Ask HN: Who got rejected in earlier cycles of YC application and made it anyway?

Post by cperciva » Tue, Mar 16, 2010, 9:40 AM UTC

pg wrote: post #53

froo wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, what about if the opposite was true? How do you handle situations where the idea is (in your opinion) great but the person is perhaps lacking for whatever reason? Is this a situation where you pass or do you take a proverbial punt? Have you done so in the past (don't need to name names to save someone's ego)

We wouldn't fund a group if the founders were really lacking, e.g. if they seemed uncommitted, or not smart enough to build whatever they were planning to.

    we now make a conscious effort to pay less
    attention to the idea and more to the people
    ...
    We wouldn't fund [people who were] not smart
    enough to build whatever they were planning to

Post by rkarumanchi » Wed, Mar 17, 2010, 11:40 PM UTC

blader wrote: post #45

pg wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is probably not an accident that this is phrased in such an odd way, with the subjects of the sentences missing. It should read " we got in the second time, but I dropped out a week later." What happened is that Siqi and a cofounder started YC, then a week in Siqi bailed and left his cofounder in the lurch because a side project of his had unexpectedly taken off. We suggested making the side project be the focus o…

Wow, this really stings coming from someone I respect so much. This is what happens when you leave without an explanation from YC I suppose. Paul, I agree I should have said "we got in the second time, but I dropped out a week later". I apologize for not being clear but I don't accept that there was anything wrong with what I said. To be clear, the side project of mine which took off was co-owned 50% by my another fo…