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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

#171

Post by dang »

ganeshkrishnan wrote: post #169
anilmr wrote: post #135

I am on a h1b visa and can't really work anywhere outside of my primary employment due to visa restrictions. Has anyone with the similar profile gotten into YC? and if so how did you make it work with all the legal blockades of h1b?

it's not their problem. If you have issues or any issues or they smell any issues, you will be rejected. Too many people take VC/YC personally but try to put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself if your startup would be worth it. Your answer will be their answer

I couldn't disagree more! If anyone is feeling this way, please re-read my text at the top because the whole point is to convince you that YC might be a lot more interested than you'd assume.

Look at it this way: if there's even a small chance that an application could lead to a major startup, would it make any sense for YC to reject it because of visa reasons (or similar)? Absolutely not. That would be how startup investors fail.

On the contrary what would make sense is to fund it and then help get the obstacles overcome. This is a no-brainer and is one of the big ways that YC helps founders—not just about visa issues, but lots of other things - legal issues, cap table issues, prior investor issues, cofounder conflicts, god knows what else.

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

#172

Post by dangus »

paxys wrote: post #38
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".

That sounds like a system that leaves out a lot of people who might be better at starting and running companies than the persona willing to throw their family in the garbage for their company.

A startup founder who is 40 years old is 2.1x more likely to start a successful venture than a 25-year-old. [1] The kind of people who tend to have kids and families.

And it’s kind of pathetic for an industry that’s supposed to be creating innovations like spatial computing, augmented reality, and fully remote companies to be unable to set up an online school.

[1] https://www.founderjar.com/startup-statistics/

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

#173

Post by throwaix »

andrewmcwatters wrote: post #57
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…

That's a whole lot of "AI"...

[flagged]

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

#174

Post by _akhe »

jasperstory wrote: post #95
Rapzid wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Just finished W24 batch with no Ivy/FAANG background. Everyone I met in our batch was very friendly, curious, and razor-sharp. Many people have credentialed backgrounds, many people do not. I generally buy YC’s justification that many of the smartest people happen to go to Stanford/Ivy which is why they are over-represented.

> the smartest people happen to go to Stanford

There's no way this is even possible, let alone true.

This might be a hot take but if you're under the age of 25, it's likely that you know very few things total. And the things you do know, you're just not going to have a master level of understanding of in your 20s yet nor the drive to focus on it the way it needs, especially with other social pressures at play. What is extremely high in your 20s is your ambition - your loftiness of ideas and goals and your expectations of yourself - these can land you exceptional jobs, opportunities, and get you to a great starting point, but that's not the same as intelligence and ability.

For manual labor work, there's a definite peak - college age and the years just after. But for knowledge work, math, programming, business, politics, etc. being older is almost always an asset - you get better at things, you get smarter, your networks grow, you become an adult among the children and are far more aware of timing and can predict and speak on things with more accuracy. You simply know more.

Besides that, I don't think raw intelligence is selection criteria for a good founder anyway. It has a lot more to do with your particular situation - how well you're situated to pull it off, which can mean many things. In terms of personal qualities it probably has more to do with determination and obsession (work ethic) than intelligence, especially these days where information is so cheap and available.

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

#175

Post by april192024 »

YC has increasingly come to resemble a selective community, with an almost cult-like allure. It presents itself to a broad audience, yet only those who share its unique ethos are granted admission. Nowadays, many applicants use the platform not just for entrepreneurial ventures but also to enhance their resumes. Consequently, a number of them lack genuine commitment.

Moreover, YC is notorious for advocating an intense work ethic—bordering on having no life outside of work—and for creating a tightly-knit community that some liken to a mob. Although these dynamics are not universally appreciated, many individuals join to benefit from the network. Nepotism also plays a role, as mediocre founders who have personal connections with partners often find an easier path in. In addition, there is a prevalent sense of self-deception among the members who offer startup and life advice, advice they themselves might not be equipped to provide. This is particularly questionable in today’s era of AI and new technologies, which challenges the relevance of their supposed wisdom.

Despite these criticisms, if you are young, hungry, and perhaps a bit naïve, giving YC a try could be worthwhile if you feel your vibe might align with theirs.

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

#176

Post by dang »

sgammon wrote: post #143

We're not in AI :( and it seems like YC isn't interested in our space. Outside of the current wave of interest in AI I think we would have serious interest. Would you still apply, or wait?

This should occupy 0% of your attention. If you're the kind of founder YC would fund, applying with an AI idea vs a non-AI idea won't change anything.

YC supports founders. It's as simple as that, hard as that is to believe, given the assumptions many people make.

The reason AI startups are so prominent in recent batches is that it's what many founders want to work on. If you're the type of founder YC funds and you want to work on something else, YC will support you to work on that. If at some point it's clear that it's not working, they may advise you to change—but not because of the AI bit.

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

#178

Post by dang »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #118
dang wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Startup in W09, worked on it for 4 years, started saying no to pg about moderating HN, ran out of money, needed a job, said yes to pg about moderating HN.

Is this the only path to the job?

In the sense that wanting the job is disqualifying, yes.

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

#179

Post by dang »

evbogue wrote: post #156

Why would I sell my code to you guys when I'm already giving it away for free?

It depends on whether you want to make a high-growth startup or not. If you do, YC can help with that a lot.

I guess you might be joking, but there are tons of open-source startups these days, for some definition of "open source" or other.

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

#180

Post by technoabsurdist »

dang wrote: post #147
technoabsurdist wrote: post #102

Do you guys still offer deferred admissions for juniors who wish to join a batch after graduation?

I just asked and this is what I got back: (1) if you're sure you want to complete your senior year, just wait till then to apply; (2) if you're not sure, apply now; (3) there's not currently any process for people who want to apply to batches farther out than the next one. I suppose (1) and (2) follow from (3) but there you go :) Either way, good luck and please do apply when you're ready!

awesome, thank you so much.
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