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Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

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Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#31

Post by dang »

ketanmaheshwari wrote: post #15

I wanted to sell samosa on the internet. Would YC be a good place to seek funding for such a business? Samosa because they are versatile across many dimensions: ingredients, taste, shelf-life, and can be easily made in a combinatorics space of these dimensions. They are kind of like how Bubba describes shrimp to Gump. I once wondered if YC is a good platform for such a business?

YC is a good platform for founders who want to build a high-growth startup (which is basically the original pg/YC definition of what a startup is). So your question reduces to whether selling samosas on the internet can be a high-growth business or not, and whether you would want to optimize for that.

Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#32

Post by dang »

SeanAnderson wrote: post #17

You know, I wasn't going to submit anything, but now I am. I'll almost assuredly get rejected for my half-baked idea, but hey, might as well try. Thanks for the reminder.

That's the spirit :)

But I can't count the number of times I've heard about YC saying 'we don't think it's a great idea, but we like the founders'. YC funds founders, that's the whole deal. It's hard for many people to believe this because it sounds too simple and it's counterintuitive in all kinds of ways.

Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#33

Post by sturgill »

I’ve always been intrigued by YC, but the commitment to relocate is hard to justify. I have three kids (with the oldest finishing up her junior year next month). So I’m not in a place where being in SF for the summer works very well for the family.

I remember during COVID that there was a remote option, but I don’t believe that’s available now. So for someone more established (erm, no longer 20) that lives in the middle of the country, I’m not sure it’s a great fit.

But man am I interested… I can never quite tell myself “no” and move on either… I’d love to be wrong. Because I’ve got a great one cooking right now!…

Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#35

Post by Rapzid »

_akhe wrote: post #23

Re: "won't get in" How do I balance this encouraging advice with everything I've heard online about YC basically being a post-Ivy League thing? Seems like there's basically a 0% chance a random person would get into YC. And often those who did get in went to Stanford, Harvard, etc. and don't even have a product - sometimes they don't even know what they're going to build yet. I wrote the idea of VC stuff off long ago…

The LinkedIn page for a lot of these companies showing you "Where they studied" can be a bit intimidating. Chockablock with Stanford and Ivy League.

I was filling out the Co-Founder matching service application and it has a required text area for education. The placeholder text examples? Standford MS in Comp Sci, NYU BS in Physics.

As a college dropout with "some college" but a 14+ year career in systems/software engineering roles, that was quite discouraging.

Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#36

Post by dang »

999900000999 wrote: post #27
_akhe wrote: post #23

Re: "won't get in" How do I balance this encouraging advice with everything I've heard online about YC basically being a post-Ivy League thing? Seems like there's basically a 0% chance a random person would get into YC. And often those who did get in went to Stanford, Harvard, etc. and don't even have a product - sometimes they don't even know what they're going to build yet. I wrote the idea of VC stuff off long ago…

I had ambitions of cranking out an MVP and pitching it to VCs in my late 20s. After a year of solid rejection ( including YC not even responding), I gave up. You end up spending alot of time trying to pitch your work. I've had a few idea guys expect me to build MVPs for free with an offer of like 1% or something silly like that. Never any pay, poorly thought out concepts. I've accepted I'm never going to be rich, it'…

> YC not even responding

The only way that would happen is a bug. YC always responds to applicants. Rejections usually aren't personalized because that can't scale - but not hearing back at all should never happen.

If you want me to look into what might have happened there, I'd be willing to try if you email hn@ycombinator.com.

Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#37

Post by aliljet »

I've long had a bet that these posts contain lurking single founders looking for potential co-founders. So, if you are on the prowl for a jack-of-all engineering founder, shoot me a note. I'd love to see if you might be all-in on what I've got going on or vice versa. Here's building awesome stuff with awesome teams.

Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#38

Post by paxys »

sturgill wrote: post #33

I’ve always been intrigued by YC, but the commitment to relocate is hard to justify. I have three kids (with the oldest finishing up her junior year next month). So I’m not in a place where being in SF for the summer works very well for the family. I remember during COVID that there was a remote option, but I don’t believe that’s available now. So for someone more established (erm, no longer 20) that lives in the mid…

For better or worse, the relocation requirement is probably a good proxy for "can commit to their startup 24x7 without any other responsibilities standing in the way".

Re: Tell HN: Ever think of applying to YC? Do it this weekend for S24

#39

Post by dang »

Rapzid wrote: post #35
_akhe wrote: post #23

Re: "won't get in" How do I balance this encouraging advice with everything I've heard online about YC basically being a post-Ivy League thing? Seems like there's basically a 0% chance a random person would get into YC. And often those who did get in went to Stanford, Harvard, etc. and don't even have a product - sometimes they don't even know what they're going to build yet. I wrote the idea of VC stuff off long ago…

The LinkedIn page for a lot of these companies showing you "Where they studied" can be a bit intimidating. Chockablock with Stanford and Ivy League. I was filling out the Co-Founder matching service application and it has a required text area for education. The placeholder text examples? Standford MS in Comp Sci, NYU BS in Physics. As a college dropout with "some college" but a 14+ year career in systems/software eng…

I'm with you and wish that we were more careful with this sort of signaling risk. However, there are tons of college dropouts and uncredentialed software people who make it in to YC.

What I'm basically trying to tell everyone, and hoping to convince a few, is: don't listen to any of this, just do it.

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