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

Post by carabiner » Sat, Apr 20, 2024, 1:42 AM UTC

hindsightbias wrote: post #213

Rapzid wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also with you! Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps as a data point. Gates, Jobs, and Zuck all famously dropped out of college of course. It's an interesting and tricky social dynamic matching within and between these somewhat distinct groups.

> Gates, Jobs, and Zuck Harvard, Reed, Harvard. Any drop out from any of those has hurdled more than 98% of the general college corps. Or at least that would be a rational assumption by the VC cadre that is probably in the top 0.1% and an Ivy League grad.

Post by dang » Sat, Apr 20, 2024, 1:49 AM UTC

ultrasounder wrote: post #218

Wow what a timing? Thanks Dang for penning this. My friend and his cofounders are just getting ready to record their demo. Question for @dang. How much does it help to have a paying customer that has at least agreed to do a pilot? Is that sort of signal compensate for " I don't to Stanford"? Asking for my friends.

Post by dang » Sat, Apr 20, 2024, 1:54 AM UTC

ganeshkrishnan wrote: post #206

dang wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 i…

Unfortunately dang we will always be yin and yang (founders and vc/yc). If I have a thousand applications lying on my desk, my first task would be to remove everyone that has even the slightest issue. There is absolutely no way you would know who is going to be successful so your job is not to find the winners but get rid of the losers. Unfortunately VCs have a power over startups. Any startups they touch will have h…

Post by RowanH » Sat, Apr 20, 2024, 1:59 AM UTC

_akhe wrote: post #140

RowanH wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My wife and I have a profitable business here in SF that would be perfect as a startup Keep doing what you're doing. Being VC funded shouldn't be the holy grail - the holy grail is having a business you enjoy doing, that's making you the life you want. For some the life you want is pitching, raising, getting the kudos of the big numbers, onto the next raise etc. For some the life you want is the complete opposite a…

I really appreciate this comment. Service offered / payment received is irreplaceably wholesome and satisfying :) especially when they come back as repeat customers or become regular clients. Repeat business and gradual growth gives us both an exciting feeling about the future that I never quite felt at a startup. I've found too often a venture-backed startup is really a lifestyle business in disguise for the founder…

Post by mcmoor » Sat, Apr 20, 2024, 2:09 AM UTC

andrewstuart wrote: post #205

loceng wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also understand the VC industry is inherent with learning from the ideas submitted to them as part of curating deal flow; and it's common for them to justify it with a mantra that ideas are supposedly not worth anything, and it's all about execution. When and who to share ideas with - and any market traction you may have as proof points there's an opportunity - is possibly the most important part of executing, and wh…

>> ideas are supposedly not worth anything If ideas are worth nothing then a great team executing well should be able to create a billion dollar company selling dog droppings. Anyone who says ideas are worth nothing is flat out wrong.