Harvard-educated girlfriend turns chef, barber, laundrywoman for founder boyfriend, starts gender debate | Trending

The girlfriend of a Y Combinator founder has divided the internet asking for “sweat equity” in his startup. In a post shared on the social media platform X, CC Gong said that she makes sure her boyfriend Mihail Eric is fed, his clothes are clean and his hair is cut as he goes through the gruelling schedule of a Y Combinator programme. CC Gong shared a picture of her boyfriend Mihail Eric sleeping on the couch.(X/@CCgong) Y Combinator (YC) is a startup accelerator based in Silicon Valley that provides seed funding, advice, and connections to early-stage startups. The typical Y Combinator batch lasts about 3 months. During this period, selected startups receive one-on-one mentorship sessions with YC partners, network with successful entrepreneurs, attend demonstrations and workshops etc. The programme is known for its rigorous and intensive nature. Gong shared a photograph of her boyfriend sprawled out on the sofa with his laptop open on the table in front of him. “My boyfriend is in YC and this is what I come home to Friday night. I make sure that he’s fed, do his laundry and cut his hair. I give feedback, customer intros, and encouragement. YC girlfriends should be granted sweat equity,” she wrote. Gong, who has worked at global giants like Microsoft and Meta, is no stranger to the founder experience – she is the co-founder of Montage and a principal at Menlo Ventures. She received her undergraduate degree from the Ivy League Harvard University and went on to do an MBA from Stanford before stepping into the corporate world with stints at Microsoft, Meta, Bain Capital Ventures etc. Her boyfriend Mihail Eric is the co-founder of Storia AI, a startup building AI tool Sage that can help developers understand, analyse and generate software. A divisive postHowever, Gong’s post asking for sweat equity in her founder-boyfriend’s AI startup has left social media divided. While many supported and praised her for going the extra mile for her boyfriend, others asked why he could not take care of himself. Her post has received over 2 million views, hundreds of comments and some interest from venture capitals. “During my time in YC nobody made sure I was fed, did my laundry, or cut my hair. Can we graduate past a narrative that normalizes women being invisible emotional labor sidekicks to men’s visible professional successes,” asked one YC founder. “I was literally in 4th grade the first time I heard something like ‘behind every great man there’s a great woman behind him’ and this was supposed to be empowering to women but I have wondered, still wonder, who or what is behind great women,” another X user wrote. “The only thing harder than being a startup founder is dating one. It’s not for the faint of heart!” X user Ariel said. “YC founders life partners are the real heroes,” Denis Mars opined.