I didn't tell my Y Combinator batchmates I had a kid. I worried they'd think I wasn't hardcore enough.
Nicholas Charriere had a kid before starting at Y Combinator. "Saying 'I just had a kid and I love spending time with them' is not the vibe," he said.
Nicholas Charriere, a cofounder of Mocha, an AI app builder, had a child before entering Y Combinator at the age of 33. He kept his daughter's existence mostly a secret from his YC batchmates, as he didn't want them to believe he was less "hardcore." Charriere joined Cruise after securing a great offer there and spent four years there before returning to startups in 2023.
He mentioned the ageism within the tech industry, noting that many people in Silicon Valley are relatively young, and there are few role models for parents. Charriere eventually decided to quit Mocha in 2026 due to the intense competition from other startups like Lovable and Replit, and a second child being born while he had to make a crucial business decision.
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