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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

#151

Post by ganeshkrishnan »

_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…

>how it becomes the next $100M household name

Unfortunately this is too low for a VC/YC. The min valuation they are looking for is around $1B

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

#152

Post by dang »

jondwillis wrote: post #128

is it still no co-founder no go?

Oh YC definitely funds solo founders (and always has - Dropbox was one famous example, and Renderlet is one that comes to mind from this recent thread - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39907845). See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40092556.

The way I understand it is: cofounder is preferred because it's so much harder without one; solo founder is second choice; worst is pairing up with a cofounder you don't really know because you think you're supposed to.

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

#153

Post by jedberg »

tptacek wrote: post #73
speps wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like it was a needed option for you at the time. Are you still enjoying it? Waiting for someone to take the baton?

You all talk about the work Dan does moderating this place, which, fair enough, but "Launch HN" is low key one of the coolest jobs in startups. The before/after on what those launch posts become after Dan gets involved would knock you out. A sibling comment asked him what his comp was (which is very funny) but it's a question with a simple answer: whatever he's getting, it's probably not enough.

> whatever he's getting, it's probably not enough.

I mean, all YC employees get to participate in the fund, so he's got a small piece of every YC startup, including the ones that he helps with Launch HN. So in a sense he has a lot more control over his comp than most employees.

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

#154

Post by dang »

tempusalaria wrote: post #107
dang wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't need traction. Team is good because having a cofounder is statistically such a huge success factor. But YC does found solo founders, and you shouldn't make a team just to make your application look better - I'm pretty sure doing that would weaken your chances.

I was under the impression that this idea of cofounders being a huge statistical success factor was pretty much just a myth. Moreover, all reasons given by YC as to why you should have a cofounder are qualitative e.g. https://www.ycombinator.com/library/8h-how-to-find-the-right... . Would love to see the statistical evidence because if anything it seems to be the other way round and this is pretty much just reflectiv…

I don't have citations for you but I don't think it's anything like a "personal preference" - YC has tons of data on this. But it's fine to apply as a solo founder—many do get funded; and you're quite right—the risk of picking a wrong cofounder is also high and is not something one should do lightly (e.g. just to try to improve a YC application).

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

#155

Post by taytus »

We are an early stage startup, $75K ARR (not a lot), 3 engineers, partnership with Accenture in 3 countries, working with top tier brands and got rejected 3 times.

We will apply again.

Would someone be kind enough to review our application?

Thank you so much.

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

#157

Post by s1k3s »

chenxi9649 wrote: post #60

I think one thing that people don't realize is that the YC application process is really one of the best tools for "sharpening" your idea/business. The written applications forces you to articulate your ideas in a concise yet easy to understand way. And as much as YC doesn't recommend this, the mock YC interviews we did with alums was one of those most beneficial things that happened to us. Because so rarely will you…

> I think one thing that people don't realize is that the YC application process is really one of the best tools for "sharpening" your idea/business.

I'm seeing this a lot through the comments but I have to ask, why is it? Do people just not think about how their product will make money, who the competition is or how are they going to get customers?

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

#158

Post by nullhole »

dang wrote: post #56
Animats wrote: post #51

What happened? Not enough people applied? Here's the last batch.[1] Gives a sense of what's being funded. Ideas: - MoneyNow - leverages the new FedNow instant payment system. FedNow is run by the Fed and transfers money in seconds with a charge of just US$0.045 per transaction. And they mean seconds . If the money isn't there in 10 seconds, the transaction times out. Few banks support it yet, but some do. It needs co…

No idea how many people applied but I'm sure there's no lack - I just felt bad for forgetting to put the usual footer at the bottom a month ago. And I worry about the comments I see on HN interpreting YC as just for credentialed-elite applicants. It's deeply not true and I have a personal feeling about the question - being one of the uncredentialed-unelite-self-doubting types who could have been dissuaded from applyi…

FWIW you did make me consider it. As others have said, the mere process of writing out an idea means thinking about the idea in a new way, and can lead to new insights.

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

#159

Post by kxrm »

mlhpdx wrote: post #145
dang wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're already signed up, because you can use your HN account to log in. (All YC accounts are HN accounts and vice versa.) The process is that you fill out a form and make a 1 minute video* and click 'submit'. (* I know...I hated the video thing too... but it gives a sense of what someone is like that doesn't come through in text, and you just talk for a minute about what you care about. nothing fancy.) (edit: also,…

Serious question: Does YC recognize and remediate the unconscious bias that comes with looking at said videos? It seems like it may be comforting, but potentially counter-productive.

So back in the day when Skype was still new tech and I worked for small remote company we did interviews over the phone. It was absolutely wonderful for eliminating bias. We had a very diverse cross section of employees from many backgrounds doing very good work for us.

I kind of miss those days now that Zoom is everywhere and it's an expectation that you present yourself on video for others.

I get why a sales job might want to make sure you keep up appearances but just writing code, I really hate turning on video. No one I know wants to acknowledge that we aren't solving bias with video though. I am glad you brought this up though. I believe it's true.

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