I’m passion about our application and will continue to work on it. YC challenge helped us to make it faster, but we started to do it before we found out about YC (4 months ago).
Continue to do what you do! Thanks to YC
Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
91–100 of 121 posts
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#92Don't be discouraged. I'm 100% sure my idea is rock solid, I've executed successfully before AND I have a cofounder, but I was turned down. You don't have a good startup-tale without getting turned down a few times. I think of it like this: me: Would you like to make some money with me YC? YC: No thanks, we have plenty.
> I'm 100% sure my idea is rock solid, I've executed successfully before AND I have a cofounder, but I was turned down. Send them a letter rejecting their rejection letter and show up anyhow. From gettingintogradschool.com: Thank for your letter of April 9. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission to our department. This year I have been particu…
Reminds me of the excite.com story in Founders at Work
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
> If you got a no, think about why, and consider it free advice from someone whose opinion you trust. I honestly think they are just too pressed for time to do a thorough review. Applicants can check their web logs and see if YC even looked at their stuff. Submitting early is probably a major advantage if it means they (YC) actually have time to take a gander at what you did.
"Too pressed for time" is a valid reason for a rejection. If it doesn't sound compelling enough after the first sentence then you probably need to work on your pitch.
> If it doesn't sound compelling enough after the first sentence then you probably need to work on your pitch.
How compelling do these sound...
"Search engine" (Google)
"Computer languages" (MS)
"Directory of stuff on the web" (Yahoo)
"Online store builder" (ViaWeb)
"Computers for ordinary people" (Apple)
"Online photo album" (Flickr)
"Rate pictures of people you don't know" (HotOrNot)
"Blogging" (Blogger)
In many cases... "yet another X". Difference being in execution...
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#94The classic, the best thing to read about rejection. It's by Teresa Nielsen Hayden, an editor at Tor (also a moderator at Boing Boing now). The context is science fiction publishing, but the feelings are all the same. And it's a good laugh. http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004641.html For instance, some of the "didn't peruse my website" stuff starts to sound familiar: "But let’s assume the author’s right…
"SOME THOUGHTS ON WRITING" (Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of the #1 NYTimes Bestseller Memoir, Eat Pray Love) [http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/writing.htm]
"Your job is only to write your heart out, and let destiny take care of the rest."
"I have a friend who’s an Italian filmmaker of great artistic sensibility. After years of struggling to get his films made, he sent an anguished letter to his hero, the brilliant (and perhaps half-insane) German filmmaker Werner Herzog. My friend complained about how difficult it is these days to be an independent filmmaker, how hard it is to find government arts grants, how the audiences have all been ruined by Hollywood and how the world has lost its taste…etc, etc. Herzog wrote back a personal letter to my friend that essentially ran along these lines: “Quit your complaining. It’s not the world’s fault that you wanted to be an artist. It’s not the world’s job to enjoy the films you make, and it’s certainly not the world’s obligation to pay for your dreams. Nobody wants to hear it. Steal a camera if you have to, but stop whining and get back to work.” I repeat those words back to myself whenever I start to feel resentful, entitled, competitive or unappreciated with regard to my writing: “It’s not the world’s fault that you want to be an artist…now get back to work.” Always, at the end of the day, the important thing is only and always that: Get back to work. This is a path for the courageous and the faithful. You must find another reason to work, other than the desire for success or recognition. It must come from another place."
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#95Congrats to everyone that got an interview! Get a prototype/demo working and be impressive. Y Combinator is life changing -- good luck. :)
For those not participating, you can still join a growing YC startup. Disqus is actively growing the team: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=158091
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#96Just got the "rejection" letter, I'm a bit disappointed I couldn't get the team reviewing the proposals as passionate about the project as I am. I think being a solo founder hurt me, but I've been working on the project full-time for four months (over 12k lines of code). This won't slow me down. =) What is your company going to make? We make it easy to jot something down from any device and then share that note with…
have you checked evernote.com. That is the one major reason I see
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#97http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=68598 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=113610
http://theburningbiscuit.com/Pictures%20for%20site/Demotivat... http://theburningbiscuit.com/Pictures%20for%20site/Demotivat... http://theburningbiscuit.com/Pictures%20for%20site/Demotivat... http://theburningbiscuit.com/Pictures%20for%20site/Demotivat... http://theburningbiscuit.com/Pictures%20for%20site/Demotivat...
funny response, no need to take it personally. I had the "failure" demotivator up in my room for a year
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#98Don't be discouraged. I'm 100% sure my idea is rock solid, I've executed successfully before AND I have a cofounder, but I was turned down. You don't have a good startup-tale without getting turned down a few times. I think of it like this: me: Would you like to make some money with me YC? YC: No thanks, we have plenty.
> I'm 100% sure my idea is rock solid, I've executed successfully before AND I have a cofounder, but I was turned down. Send them a letter rejecting their rejection letter and show up anyhow. From gettingintogradschool.com: Thank for your letter of April 9. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me admission to our department. This year I have been particu…
Upon hearing the news that YC decided not to fund us, my co-founder refused to take no for an answer and decided to call PG on the phone and plea. PG was really really cool and even offered additional advice to help us, but wouldnt budge on their decision.
My advice for those rejected now and after interviews is to simply accept the rejection and continue to build your product as aggressively as you can. I didnt take our rejection very well, and probably wasted more time than I should have dwelling on it. There is not enough time in this field to focus on defeats. Your competition will simply kill you if you do.
Consider this rejection to be a practice round of many more to come.
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Too pressed for time" is a valid reason for a rejection. If it doesn't sound compelling enough after the first sentence then you probably need to work on your pitch.
> If it doesn't sound compelling enough after the first sentence then you probably need to work on your pitch. How compelling do these sound... "Search engine" (Google) "Computer languages" (MS) "Directory of stuff on the web" (Yahoo) "Online store builder" (ViaWeb) "Computers for ordinary people" (Apple) "Online photo album" (Flickr) "Rate pictures of people you don't know" (HotOrNot) "Blogging" (Blogger) In many ca…
to me most those pitches sound compelling:
Straight forward, tackle a big problem and you know what they're trying to do in well, one line ;-)
Re: Tell YC: Summer 08 decisions out
#100Good enterprises is not to give up when you fall. Keep trying and I am sure you will succeed!