Why do everyone thinks that , if you got into YC , your company gonna be a sure bet ?
As far I can see, by being accepted from YC you get your chances up from 1% to 50%. Still not 100% guaranty but it's 50x better than before.
I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
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Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
You may be pleased by a 50% success rate, but how many of the 50% who don't succeed will be pleased? (Not just being facetious -- I've heard stories about YCers whose companies failed being hired by other YC companies or otherwise finding good positions as a result of their YC experience, but a few anecdotes is no substitute for data.)
I've heard stories about YCers whose companies failed being hired by other YC companies I've heard successful YC companies referred to as being like piranhas (or something like that). Any time another YC company shows signs of failing, the others tend to wonder about hiring opportunities.
Is it a bad thing? In worst case you'll be working with other people with similar mindset to yours which is not bad at all.
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#33As someone who knows a significant number of YC folks, I have to say the most inspiring thing about the entire organization is how normal everyone is. There's this expectation that there's "something different" that separates successful startup founders from "common folk". And it just doesn't exist. I think the barrier of intimidation is one of the biggest things most people aren't fortunate enough to experience. Lik…
I would agree - "Do not let YC's rejection/acceptance dictate your path." I am only applying once. This session.
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#34I don't know, for me it is a weird story of someone desperately seeking acceptance of his fetish named Paul Graham (in the text he mentions PG sixteen(!) times by name) and now his suffering is come to an end.
Sincere congratulations, though, Wilhelm, I hope now you can start living the life again.
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#35Why do everyone thinks that , if you got into YC , your company gonna be a sure bet ?
People that do get in do not seem to think this way. As the yc backed founder rmorrison said[1]: If you think you need YC to succeed, then you won't (and shouldn't) be accepted
[1]http://blog.rmorrison.org/advice-for-yc-applicants-on-the-fe....
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think many people actually think that. We've said publicly many times that we'd be pleasantly surprised if the success rate was as high as 50%.
You may be pleased by a 50% success rate, but how many of the 50% who don't succeed will be pleased? (Not just being facetious -- I've heard stories about YCers whose companies failed being hired by other YC companies or otherwise finding good positions as a result of their YC experience, but a few anecdotes is no substitute for data.)
Most of them. Those who don't succeed have a big pile of successful startups who know them well and will hire them (if they stil have the startup bug). They've gotten a guided tour of the valley-style startup path-- next time will be easier.
It'd be an interesting experiment to track down all of the YC companies that have fully failed to date and ask them, "knowing what you know now, do you wish you'd chosen a different path?" My guess is that 90%+ would do YC again in a heartbeat (though perhaps with a different co-founder or different market/idea).
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#37I don't know, for me it is a weird story of someone desperately seeking acceptance of his fetish named Paul Graham (in the text he mentions PG sixteen(!) times by name) and now his suffering is come to an end. Sincere congratulations, though, Wilhelm, I hope now you can start living the life again.
Haha. The love quote at the end is tongue-in-cheek.
Well, it's not so much a fetish for PG as it is a fetish for his writings.
And I'll have you know that it only gets harder from here on out. :)
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#38What the FUCK is YC?
http://ycombinator.com/ P.S.: What are you doing on HN, if you don't know this? :-)
YC leading to
is one of the top two Google results, at least as Google customizes its results for me. Any time I see a puzzling abbreviation or acronym or new vocabulary word or foreign word or phrase online, I just Google it.
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#39Great post that hopefully makes some people feel less need to get into YC. A great founder can be helped by YC, but would be successful with or without it. If you think you need to get into YC to succeed, you're not who they are looking for.
Re: I got into YC after applying 6 times. Here's my advice for YC applicants
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've heard stories about YCers whose companies failed being hired by other YC companies I've heard successful YC companies referred to as being like piranhas (or something like that). Any time another YC company shows signs of failing, the others tend to wonder about hiring opportunities.
Is it a bad thing? In worst case you'll be working with other people with similar mindset to yours which is not bad at all.
No, it's not a bad thing at all - I've only heard people say it that way as a joke.