Ask HN: Is really Y Combinator selection process fair?

They didn´t care if we were a Founder and a Co-Founder with good serial entrepreneur and execution history; raised 725K for this startup; executed and developed a full “Fintech” platform ready to launch.

Reading more than 200 applications per day could be overwhelming and finding the next Google between more than 2,000 applications is like finding a needle in a haystack but YC definitely needs to improve the selection process. Ideas:

a) Start limiting the number of applications per batch (Honestly I prefer that each batch have a limited number of applications. With that limit, Partners will review each one. Alumni are very smart but they are busy building their own startups and don´t have the experience, vision, to screen apps like the Partners.

b) If you involve Alumni they really need to review all the applications and all the materials. People spent a lot of time on the applications; at least they deserve the right to be reviewed in full and if they reject an application is because they really make a good job reviewing it.

c) Now you can apply even if you don´t have an idea. Also make a different application process for groups that are more advanced like almost ready for launch or launched.

We were only asking for the 10 minutes interview like all other groups. YC means for us: a) The best mentoring, b) Feedback, c) Knowledge and Networking

YC: You have the right to reject any group but please review the applications in full. Anyway we are continuing with or without YC. This is only a friendly note to the great people (Partners & Staff) at YC.

Regarding your actual suggestion, I'm not sure how restricting the number of applicants would help, after all it seems far better to have a first-level filter (i.e. alumni network) than to just impose some arbitrary limit based upon a lottery or a first-come-first-served basis.

YC has commented before that the no-idea applications are essentially an experiment. Historically many YC companies have pivoted significantly over the three months of YC, this naturally carries an implication that the idea doesn't matter as much as good founders, so it seems like a reasonable experiment. There's no a priori reason to assume that teams who have launched are going to be more successful than ones who haven't, they're just at a different stage of their life-cycle.

I believe this is only the second season where they've had no application ideas, so it'll probably take them a couple of years to measure if it works or not, but presumably from the fact they're still doing it the initial indications are positive.