I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why • Hacker News Board

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#31

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:24 AM UTC

pg wrote: post #26

I wish people wouldn't treat us like an oracle that can predict startups' success. If only. The fact is we read applications fast and make plenty of mistakes. One thing YC has taught me is that this must be true of practically every application process. For some reason, both the people who are accepted and rejected in any application process tend to read too much into it. (Is there a name for this phenomenon?)

[deleted]

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#32

Post by OoTheNigerian » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:24 AM UTC

pg wrote: post #26

I wish people wouldn't treat us like an oracle that can predict startups' success. If only. The fact is we read applications fast and make plenty of mistakes. One thing YC has taught me is that this must be true of practically every application process. For some reason, both the people who are accepted and rejected in any application process tend to read too much into it. (Is there a name for this phenomenon?)

Perhaps you are to 'blame' for the reading too much into decisions.

When we read your essays, you kind of open up a window to your mind and thought process. Process being the key word. It would seem that there is a methodology to what you do and do not necessarily 'wing it'. So therefore, people would certainly think that process applies to them when you decide their 'fate'.

As for YC being an oracle, it is a great brand that will almost certainly do more good than harm for startups to be associated with it.

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#33

Post by programminggeek » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:25 AM UTC

You know, the one thing that I think even PG would agree with is that the best way to figure out some of this stuff is to ship product, talk to customers, fix stuff, and repeat the cycle of shipping, talking, and fixing.

The OP is lucky they finally figured this out and shipped regardless of YC.

Getting VC or getting in YC can be great, but plenty of great businesses are built by people just putting their head down and building stuff.

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#34

Post by gcheong » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:26 AM UTC

pg wrote: post #26

I wish people wouldn't treat us like an oracle that can predict startups' success. If only. The fact is we read applications fast and make plenty of mistakes. One thing YC has taught me is that this must be true of practically every application process. For some reason, both the people who are accepted and rejected in any application process tend to read too much into it. (Is there a name for this phenomenon?)

Attribution bias? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attribution_bias

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#35

Post by obviouslygreen » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:26 AM UTC

pg wrote: post #26

I wish people wouldn't treat us like an oracle that can predict startups' success. If only. The fact is we read applications fast and make plenty of mistakes. One thing YC has taught me is that this must be true of practically every application process. For some reason, both the people who are accepted and rejected in any application process tend to read too much into it. (Is there a name for this phenomenon?)

Understandable... but perhaps you need to accept that you have put yourself in a position that has a serious effect on not only people's success but also their perception of you and their own efforts.

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#36

Post by DaniFong » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:27 AM UTC

In case it saves anyone some headaches, I was rejected from YC 3 times (though with useful feedback and connections arise from the experience each time).

Our startup (LightSail Energy) is currently among the best poised to change how the world gets its energy. Investors agree; our startup is currently valued above $100MM, with Peter Thiel, Bill Gates, and Khosla Ventures among those who have invested. So things are going well.

Paul's essays, advice, and YC really did help me get started. But people should remember that the road doesn't stop there. Success is self-determined.

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#37

Post by natural219 » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:27 AM UTC

pg wrote: post #26

I wish people wouldn't treat us like an oracle that can predict startups' success. If only. The fact is we read applications fast and make plenty of mistakes. One thing YC has taught me is that this must be true of practically every application process. For some reason, both the people who are accepted and rejected in any application process tend to read too much into it. (Is there a name for this phenomenon?)

For better or worse, it's often likely the only metric people have to go on. You command a lot of respect and admiration from people who follow YC and read your essays. It's easy to dismiss criticism from peers and institutions who "don't get it", but to hear it from somebody you respect deeply can give a disproportional weight to your feedback, even if it's ridiculous to expect your feedback to be the final word on an idea's success or failure.

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#38

Post by Glyptodon » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:28 AM UTC

Am I the only one who thinks the poster sounds like an oblivious narcissistic bro jock?

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#39

Post by lucisferre » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:30 AM UTC

> I think that this in and of itself was the reason we were rejected. We hadn’t done a whole lot of customer discovery, didn’t have a fleshed out business model, and were banking on the idea that once we got into YC we would take care of all that. We were counting on YC to create our business, not just accelerate it. I believe this showed in our application, and is ultimately what hurt us the most.

I'm learning this now. We've been working this idea over for months so we think we know it. And sure we've talked to customers, but we have not focused on rigorous customer development.

All I can say know is if you are getting started on an idea start with customer development, do it early, do a lot of it and actually learn to get good at it. It's everything when you're talking to investors or customers. It helps define all the fuzzy details of your product and business model. It helps determine distribution, positioning, marketing and yes features.

Do not underestimate this part.

Re: I've been rejected from Y Combinator 3 times. Here's why

#40

Post by jusben1369 » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 2:32 AM UTC

pg wrote: post #26

I wish people wouldn't treat us like an oracle that can predict startups' success. If only. The fact is we read applications fast and make plenty of mistakes. One thing YC has taught me is that this must be true of practically every application process. For some reason, both the people who are accepted and rejected in any application process tend to read too much into it. (Is there a name for this phenomenon?)

It sounds a little like in this case (young?) people look at YC as a critical external validation around their professional worth. What I thought most interesting was that YC is now the customer for this individual. Typically a startup finds the most important validation around that first or 10 paying customers. That's because you feel fantastic realizing you were right - that your idea does matter enough to others to write a check for it. Secondly, that validation is the most important part for the other pieces coming together; attracting other bright minds to your startup, raising an angel round, getting into YC, getting more customers. As I read this I couldn't help but feel as though YC was the intended customer for said startups. So rejection was devastating because they'd built a product with just one customer in mind and they passed.