101–110 of 399 posts
Kat from YC here. Sam, Matt Krisiloff and I are happy to answer any questions about the Fellowship. You can also send questions to fellowship@ycombinator.com.
This is exactly why Y Combinator is the best. This is what leadership is (and what those other accelerators do, is follow the lead). > but as always we’ll consider solo founders too. Please be extremely open minded about solo founders. I feel that is one consideration that hasn't been adapted with the changing tech landscape.
This quote caught my eye from the FAQ section of the fellowship page: Can a single person apply for funding? Yes, but the odds of being accepted are lower. A startup is too much work for one person. A statement such as "A startup is too much work for one person" seems unusually stark and absolute for a company as progressive as YC. There are always exceptions, as mattkrisiloff as noted below.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Please be extremely open minded about solo founders. I feel that is one consideration that hasn't been adapted with the changing tech landscape. This is something I always worry about too. I have several really amazing people that I could partner with on a few different things but due to financial obligations there isn't anyway they'd be able to join full time unless there was an investment. So pitching as a solo a…
> I have several really amazing people that I could partner with on a few different things but due to financial obligations there isn't anyway they'd be able to join full time unless there was an investment. So pitching as a solo always makes me nervous that I'll be immediately discounted even if I could bring in a partner shortly thereafter. It's a fair point, but you have to take into account the fact that a lot of…
Kat from YC here. Sam, Matt Krisiloff and I are happy to answer any questions about the Fellowship. You can also send questions to fellowship@ycombinator.com.
Hi Kat. Two questions: 1) If we are still looking for / selecting technical co-founders, can we apply? 2) Does the entire team need to dedicate itself full time to this? Alternatively, if the "paying bills" job is quite light (2-3 hours per day), and we are willing to forego some sleep, can we still apply? Cheers
2) We prefer that you are able to work full-time on the product for the 8 weeks of the program.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes! That's part of the reason we want to work with remote teams -- to get to work with people who can't make the move to the Bay Area. That said, if you wanted to apply to the normal YC W16 batch after YCF, you'd still be asked to make the move.
Do YCF teams need to apply via the usual application at that point?
> for some people, [YCF] may be the difference between going to work at a big company and starting the next Airbnb
This is me. I applied to the YC summer batch and was rejected (I applied late, as a single founder, with only an idea). I've tried to push ahead anyway with my idea/startup and built a small prototype, but in the end decided to find a job. I have just now gotten a job offer from big G.
YCF looks really interesting to me. What should I do? Accept the job at G and then if accepted to YCF quit my job after 1 month? Any advice is appreciated
Kat from YC here. Sam, Matt Krisiloff and I are happy to answer any questions about the Fellowship. You can also send questions to fellowship@ycombinator.com.
Hi, I just started filling out the form when I encountered this question - 'Will all founders commit to working exclusively on this project for the next six months?' Isn't the point of this, that you are definitely committing 8 weeks and going from there?
Also a good case study on what makes a good intro/landing page for a product. Quite a few "so how is this different" questions in these comments.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hi! I am 32 years old, have a young family, and a steady software engineering job at a large software company. I have always loved the idea of a traditional YC experience but have never applied because I feel like I am not at a stage in my life where I'd be a good fit. Is it fair to say that this Fellowship experiment is an attempt to examine the "may have a good idea but is not very mobile" demographic?
Yes! That's part of the reason we want to work with remote teams -- to get to work with people who can't make the move to the Bay Area. That said, if you wanted to apply to the normal YC W16 batch after YCF, you'd still be asked to make the move.
My family were on income support so the money went straight on a PC, internet, phone line, business cards and public transport to reach my clients to pitch them. Thankfully I still lived with my parents: no rent until I was earning.
$12k is a very substantial amount for an underprivileged kid who's making the Airbnb vs. large corp choice.
My grant was (lightly) means-tested. Did you consider means-testing as a way to make more of an impact past the ideological one?