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Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

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21–30 of 42 posts

Re: Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

#22
I did YC summer 2009 (Bump). Of the 3 founders I was the most critical going in, mostly based on valuation. But unlike most investor relationships, the money is the minority part of the value provided. The majority is things money can't buy: advice/perspective, encouragement, the front row seats mentioned in the article, multiple networks, more. I didn't fully appreciate the quality of the intangibles until later. Now my advice is- if you can get in, just do it. Some people go through twice I hear, what is that saying.

Re: Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

#24
post #19
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because people do not criticize the alma-mater and mentor, especially as influential as, YC (and by extension PG) in public.

Doesn't seem to have stopped people criticizing VC firms.

VCs are a dime a dozen. YC is a network.

Re: Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

#25
post #2

I like YC as much as the next guy, but here's an important question: Why have we never seen a blog post saying that it's not worth it? Even if YC has an extremely high satisfaction rate, the sheer number of startups they've funded has to have left at least one with a bad taste in their mouth. I love hearing feedback like this and I almost never get tired of reading this article (especially when it has a good spin to…

[deleted]

Re: Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

#27
post #2

I like YC as much as the next guy, but here's an important question: Why have we never seen a blog post saying that it's not worth it? Even if YC has an extremely high satisfaction rate, the sheer number of startups they've funded has to have left at least one with a bad taste in their mouth. I love hearing feedback like this and I almost never get tired of reading this article (especially when it has a good spin to…

Nothing is perfect. If you go on Amazon or Yelp and look up reviews for high-end products or restaurants, there is always that one reviewer that complains the service is one millisecond to slow, the temperature is one hundredth of a degree short, and the experience isn't quite like the insane ideal they've built up in their head. But for most pragmatic people, a good high end product passes all reasonable standards of quality, so they don't bother going out of their way to find quirks and then complain about them.

YC is full of pragmatic people, by virtue of the interview process. This set is disjoint from the set of people that would give a BMW 7 series a one star review, because in order to build a successful business you need the types of people that focus on the right things. If someone held a gun to my head and asked me to list everything I was dissatisfied with at YC, I could probably find some quirks, but I'd really be grasping at straws. After they offered us investment without a single line of code or a single customer, welcomed us as if they knew us for years and not once questioned our decisions, gave us advice and introductions necessary to get the company off the ground, guided us to find additional investment when the country was in the worst recession since the Great Depression, after all these things, complaining that the quality of free food at dinners doesn't quite live up to a meal at Peter Luger would be... just plain strange.

Re: Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

#28
post #2

I like YC as much as the next guy, but here's an important question: Why have we never seen a blog post saying that it's not worth it? Even if YC has an extremely high satisfaction rate, the sheer number of startups they've funded has to have left at least one with a bad taste in their mouth. I love hearing feedback like this and I almost never get tired of reading this article (especially when it has a good spin to…

i think it's probably due to the fact that you get as much out of YC as you put into it. If you need help they'll give it to you...they have those kinds of connections.

So the only thing it comes down to is money, and it's pointless to complain about that when you just flamed out and the equity is worth 0.

And if you are a success, you attribute a large part of it to the connections you got through YC.

or they are afraid of getting on PGs bad side, and having him email every person in the valley, saying that they shouldn't work with you

Re: Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

#29
post #14

I'm in a similar position to what he described, although have a huge problem in that we're down in South Africa. We made it through to the interview round, and then declined when pg made the call that we'd have to interview in person (up until then we were certain video conference would be alright). I am starting to debate my choice, but since we don't really need the program, a $3000 trip to the US for something we…

Wait. You mean not everyone interviews in person?

Re: Should We Do Y Combinator? We're further along than most

#30
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VCs are a dime a dozen. YC is a network.

You think there's a dozen Sequoias or DFJs ?

Have there been any "Sequoia invested in me and totally fucked me over" posts? I'd guess there have been very few if any.
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