. More testing is good, but actually stopping pandemic will require orders of magnitude more testing, which in turn requires a different approach to testing because the current way we do testing can't scale.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

Yes, he is the best I've found. This proposal is still at least an order of magnitude more testing though :) (on the order of 100 million tests/day, not 1 million tests/day)

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

No, I mean the door to the office building, shopping mall, or other place where groups of people gather and potentially transmit the virus.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

That's why I think testing at the door is the more straightforward way to start. We can reopen factories, office buildings, even shopping malls, but no one gets in without passing the screen.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

I have not found any mainstream sources that advocate screening everyone every day (which is very different from simply doing "more testing"). Would love some pointers if I'm wrong.

pb | 5 years ago | on: A Third Solution

It's daily screening for exactly that reason. Is there something I should change to make that more clear?

pb | 8 years ago | on: Frequently Asked Questions from YC Applicants

Yes, we absolutely fund companies at the idea stage, and often companies will pivot mid-batch -- in fact, one of our fastest growing startups from last year did exactly that.

One of the things I hear most often from our founders is that they accomplished more in their 3 months at YC than they did in the entire year before. Also, keep in mind that press is selective, and some companies wait years before publically launching as a YC company.

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