Poll: Apply HN Runoff – Which two startups should YCF fund?

Thanks for the AutoMicroFarm shout-out. We do have plans for software, but that's stage three, when we're trying to achieve stage one.

Specifically, here are the stages we have in mind:

Stage One: Dumb hardware, such as the mushroom media mentioned in the Apply HN

Stage Two: Smart hardware (sensors)

Stage Three: Software (control and communication)

Stage Four: Services and Marketplaces

You can always try emailing him at hn@yombinator.com . But I'm not sure whether he will accept.

Remember that it will be manual process so if everyone and their dog send a rectification, it will be too much work and he will hate me. Try this only if you extremely dislike the application that you upvoted by mistake.

Edit: This may have come across as too terse to pass the not-just-civil-but-nice test so I've added more explanation to my choices

I wasn't following the initial wave of submissions so here's my fresh-eyes take on the finalists. I'd particularly like to see other people's assessments of the whole field (vs individual submissions)

Not Ambitious Enough: These are in competitive spaces -- even if they delivered on their goals they wouldn't be #1 of their kind

  Krewe (There are so very many social networks -- and nextdoor already exists. What makes this indespensible?)
  Pikii (There are tons of pseudonymous social networks in particular -- what are you trying to accomplish?)

Too Narrow: I don't think there's going to be enough customers in love with this product for a funded growth business to thrive. Specifically, these have a low enough ceiling that they'd be stronger self-funding than taking outside money.

  Author Investments
  AutoMicroFarm

Bad Market: Your customers don't care about the problem you're solving:

  Casepad (Lawyers are pathologically tech-phobic and by their nature are spending someone else's money and taking a percentage. Cost savings are taking money out of their pocket.)
  Tiz.com (Liquor distribution is a de jure or de facto monopoly/kleptocracy. Being inefficient is a profit center for them.)

Pet Rocks: These solutions lack a problem

  Eat My Dust (It's free to check if you live next to a superfund site. Have you?)
  Utiliz (For almost every residential customer this is saving literally dollars a month)

Too Ambitious: These applicants are so far from winning that money would be premature

  Brodlist (This is one of the toughest markets on both tech and marketing grounds. You need to demonstrate that you are better than the teams that are currently struggling)
  Gresham Dollar (Your competition has an army and a navy)

Cowardly Lions: You already have what you need to succeed within you

  Hacksplaining
  Pinboard

Yet Anothers: Techie itch-scratching is an overserved market

  Brightwork
  Cadwolf

Survivors:

  Jury Board
  Siris Rooms
  Unnamed Infection-resistant materials
  Unnamed Trusted Skill Certification
  Wanderlust
  WedWell

There are 76,000 people in Alameda. Are you saying there aren't at least a handful among them that you couldn't get along with? You have a few anecdotal examples of bad experiences getting to know people in your neighborhood, but I doubt that would be the case for most people.

People generally move to areas where they think they will fit in. Yet they rarely have a good way to comfortably meet people in their new neighborhood. A lot of the time, they just end up befriending no one and being lonely all the time, which is a really awful state to be in, trust me. Krewe will give everyone an opportunity to make good friends and have a real social life.

@Dang - I didn't realize I forgot our company name! It's Feynman Nano :)