Y Combinator advises universities to emphasize technical building skills to prepare students to start startups. The organization notes that founders need to be proficient in building products, a skill that comes from studying computer science, engineering, or related sciences rather than management or finance. The recommended approach does not require a new entrepreneurship curriculum. Instead, universities should continue to teach existing technical subjects. Founders succeed based on product quality, not on their college major; they can pursue any field as long as they develop the ability to create. Y Combinator partners say two changes would improve founder preparation: making students feel that starting a startup is possible, and encouraging independent project work. Interest in startups varies by institution; alumni of Harvard apply to Y Combinator at roughly twice the rate of alumni from Yale and Princeton, suggesting that campus culture influences participation. Exposure to real founders can help students view startup creation as achievable. Founders who have been active for a few years and whose companies have modest valuations are more familiar to students than highly famous billionaires. Working on independent projects offers several benefits. It deepens understanding of a subject, helps cofounders assess compatibility, makes the startup process feel natural, and sometimes generates ideas that appear unlikely initially but may later prove valuable. Some universities are concerned that giving students free time may reduce overall productivity and that oversight is needed to prevent idle activity. However, the most energetic students are likely to use additional time to create meaningful work, while less engaged students already have limited potential for improvement. Harvard’s reading period, the interval between the end of classes and final exams, provided the conditions that enabled Microsoft and Meta to begin. The lack of immediate deadlines allowed students to focus on projects without competing demands. Universities may resist reducing coursework because they view active measures as necessary. Yet allowing students to pursue self‑directed projects aligns with the goal of fostering a startup culture. Official endorsement of projects can be problematic, as seen in cases where Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg faced disciplinary action for work that conflicted with university rules. Teaching students how to start a startup in a traditional classroom setting is impractical. The process requires full‑time commitment that conflicts with a full academic schedule. Y Combinator’s model, which involves actually starting companies, cannot be easily adapted to a university curriculum. Business plan competitions train founders to prioritize fundraising narratives over product development. Users are more important than investors; prototypes, not pitches, help gain user traction. Funding is a necessary step but not the core of startup creation. Focus should be on developing products that appeal to users. The recommended preparation strategy relies on existing technical instruction, student‑led project work, and a campus culture that normalizes startup creation. Reallocating resources toward computer science, engineering, and related departments, and providing students with discretionary time, can support these goals without additional spending. If universities foster a startup environment where multiple students launch successful ventures each year, the impact will become evident to observers.