It depends on your view on how ideas, and in the same vein, talent come about.

Some people say it can be curated, fostered and managed. Like scouting, building and nurturing the Olympic gold medallist when they were young.

Another approach, is that you need volume. Volume of options, volume of choices and volume of ideas. (Heard that before in Design Thinking?) From a volume of options, the good ideas will bubble to the top. Just like why many Olympic medal winners come from countries that have a large population of people. Many hopefuls to choose from, many chances to make it to the top.

Perhaps Y-Combinator is doing both. In that sense that also aligns to my own view about ideas, creativity, talent and innovation.

A volume of options, combined with careful curation and nurturing IS the killer combo.

Let’s go Birding soon?