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I find it interesting that your first question is about why the founders are the right ones to build this and the second is about how it's different than existi

I find it interesting that your first question is about why the founders are the right ones to build this and the second is about how it's different than existing solutions. Usually the idea gets discussed, than the team and competition. I think it is telling that the top comment on this post doesn't need to validate the idea and demand. That alone should count for considering in the YC Fellowship.

spotman 11y ago
A distinction without a difference. Both are things that investors would care about. Sorry but if this is the first experience the team has with building or maintaining data stores then I would definitely not invest. There is so much to learn from experience. Having said that, I imagine it's not, so it should be an easy question to answer one would hope.
- davemel37 11y ago
  Of course the questions are important. My only point is that the idea itself seems to resonate really well with the voters on HN, since the questions jump to execution related questions and bypass idea validation questions. > first experience the team has with building or maintaining data stores then I would definitely not invest. To that point, while admittedly I don't know enough about building and maintaining data stores, I think it is a mistake to pass on founders because they lack the experience needed to know what they are up against. Often it is that very quality of being too naive to know what they are up against that allows them to take on a massive project and completely change the world or disrupt an industry. I think the questions are fair and important to answer, I just think that great things are done all the time by people who have no clue what they are doing or up against going into the challenge...as long as they have the perseverance and resourcefulness to deal with whatever gets thrown at them, I would bet on them.
stingrae 11y ago
When I have heard YC partners talk about judging companies, they put a heavy emphasis on the founding team. (Their background, how long they have known each other, and why they are the right person to build this product.) So I think it is a perfectly valid question.
- davemel37 11y ago
  Of course it's an important question, but it's rarely the first question. The first question is usually about why the idea is good in the first place. The next line of questioning is about the market opportunity. If you make it through those two lines of questioning, than they figure out if the team is the right team for this project. I was only pointing out that the idea itself seems to resonate enough with the voters on HN that they don't question the validity of the idea, only the ability of the team to deliver.
  - spotman 11y ago
    Everyone wants a faster, lighter, more energy efficient, and reliable car, am I right? That's why this comes up. It simply not as much of a question of is the idea great, it's we have been here before (and if not exactly this idea, there is a lot of overlap with other new databases), and it's quite hard to pull off. Not everyone can be the tesla of databases, and there is a plethora of new options in the space. So answering this question seems to weigh a bit heavy in the discussion for good reason.
    - david927 11y ago
      But Elon Musk doesn't have 20 years of experience at Ford. Sometimes, when you are doing something new, it comes from left field. Brodlist stems from several years of private research with two PhD students (check kayia.org for more details) that was lucky enough to wind up being able to be the Tesla of databases. Most of this is implemented (what's left is mechanical) and I'm happy to do a TDD with HN. I definitely understand your concern and I'm saying I don't know if we qualified to do this job but I can assure you that we qualified by doing this job.
      - spotman 11y ago
        Sure, but Elon Musk is one person. Tesla is a team. Tesla has hired the brightest minds in the business, _plenty_ coming from years and years and years of deep experience building cars, supply chains, and more. You can believe that he didn't get funding without having the team in place to build his company, even if he is the fire starter.

spotman 11y ago

A distinction without a difference. Both are things that investors would care about. Sorry but if this is the first experience the team has with building or maintaining data stores then I would definitely not invest. There is so much to learn from experience. Having said that, I imagine it's not, so it should be an easy question to answer one would hope.

davemel37 11y ago
Of course the questions are important. My only point is that the idea itself seems to resonate really well with the voters on HN, since the questions jump to execution related questions and bypass idea validation questions. > first experience the team has with building or maintaining data stores then I would definitely not invest. To that point, while admittedly I don't know enough about building and maintaining data stores, I think it is a mistake to pass on founders because they lack the experience needed to know what they are up against. Often it is that very quality of being too naive to know what they are up against that allows them to take on a massive project and completely change the world or disrupt an industry. I think the questions are fair and important to answer, I just think that great things are done all the time by people who have no clue what they are doing or up against going into the challenge...as long as they have the perseverance and resourcefulness to deal with whatever gets thrown at them, I would bet on them.

stingrae 11y ago

When I have heard YC partners talk about judging companies, they put a heavy emphasis on the founding team. (Their background, how long they have known each other, and why they are the right person to build this product.) So I think it is a perfectly valid question.

davemel37 11y ago
Of course it's an important question, but it's rarely the first question. The first question is usually about why the idea is good in the first place. The next line of questioning is about the market opportunity. If you make it through those two lines of questioning, than they figure out if the team is the right team for this project. I was only pointing out that the idea itself seems to resonate enough with the voters on HN that they don't question the validity of the idea, only the ability of the team to deliver.
- spotman 11y ago
  Everyone wants a faster, lighter, more energy efficient, and reliable car, am I right? That's why this comes up. It simply not as much of a question of is the idea great, it's we have been here before (and if not exactly this idea, there is a lot of overlap with other new databases), and it's quite hard to pull off. Not everyone can be the tesla of databases, and there is a plethora of new options in the space. So answering this question seems to weigh a bit heavy in the discussion for good reason.
  - david927 11y ago
    But Elon Musk doesn't have 20 years of experience at Ford. Sometimes, when you are doing something new, it comes from left field. Brodlist stems from several years of private research with two PhD students (check kayia.org for more details) that was lucky enough to wind up being able to be the Tesla of databases. Most of this is implemented (what's left is mechanical) and I'm happy to do a TDD with HN. I definitely understand your concern and I'm saying I don't know if we qualified to do this job but I can assure you that we qualified by doing this job.
    - spotman 11y ago
      Sure, but Elon Musk is one person. Tesla is a team. Tesla has hired the brightest minds in the business, _plenty_ coming from years and years and years of deep experience building cars, supply chains, and more. You can believe that he didn't get funding without having the team in place to build his company, even if he is the fire starter.