How YC will be funding the S20 batch
dalton.substack.com
How YC will be funding the S20 batch
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Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#2I worked on a video chat startup in 2006 and a concept that still stands out is "floor exchange," which is when one person stops talking and another person starts talking during a conversation.
Floor Exchange usually happens seamlessly in most in-person conversations, but it can be a challenge over video chat, even in 2020.
In any video chat it's helpful to keep your points short and pause for longer than you normally would at the end of each one; if you're doing it right, the pauses will feel uncomfortably long, especially at first. This allows extra time for floor exchange.
I'm excited to see how this remote batch goes!
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#3Get a great web camera or at LEAST some great lighting for your interviews!
A poorly lit fuzzy image is a great way to start off at a disadvantage.
Study after study shows that people that identify themselves as broadly accepting and non-bias hold deep unconscious bias tied to personal appearance, etc. (1) (2)
Logitech has a number of web cameras with strong light sensors and software you can use to generate a professional quality image without back lighting.
There are multiple backlighting solutions on Amazon and elsewhere for (1) https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180806-how-hidden-bia...
(2) https://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2019/02/20/...
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#4I worked on a video chat startup in 2006 and a concept that still stands out is "floor exchange," which is when one person stops talking and another person starts talking during a conversation. Floor Exchange usually happens seamlessly in most in-person conversations, but it can be a challenge over video chat, even in 2020. In any video chat it's helpful to keep your points short and pause for longer than you normall…
I haven't heard that term before - but excellent advice!
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#5Summary:
Y Combinator has been making changes to adjust to the post COVID-19 world. For admissions this means that we won’t be doing our typical in person interviews in Mountain View. Founders instead have their final YC interview as a video call.
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#6If anything good comes out of this ordeal, I hope it's the realization that you most certainly do not have to fly across the country and burn metric tons of kerosene just to have a business meeting.
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#7I worked on a video chat startup in 2006 and a concept that still stands out is "floor exchange," which is when one person stops talking and another person starts talking during a conversation. Floor Exchange usually happens seamlessly in most in-person conversations, but it can be a challenge over video chat, even in 2020. In any video chat it's helpful to keep your points short and pause for longer than you normall…
Floor Exchange usually happens seamlessly in most in-person conversations, but it can be a challenge over video chat, even in 2020.
This is because (conventionally, at least) video chat doesn't really allow eye contact in a natural way, isn't it?
I'll be really surprised if the easiest way to hack the interview process this year isn't just being aware-enough about your camera setup that you can emulate visual cues inherent to physical conversations.
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#8This is the kind of "natural experiment" that economists get excited about.
I hope they're able to at least gain some knowledge from all the disruption throughout society.
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#9For maintaining eye contact during video call we need to look at camera rather than screen. Unless there is some model trained to correct this by maintaining eye contact irrespective of camera, it will be hard to fix as it may deviate the level of concntration during call. Intel researchers are trying to solve this problem by developing eye contact correction system for video calls. https://techxplore.com/news/2019-06-intel-eye-contact-video-...
Re: How YC will be funding the S20 batch
#10If YC goes fully remote this batch, I will apply. Moving to California for several months is well outside my price range and would waste way too much of the YC investment. I also have a relatively pricey NYC apartment lease that I can't just break, so I would basically be on the hook for two astronomical rents for at least the duration.