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YC: Requests for Startups

ycombinator.com

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Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#431

Post by bbor »

Anyone else shocked the elephant in the room, AGI, wasn’t mentioned? First mover advantage on that announcement is going to be unspeakably potent, just culturally speaking. I imagine many on this path share my thoughts that early venture capital is a little unnecessary/outmoded in this context, but it’s still disheartening to be forgotten.

Did the YC folks have a falling out with OpenAI and disagree that AGI is here? Or maybe the opposite - they’re letting OpenAI take the industry uncontested… What’s the hacker news policy on casually floating (ill-informed) accusations of cartel activities? ;)

PS big laughs from me on seeing “cure cancer” halfway down a list of otherwise fairly capitalist short-term priorities. I’m sure they made that decision for a reason but I think the end result is a Freudian slip on behalf of our entire culture

Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#432

Post by Apocryphon »

oflannabhra wrote: post #49
atlasunshrugged wrote: post #25

The defense-tech one is interesting. I wholeheartedly agree that more people should be involved in the space and it is critically important -- I think the war in Ukraine clearly shows the need for the Western world to be prepared to fight for freedom and democracy -- but as far as venturebackable business models go I don't really understand how many defense tech co's will fit. Most defense firms, other than perhaps P…

Palmer Luckey and Anduril have about a 6 year head start. I agree that superiority is one of the best deterrents.

Based on how much time he spends picking fights with randos on Twitter, perhaps so.

https://twitter.com/josephpolitano/status/175797569920841756...

https://twitter.com/palmerluckey/status/1757896863884444053

https://twitter.com/uticaeric/status/1757927405124030852?s=4...

Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#433

Post by hef19898 »

yashap wrote: post #395
hef19898 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do already as we speak.

The idea is basically “MRIs for all, so that we can consistently catch early stage cancer before it spreads.” They don’t go into specifics, but it seems to me like this means making MRIs cheap enough, with low enough false positive rates, that every day ppl can get them frequently. Probably ~twice a year, given how fast cancer spreads. I’m aware of companies doing proactive MRIs that cost ~$2K/scan, that aren’t cover…

Look up all the mRNA research going into fighting cancer for example. Or tailor made treatment. Fighting cancer is so much more than just early detection, which isbincredibly important for sure.

Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#434

Post by baron816 »

a_vanderbilt wrote: post #351
Animats wrote: post #221

Most of those take a lot more time and money than YC usually offers. There are some opportunities in "New Defense Technology". Something like a low-cost replacement for the Javelin anti-tank missile based on off the shelf phone camera parts ought to be possible. Of course, once that's out there, every insurgent group will have some. "Explainable AI" is really important. "Stablecoin finance" is mostly how to make sure…

Fun fact about the Javelin bit. I know it was just a throwaway example but something to tickle your brain about it: Phone camera parts would be overkill. The Javelin sensor isn't nearly that high-resolution, we're talking low triple digits in "pixels". It does however refresh its readings very fast, a necessity given its speed. The old Javelin used active cryo and a filtered IR imager, the new one is passive like the…

One thing I’ve been thinking about re: Javelin (and MANPADS)—would it be better to be able to fire them remotely? ie let soldiers put a set of launch tubes in a bush or behind a rock, then use the targeting system from a separate location. That way, the solders’ location isn’t revealed by firing the missile. Better yet if you can strap the tubes to a robot dog.

Another idea: drone AWACS. I mean, a drone with radar to detect other drones (and other aircraft).

Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#435

Post by austin-cheney »

biztos wrote: post #401
austin-cheney wrote: post #341

There is an unfulfilled niche for rapid defense applications. If you have ever used a military information system you are already fully aware of the many constraints imposed for security. I have always bypassed these limitations by writing my own applications in JavaScript because they simply execute in the browser. I have always found it interesting that JavaScript is one of the most consumed programming languages i…

Writing your own programs in the browser can be great fun, I enjoy loitering in the Javascript console as much as the next guy (did?). I’m surprised to hear that’s not common anymore. But it doesn’t sound like bypassing the “constraints imposed for security” is the desired outcome for the bosses, so who are you selling to?

Who are you selling to? Anybody with a budget. That could be other contractors. Any enduring units. Any commands.

A JavaScript application could be anything that loads in a webpage but not necessarily from a server or domain. That could mean pasted into the console as you suggested, a SharePoint utility, any web page that does not sending data to the server, as well as pages opened from the local file system.

The primary considerations for success are high portability, data saved in the browser’s localStorage, applications that execute in the browser as opposed to on a server, no dependencies, and high performance.

Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#437

Post by technics256 »

austin-cheney wrote: post #435
biztos wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Writing your own programs in the browser can be great fun, I enjoy loitering in the Javascript console as much as the next guy (did?). I’m surprised to hear that’s not common anymore. But it doesn’t sound like bypassing the “constraints imposed for security” is the desired outcome for the bosses, so who are you selling to?

Who are you selling to? Anybody with a budget. That could be other contractors. Any enduring units. Any commands. A JavaScript application could be anything that loads in a webpage but not necessarily from a server or domain. That could mean pasted into the console as you suggested, a SharePoint utility, any web page that does not sending data to the server, as well as pages opened from the local file system. The pri…

The primary requirement outside of the necessary JS skills would be a security clearance I assume, correct?

Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#439

Post by zilti »

shmageggy wrote: post #324

> We have a fair chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change if startups offer commercial solutions to decarbonize society or remove carbon from the atmosphere. Either this is sloppily phrased, or the SV techno-optimist kool-aid is way stronger than I would have thought plausible. Does anyone seriously believe that a reasonable solution to climate change has exactly one thing on the list and it's "more climate tec…

Oh it is already happening. There is an enormous amount of innovation, and "clean tech" is getting more efficient and less expensive by the day. You just barely hear about it because it gets muffled by all the screaming of a handful of activists who'd rather see us living in caves again.

Re: YC: Requests for Startups

#440

Post by stefandxm »

shrimpx wrote: post #281

To those who think this list will help them get into YC, or lament "why didn't I get into YC when my idea was squarely on this list": The YC application is a sales pitch, and you're not selling your idea, you're primarily selling your charisma and capacity to spin vision and sell. Second, you're selling your chemistry with your cofounders and stability of your relationship. Third, you're selling your capacity to buil…

Yes, and quite often you are selling your company. Investors will try to push you out of the game if they see potential in your products. If you don't have a time-to-market-sensitive product you are usually better off grinding in the basement for a longer time than people wants you to believe.

If however, you have a very narrow window to be able to launch properly, or if your product is mostly visionary you need investors asap. Just don't expect to come out with a Zuckerberg deal, expect 1-2% of the company in the end and make sure you cash out during the entire road.

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