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We Make Mistakes

blog.ycombinator.com

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Re: We Make Mistakes

#111

Post by vacri »

downandout wrote: post #61
tomasien wrote: post #50

I never got into Y Combinator (I think I applied 4 times but I'm not sure) but I'm now the CEO of a rapidly growing, well funded startup that actually SERVES an increasing number of YC companies. The way I always thought about YC was that it is ALWAYS worth applying because the exercise is good and the upside is high (and the downside minimal) but getting into YC should never be "part of your plan" - there are too ma…

>I never got into Y Combinator but I'm now the CEO of a rapidly growing, well funded startup that actually SERVES an increasing number of YC companies This this kind of thing always feels like a bit of a victory. I never came close to being admitted to Stanford, but years ago found myself on the campus, hiring a professor as a consultant to a startup I co-founded. As we walked around the campus and then sat in his of…

I once tried to become a paramedic. I was working in a sort-of outpatient clinic at the time, talked a couple of times with an paramedic instructor, along with some regular officers. I never got in - the HR recruiters didn't like me for some reason. This made no sense to the instructor, who thought I was a prime candidate, nor to my medical colleagues, and I also later successfully coached two friends through the process. I often wonder how life would have turned out differently had I been accepted. Sometimes people on both sides of the wall think you'd be the best for the job, but if the gatekeepers don't think so... :)

Re: We Make Mistakes

#112

Post by joday »

Hi Friends,

I've just received rejection email from Ycombinator... :( Though I realize, how competitive it gets to get in, its not the start one expect for their product or idea...

I would appreciate if fellow community members can help point out areas of improvement in my product at,

http://joday.com

Thanks for your time! I really appreciate it!

Nish Founder, Joday.com

Re: We Make Mistakes

#113

Post by kanwisher »

AustinPythonFTW wrote: post #101
birken wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of people will give you money if they think you will turn it into more money. VCs, YC, techstars, rich people, angel investors, your parents, your dentist, etc. Having dealt with many varieties of these before, they all generally share those principles: - You get a lot more 'no's than 'yes'es - They don't give you a lot of feedback when they pass - Having a previous relationship with them is helpful - The more s…

I think we're making the same point here, but with a nuance. I think we both agree that: YC is becoming more like everyone else in the investing game. they want to make a lot of money. Just to clarify, it felt like YC used to be more different from others in the investing game, like they cared more, or they were willing to invest in earlier-stage startups, or they had a higher purpose, or followed the hacker ethos. b…

Honestly it just sounds like you were hurt that they didn't accept you. If they have thousands of people apply they have to reject the vast majority of them. I don't see how this is now following the hacker ethos. You might want to ask your self why you don't already have traction.

Re: We Make Mistakes

#114

Post by Fando »

hillis wrote: post #88
Fando wrote: post #83

There are more applicants than YCombinator could accept (or anyone could accept if you look at it in scale). Someone should create a social-media type website for YCombinator applicants (or anyone) to share their stories, meet, interact, network, learn, and collaborate on new and existing ideas. Imagine how many start-ups would be "born" like this. Think of how many great ideas don't get in or simply don't apply, thi…

The website you're describing already exists. In fact, you just posted on it.

You're obviously right to think that hillis. What are your thoughts on the potential that could be achieved if YCombinator would build on the idea?

Re: We Make Mistakes

#115

Post by tomasien »

vacri wrote: post #111
downandout wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I never got into Y Combinator but I'm now the CEO of a rapidly growing, well funded startup that actually SERVES an increasing number of YC companies This this kind of thing always feels like a bit of a victory. I never came close to being admitted to Stanford, but years ago found myself on the campus, hiring a professor as a consultant to a startup I co-founded. As we walked around the campus and then sat in his of…

I once tried to become a paramedic. I was working in a sort-of outpatient clinic at the time, talked a couple of times with an paramedic instructor, along with some regular officers. I never got in - the HR recruiters didn't like me for some reason. This made no sense to the instructor, who thought I was a prime candidate, nor to my medical colleagues, and I also later successfully coached two friends through the pro…

Absolutely, and you've got to remember that the gatekeepers use heuristics meant to target the greatest chance at being the rightest, not ensuring that they don't miss a few obvious ones. Such it is with YC - their heuristics are designed to ensure that they catch the potential unicorns (among other things) and aren't concerned with missing a few that would seem obvious in retrospect.

And btw they seem to do well - all the "misses" are middling wins - for example Buffer (a poster boy for a YC miss) is an amazing company, but it's not a miss YC will ever rue. The misses for YC should actually validate so many founders - if you're looking to be a Buffer (which, if you want to live a good life, you should consider) you should bear in mind that I think even looking back on Buffer, YC would take them knowing about them what they know, but they wouldn't change their criteria for accepting founders to make sure they don't miss Buffer and they shouldn't. There are lots of great businesses and even big-win startups that YC isn't set up to catch, and that could be you.

Re: We Make Mistakes

#116

Post by imrehg »

BillionaireBear wrote: post #89
kevin wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We do still allow late apps. We're working on the problem and hope to have it back up soon. Sorry guys!

What happens if a rejected company from this batch submits a late application. Does this paradox cause the universe to implode? Haha - honestly though , is this acceptable?

My guess would be - don't ask but do. Asking for permission probably makes it already a "no".

Re: We Make Mistakes

#117

Post by csa »

AustinPythonFTW wrote: post #77

I'm definitely speaking at least a little bit out of bitterness (our team just got rejected), so with that caveat it feels like YC is becoming more like traditional VC (venture capital): - extremely low probability of success just due to volume of applications - no feedback (again, due to volume of applications, and they posted a nice blog post about this, but just stating a fact) - it seems (I don't have any factual…

> it seems that you need to know someone

Assuming this is true, this must be one of the easiest things in the world to hack. I would be very worried about any aspiring tech entrepreneur who couldn't manage to connect with a group of people who are as open and as generous with their time as many of the YC alums are.

> tendency to fund those who need it the least

First, I wonder if this is really true. It may look that way, but I imagine that many of the companies are in the product/market fit stage. Some may find themselves actually in the problem/solution fit stage. I imagine few are in the straight-up scaling stage.

Second, from YC's perspective, I think that they should definitely have some companies in each class for which they will simply act as a multiplier -- that is, get the company to where it is going, just faster and (maybe) better.

Lastly, if traction and/or revenue really are the key to acceptance, aspiring YC companies could simply use this as a parameter to consider when developing their company. IMHO, this is a case of the tail wagging the dog, but it's something to consider.

Re: We Make Mistakes

#120

Post by iamjoday »

Hi Friends,

I've just received rejection email from Ycombinator... :( Though I realize, how competitive it gets to get in, its not the start one expect for their product or idea...

while, I am working on to make my product, I would appreciate if fellow community members can help point out ares of improvement in my product,

http://joday.com

Thanks for your time! I really appreciate it!

Nish Founder, Joday.com

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