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Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

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Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#11

Post by ldjkfkdsjnv »

burcs wrote: post #8
ldjkfkdsjnv wrote: post #5

Go to ivy league school + ai raising pre-seed venture capital is more similar to getting hired at an investment bank (as an entry level/post mba banker) than it is to starting a company

This mindset is tiresome, especially seeing it on Hacker News... I literally went to the cheapest state school in rural Pennsylvania and still was accepted into YC. My co-founder didn't even finish college, at some point I think people just want to make excuses. Also — I don't understand your second point. It's an accelerator. Capital is part and parcel when it comes to accelerating.

I live in NYC and know a ton of founders. its just the facts. people certainly get funded outside the normal background, but probably 70% of early stage funding goes to the same types of people

Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#12

Post by senko »

dgfitz wrote: post #9

I guess I don’t get it, and I’d like to. Y-Combinator enables connections and mentorship along with a stipend. This allows a team to work full time for a few months, having quit or taken a hiatus from their day job. So the risk is $dayjob unless you’re a serial founder, the reward is the connections and money to float for a few months, while selling I think 10% of your company? The odds of your idea working out, even…

My feeling is that if you think quitting the day job is risky, you probably won't fit the profile YC and VCs look for.

YC is an enormous brand in the VC and startup industry, and as a YC startup doors open to you that would be harder to pry open otherwise. The connections, and willingness of people to "pay it forward" are a huge (probably biggest) asset.

The odds of your idea working are not great, that's correct. YC does encourage you to experiment and fail fast so you have time to adapt the idea or try another one. If all fails, having had a YC startup means it'll be easy to get into other startups (if you like the lifestyle - and you really have to like it!).

That sad, YC is what you make of it. You get encouragement and support but nobody's going to force you to take advantage of all the things they have to offer.

Watch a few episodes of https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ-uHSnFig5Nd98Sc9I-k... If you get a feeling "omg I want to work with those guys", then you might be a fit. If you get a feeling of "dude, no", then you're probably not a fit.

Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#13

Post by tivert »

burcs wrote: post #6
preommr wrote: post #3

This is missing the most important requirement: Be an AI company.

Honestly this is the same level of snarkiness of saying, "Be a web company." in the early 2000s YCombinator is a tech investor, of course they are investing in the future. It just so happens that in this current tech cycle AI is the future.

> YCombinator is a tech investor, of course they are investing in the future. It just so happens that in this current tech cycle AI is the future.

I think the term you're looking isn't "future," it's "hype."

Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#14

Post by burcs »

tivert wrote: post #13
burcs wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly this is the same level of snarkiness of saying, "Be a web company." in the early 2000s YCombinator is a tech investor, of course they are investing in the future. It just so happens that in this current tech cycle AI is the future.

> YCombinator is a tech investor, of course they are investing in the future. It just so happens that in this current tech cycle AI is the future. I think the term you're looking isn't "future," it's "hype."

I am sure wheelwright's felt the same way...

I just saw a realtime generative minecraft demo, your head is in the sand if you think this is hype.

Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#15

Post by bhaney »

burcs wrote: post #14
tivert wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> YCombinator is a tech investor, of course they are investing in the future. It just so happens that in this current tech cycle AI is the future. I think the term you're looking isn't "future," it's "hype."

I am sure wheelwright's felt the same way... I just saw a realtime generative minecraft demo, your head is in the sand if you think this is hype.

> I just saw a realtime generative minecraft demo

Wait, that demo wasn't a joke?

Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#16

Post by comrh »

burcs wrote: post #14
tivert wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> YCombinator is a tech investor, of course they are investing in the future. It just so happens that in this current tech cycle AI is the future. I think the term you're looking isn't "future," it's "hype."

I am sure wheelwright's felt the same way... I just saw a realtime generative minecraft demo, your head is in the sand if you think this is hype.

I feel like that is a great example of hype. Some that looks impressive but once you watch for a bit you realize it's a shallow copy that required a million hours of footage to generate.

Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#17

Post by pfannkuchen »

burcs wrote: post #8
ldjkfkdsjnv wrote: post #5

Go to ivy league school + ai raising pre-seed venture capital is more similar to getting hired at an investment bank (as an entry level/post mba banker) than it is to starting a company

This mindset is tiresome, especially seeing it on Hacker News... I literally went to the cheapest state school in rural Pennsylvania and still was accepted into YC. My co-founder didn't even finish college, at some point I think people just want to make excuses. Also — I don't understand your second point. It's an accelerator. Capital is part and parcel when it comes to accelerating.

Fancy schools are just a way to get pre-vetted candidates.

If you aren’t pre-vetted, it doesn’t mean you’re worse, it just means vetting you is more work and has more risk.

Re: Guide to applying to YC – from a founder who was accepted on the third try

#19

Post by [deleted] »

carlgreene wrote: post #10

Any other founders feel like YC has lost its luster? Not only are the number of AI companies in the portfolio ridiculous, but the large class sizes seem so much less personal. Not to bag on anyone who’s in YC right now, but it seems to be going the way of many ivy leagues - still meaningful, but very much not the same proxy for extraordinary it once was.

[deleted]
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