Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

joncrawford.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 125 posts

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#81

Post by [deleted] »

MortenK wrote: post #73
pg wrote: post #66

Every batch there are some groups that fall apart between when we agree to fund them and when YC starts. Sometimes we tell them not to worry about it and do YC anyway, and sometimes we tell them they should take some time to repair the damage and reapply for the next cycle. It depends on how bad the breakage is. If a team of 3 loses 1 person, that's no problem. Whereas if a team of 3 loses 2 people, that's bad. In th…

To be fair, the guy had to manage an unscheduled move from kansas to sf, including family in one week. At the same time he had to figure things out with the cofounders. In such a short timeframe, isnt it understandable that YC werent notified earlier?

[deleted]

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#82

Post by jedsmith »

NewMonarch wrote: post #79
jedsmith wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can see the other side. YC's requirements are not a surprise (and are quickly Googleable). If Jon's cofounders weren't on board with YC's requirements (namely, moving to San Francisco), that's something he should have been aware of before pitching and getting accepted, and probably should have come up during his pitch -- to YC, it could have been a sign that he didn't know his cofounders well. My knowledge of this…

A big life decision like that takes at least a few days to process and decide. We had 7. Things got pretty crazy in that week, understandably.

I wasn't pointing fingers at you in this, as I said - I was responding to the question directed at Paul. Now, I'll respond to you. I thought this privately, but your comment kind of pushed me over:

I'm not sure if it's intentional, so I apologize if it isn't and I'm completely off-base. I mean no disrespect, and I'm just trying to understand what I'm reading.

I'm reading a bit of exasperation from you that you weren't provided enough time to make life-changing decisions by YC. It almost sounds like blame, even though your blog post leans the other way. Whether you overtly admit it or not, it sounds like you hold a bit of a grudge that you lost out on that YC round because you weren't provided enough time to uproot your (and your cofounders') lives.

Based on Paul's response, it sounds like they had wished they'd have known in that garden meeting that perhaps your cofounders weren't on board. I don't think it's an unfair assumption that you knew, when you pitched YC, that your cofounders had families and were rooted. I think Paul is expressing disappointment that he was blindsided by you hours before YC started with something hitherto unmentioned. Is it unfair to say that perhaps you should have expressed at the initial meeting that the next round might have been better?

I can't imagine YC would have pulled funding from you had you said, at the initial meeting, "can we please shoot for Winter? this is a big deal, and I know your round starts soon, and I want to be respectful of my cofounders and give myself time to get things together". I'd have considered that a sign of wisdom, personally, and gained a lot of respect for you.

My take, anyway. It worked out in the end, so bravo.

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#83

Post by Harj »

Timothee wrote: post #37

In 2010, I got accepted and kicked out of Y Combinator, lost my cofounders, and raised $1.5M from A-list investors Sounds like it was more "our team was accepted even though they had no idea what I was up to, I subsequently lost my cofounders, and Y Combinator revised their decision based on that." I'm surprised that YC accepted "them" after meeting just one of the co-founders. Also, what is not very clear is why he…

I'm surprised that YC accepted "them" after meeting just one of the co-founders

This was the first time we had a late application process and I made the mistake of not insisting that Jon submit an application form. That would have surfaced the issues much earlier. We've since established that we won't fund anyone without them filling out an application form and meeting all co-founders in person.

Congrats to Jon, that's a fantastic list of investors to have.

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#84

Post by [deleted] »

MortenK wrote: post #73
pg wrote: post #66

Every batch there are some groups that fall apart between when we agree to fund them and when YC starts. Sometimes we tell them not to worry about it and do YC anyway, and sometimes we tell them they should take some time to repair the damage and reapply for the next cycle. It depends on how bad the breakage is. If a team of 3 loses 1 person, that's no problem. Whereas if a team of 3 loses 2 people, that's bad. In th…

To be fair, the guy had to manage an unscheduled move from kansas to sf, including family in one week. At the same time he had to figure things out with the cofounders. In such a short timeframe, isnt it understandable that YC werent notified earlier?

[deleted]

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#85

Post by NewMonarch »

jedsmith wrote: post #82
NewMonarch wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A big life decision like that takes at least a few days to process and decide. We had 7. Things got pretty crazy in that week, understandably.

I wasn't pointing fingers at you in this, as I said - I was responding to the question directed at Paul. Now, I'll respond to you. I thought this privately, but your comment kind of pushed me over: I'm not sure if it's intentional, so I apologize if it isn't and I'm completely off-base. I mean no disrespect, and I'm just trying to understand what I'm reading. I'm reading a bit of exasperation from you that you weren'…

Yeah it wasn't really like that. The guys were willing to move if they had to. They were willing to make the move and I had no idea they were going to be out until they were. But after getting swept up in everything for a few days preparing to move, it just became clear it wasn't going to work. There was no intentional omission of facts. When I accepted, I expected us all to be there.

And to clarify, I don't blame YC at all. I love those guys. I really admire Paul and sometimes even quote the few interactions we've had. I think he's a genius and seriously hope we can work together on something one day. (Hi, Paul!)

