You shouldn't have left Silicon Valley so soon. There are several VCs who would have had a meeting with you.
i had to get back to the uk to sort some business stuff out. email address is in profile for anyone interested.
How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
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Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#42Fwiw, I had a very similar YC experience as a solo founder in front of PG, Trevor, Robert and Jessica (S12). After the rejection email I had an acquisition offer from a market leader (term sheet). Decided to turn it down and raise a round. Going after the market. Currently closing with top-tier investors and launching product.
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#43I love the story. The title of this story sounded like it was a note venting out frustration and telling everyone that though dejected, I will make it without YC. But unlike the title, you are so full of positive energy and I hope others at YC could have seen that. I am sure you will make you dream come true. Keep hustling and wishing you the very best of luck.
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
I do not understand your comment at all. To what do you vehemently disagree? That it is a slim chance of securing the domain name? If so, why does the rest of your comment discuss how important YC is to UK programmers?
I disagree with CaveTech's summation that the process was all about securing a domain. It was about the author doing everything he could to bring his intentions for his product to fruition and the original article was about the significant effort the author made to get accepted into YC only to blow it on a single question. I believe a lot of folk aren't quite grasping how or why one guy would go to such extremes with…
I guess the post can be seen as a cautionary tale about the dangers of spending too much time on your domain name and not enough on your product.
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#45Most people would rather have an excuse to fail than have a reason to be successful.
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#46After the story of you flying over to doorstep a hedge fund manager, navigating the many layers to get there and ultimately solving the problem, I don't see YC saying no to be a problem. Learning experiences and such, grind it out and keep going.
I don't know, I feel like there's more to success than simply having unrestrained ferociousness. While i'm gone, my dog will spend hours gnawing a bone to get every last bit of marrow he can out of it. Imagine if he put that same kind of undetermined effort into figuring out how to get on my kitchen table where there's a limitless supply of snacks he would love.
Giving up completely may mean accepting failure, but strategically choosing how to invest your resources is not giving up. Spending thousands of dollars & days simply to obtain a domain name... in an effort that ultimately still failed seems like a series of poor decisions.
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#47You shouldn't have left Silicon Valley so soon. There are several VCs who would have had a meeting with you.
I sent him an email with a similar thought. The fact that he left and didn't try other venues could make some people question his true grit. I liked his story and wanted to meet him just to hear the story in person.
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#48Honestly I don't get it. While the story is cool, it really just seems like you're comfortable blowing several thousand dollars on what, lets be honest, is a very, very unlikely chance at securing a domain name. I know this story speaks of SV culture in some way; huge risk, huge rewards and the idea that no one can stop you. If the venture pays off, it makes you a hero. If it doesn't, well you get a cool story. But y…
Quite a lot of people seem fixated with the money aspect. Not that I feel the need to defend myself and how I spend my own money, but I used the trip as a holiday too. After reading some of these comments I wish I went to the beach instead!
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#49Fwiw, I had a very similar YC experience as a solo founder in front of PG, Trevor, Robert and Jessica (S12). After the rejection email I had an acquisition offer from a market leader (term sheet). Decided to turn it down and raise a round. Going after the market. Currently closing with top-tier investors and launching product.
Inspirational!
Re: How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle
#50Honestly I don't get it. While the story is cool, it really just seems like you're comfortable blowing several thousand dollars on what, lets be honest, is a very, very unlikely chance at securing a domain name. I know this story speaks of SV culture in some way; huge risk, huge rewards and the idea that no one can stop you. If the venture pays off, it makes you a hero. If it doesn't, well you get a cool story. But y…
Good domains are valuable, so a few thousand pounds is a small amount to risk. Zap.com is a really good domain. His approach was smart. A billionaire is too busy to discuss the sale of a domain, but if you do manage to catch his interest, he may well give it to you free/cheap because it isn't an asset he spends time worrying about.
I love the conservative objections here. Stunts like this only work if most people aren't willing to try (EDIT - thanks).
EDIT: Outlandish stunts are the best way to improve your hustling abilities. If you have the time and money to try it, you win either way.