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FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

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Re: FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

#11

Post by [deleted] »

cwe wrote: post #7
wesleyzhao wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi Wisp. This is Wesley - you might be right. It's something I did a long time ago and in the past. I have changed and people that know me know that. It may be something that will turn some heads, but I like to live very honestly and transparently. I hope people won't read too much in to it and only see how much I've grown.

I'm glad to see people being more frank about this. As more people like you come forward, hopefully the stigma around it will fade. I've admitted it when appropriate, but been very hesitant to do so, even though I think the experience was incredibly valuable and shaped who I am.

[deleted]

Re: FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

#13

Post by voodoomagicman »

cwe wrote: post #7
wesleyzhao wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi Wisp. This is Wesley - you might be right. It's something I did a long time ago and in the past. I have changed and people that know me know that. It may be something that will turn some heads, but I like to live very honestly and transparently. I hope people won't read too much in to it and only see how much I've grown.

I'm glad to see people being more frank about this. As more people like you come forward, hopefully the stigma around it will fade. I've admitted it when appropriate, but been very hesitant to do so, even though I think the experience was incredibly valuable and shaped who I am.

As someone w/ drug use in my past, I believe very strongly that the stigma around it is deserved.

I would think very hard about hiring or investing in someone who used marijuana, or who decided to sell marijuana (a bet with a big risk for very little reward), or who thought that using drugs was cool enough to include it on an application. Speaking from experience, marijuana is addictive, saps ambition, and makes it difficult to think hard and think logically. Anyone who has tried to code or do math while high knows exactly what I am talking about.

Wesley, obviously you have grown and been very successful since. I wish you only more success, and you are already far ahead of where I was at 19 (still smoking too much pot).

Re: FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

#14

Post by cwe »

voodoomagicman wrote: post #13
cwe wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad to see people being more frank about this. As more people like you come forward, hopefully the stigma around it will fade. I've admitted it when appropriate, but been very hesitant to do so, even though I think the experience was incredibly valuable and shaped who I am.

As someone w/ drug use in my past, I believe very strongly that the stigma around it is deserved. I would think very hard about hiring or investing in someone who used marijuana, or who decided to sell marijuana (a bet with a big risk for very little reward), or who thought that using drugs was cool enough to include it on an application. Speaking from experience, marijuana is addictive, saps ambition, and makes it d…

Your experience may have been different, but it is less addictive than alcohol, caffeine, or chocolate. http://www.drugsense.org/tfy/addictvn.htm

Re: FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

#15

Post by geuis »

voodoomagicman wrote: post #13
cwe wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad to see people being more frank about this. As more people like you come forward, hopefully the stigma around it will fade. I've admitted it when appropriate, but been very hesitant to do so, even though I think the experience was incredibly valuable and shaped who I am.

As someone w/ drug use in my past, I believe very strongly that the stigma around it is deserved. I would think very hard about hiring or investing in someone who used marijuana, or who decided to sell marijuana (a bet with a big risk for very little reward), or who thought that using drugs was cool enough to include it on an application. Speaking from experience, marijuana is addictive, saps ambition, and makes it d…

Weed is not addictive. I'll grant most of your other points about it being difficult to think for some people like me and you. However I have known and know many who are as productive, if not more, because of or despite their substance of choice.

For me, I really don't give a damn what kinds of drugs people take beyond heroin, crack, meth, and others that have a clear history of detrimental effects on the individual. As long as you are rock solid and reliable, that's all that matters.

Re: FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

#16

Post by justjimmy »

wesleyzhao wrote: post #3
wisp wrote: post #2

Not that I care, but now the whole world know you got suspended for selling weed. This information cannot be good for you or your company, considering your family-oriented userbase

Hi Wisp. This is Wesley - you might be right. It's something I did a long time ago and in the past. I have changed and people that know me know that. It may be something that will turn some heads, but I like to live very honestly and transparently. I hope people won't read too much in to it and only see how much I've grown.

I think it's a nice interesting fact and it'll make a great conversation/story. Especially for those that you will work with on a constant basis, since they'll be the ones that will spend the time to know and work with you. But just be wary of the info that you present to the general public and your users.

Re: FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

#17

Post by pg »

rdl wrote: post #12

Too bad YC got rid of the "if you were an animal, what would you be, and why" question, which was on the Dropbox-era application.

We never asked that. The question you're probably thinking of is:

  Tell us in one or two sentences something about 
  each founder that shows he or she is an "animal," 
  in the sense described in How to Start a Startup.

Re: FamilyLeaf's (YC W12) Y Combinator Application

#19

Post by ntmartin »

Congrats on getting accepted and thanks for being so candid about your application.

I have a couple of questions however:

Did you face any problems having disclosed you scrapped a competitors site for potential clients/leads? Did all the founders think that was an acceptable method for building a base?

How did you derive the potential turnover figures and was the model and revenue discussed in depth at the interview?

Finally, how did you guys decide that FamilyLeaf was the right direction?

Best of luck to you all with the company.

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