In my comment above, I was actually just trying to explain that everything happened very fast. I tried to update people as best as I could. It was just a very crazy week.

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#86

Post by 9oliYQjP »

pg wrote: post #66

Every batch there are some groups that fall apart between when we agree to fund them and when YC starts. Sometimes we tell them not to worry about it and do YC anyway, and sometimes we tell them they should take some time to repair the damage and reapply for the next cycle. It depends on how bad the breakage is. If a team of 3 loses 1 person, that's no problem. Whereas if a team of 3 loses 2 people, that's bad. In th…

The problem is assessing who the critical members of the partnership are at that moment. I've met companies where the quiet, reserved hacker in the background was the real brains for the technical and business side of things. The other partner(s), while critical for adding that je ne sais quoi which the hacker required to be effective, were easily replaceable.

Some hackers just want to be Karl Rove. The problem with that is unless somebody tells you about Karl Rove, you'll think all the pawns he puts into place are the ones who are irreplaceable. They aren't, though you might mistake them as such because they are the public face of operations.

It's not common, but also not rare for teams to have the invisible Wizard of Oz who is really pulling the strings behind the scenes. Neither Ferrari nor Michael Schumacher have won much since Ross Brawn parted ways with them as technical director. Yet he managed to take Brawn GP (formerly Honda F1), which was a joke of a team, to both the Drivers and Constructors championships in its second year with him at the helm (first as Brawn GP). While even more variables are at play, take a look at the LA Lakers with and without Jackson as head coach. Then tell me how many people attribute Kobe to their success and don't really ever mention Jackson's name. Would Apple have been the same company (wait for it) had it not had Jonathan Ive?

I'm not quite sure how YCombinator would accept this business based on one co-founder and then dismiss them when he was the only one left. Not being upfront about things would definitely be a warning sign. But again, in his mind, you accepted the business based only on him. Why would it be such a big deal if the two other co-workers left? I've read some other comments about it being a vote of non-confidence in the business. Talk to 95% of employees in companies and probably 2/3s of partners. Secretly, they think the company is going to hell in a hand basket and will be dead or in serious trouble in 2 years time. It's human nature to be skeptical to the point of fearing a business' prospects; Maslow's Hierarchy and all that jazz. A startup doesn't satisfy very many of those levels... people get antsy.

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#87

Post by jacques_chester »

JacobAldridge wrote: post #67
joh6nn wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well, thanks for posting that publicly: there goes the idea for my YC '12 entry.

Not at all - ideas are worth nothing, but if you can prove the execution you're good to go. So own the idea, go forth, and execute some kids better than anyone else.

You'll all be out-marketed by a company run by Amy Chua.

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#88

Post by jacques_chester »

bootload wrote: post #69

"... Still, a couple hours later, I boarded a plane with my wife, dog, and all the necessities for the summer stuffed into a suitcase and flew to SFO and hoped for the best. Seven days isn't nearly enough time to find a proper housing setup in SF, so we checked into an extended stay hotel where we would end up living for an entire month. The next morning, Paul emailed and arranged a meeting with the entire YC team fo…

Yes, he pretty much burnt the boat on this one.

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#89

Post by NewMonarch »

9oliYQjP wrote: post #86
pg wrote: post #66

Every batch there are some groups that fall apart between when we agree to fund them and when YC starts. Sometimes we tell them not to worry about it and do YC anyway, and sometimes we tell them they should take some time to repair the damage and reapply for the next cycle. It depends on how bad the breakage is. If a team of 3 loses 1 person, that's no problem. Whereas if a team of 3 loses 2 people, that's bad. In th…

The problem is assessing who the critical members of the partnership are at that moment. I've met companies where the quiet, reserved hacker in the background was the real brains for the technical and business side of things. The other partner(s), while critical for adding that je ne sais quoi which the hacker required to be effective, were easily replaceable. Some hackers just want to be Karl Rove. The problem with…

Incidentally, the other 2 guys are running a successful t-shirt printing company. You should totally order your swag from them. http://threadbird.com/

Re: How I Got Kicked Out of Y Combinator and Then Raised $1.5m for My Startup

#90

Post by jeromec »

9oliYQjP wrote: post #86
pg wrote: post #66

Every batch there are some groups that fall apart between when we agree to fund them and when YC starts. Sometimes we tell them not to worry about it and do YC anyway, and sometimes we tell them they should take some time to repair the damage and reapply for the next cycle. It depends on how bad the breakage is. If a team of 3 loses 1 person, that's no problem. Whereas if a team of 3 loses 2 people, that's bad. In th…

The problem is assessing who the critical members of the partnership are at that moment. I've met companies where the quiet, reserved hacker in the background was the real brains for the technical and business side of things. The other partner(s), while critical for adding that je ne sais quoi which the hacker required to be effective, were easily replaceable. Some hackers just want to be Karl Rove. The problem with…

You're right about Phil Jackson. He's a basketball genius. LA has always been able to attract top talent, but raw talent alone doesn't equal multiple championships at NBA level.
Post reply on HN