10 ms·

Recommend a Founder for YC

112 points by katm 10y ago

saycheese 10y ago
What exactly does this do? Clicked the links and it's not clear if YC is just request the community send links to the YC Application page, of if something else is going on.
- Finbarr 10y ago
  It lets you sign up and provide a more detailed recommendation for an individual or team that you think should apply to YC. When you provide a recommendation, we reach out and encourage them to apply. You can also track the status of all your recommendations and see how they did.
  - saycheese 10y ago
    By track the status, what exactly do you mean? For example, they submitted an application, were rejected, meet YC, got funding, etc.
    - Finbarr 10y ago
      Exactly. You can see whether or not they applied, got an interview, and got accepted.
  - packeted 10y ago
    Is this the best mechanism for YC backed founders to recommend other founders who they already know are intending to apply to YC?
    - Finbarr 10y ago
      Yes.
redtrackker 10y ago
I've noticed a lot of effort over the past year to get more startups interested in YC (deal flow). I'll say what I hear a lot of startup founders saying now -- YC is just not the same anymore. It's lost its appeal and exclusiveness factor. People are just turned off from it. I hope some of the YC team reads this comment and takes heed.
- wtvanhest 10y ago
  I have to agree. I applied to YC a few years back, failed, and subsequently shut down the business. If I ever start another company, I doubt highly that I would apply to YC. I'm not even really sure why. I just don't equate it with prestige anymore.
  - brilliantcode 10y ago
    It's probably due to the higher number of YC backed companies that it's losing that exclusive nature coupled with the market correction in the startup labor market-people are becoming increasingly less obsessed with playing lottery with their time and more likely to bootstrap to control their own destiny or find a stable job-we've seen enough of what "acquisition" really means.
- zitterbewegung 10y ago
  Can you recommend somewhere else then?
  - dlo 10y ago
    An overlooked alternative is to: 1) Reduce your burn rate. 2) Save up enough money to live off of for a year. 3) Bootstrap your startup off your savings. I am going to make a guess that many of the strongest startups will be produced from this procedure. Getting funding, from YC or elsewhere, has a way of changing your startup in a way that makes it much less likely to succeed. They have said so in fact -- they want you to fail quickly.
    - 10y ago
saycheese 10y ago
For those that do not click the links... Applications for YC Summer 2017 are open now: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13600594 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13600594
dewitt 10y ago
Does YC still require founders move to the Bay Area? That is a significant burden for say, older founders with families. I mention that because the pitch says: "We know that great founders can come from anywhere — any city, school, country or background" But the application form says: "If we invest in you, your group is expected to move to the Bay Area for June–Aug 2017." There's a bit of a disconnect, and I'm curious how it's reconciled.
- saycheese 10y ago
  Yes, they require all the founders to be in the Bay Area from June-August 2017. Also appears they have done away with the fellowship, which did not require a fellow to relocate.
- joncalhoun 10y ago
  YC is only 3 months. Last I checked they still expect you to come to the bay area, but only for those 3 months. After that you can do as you please. I know this may be challenging in some situations, but I doubt YC could offer the same value remotely. For starters, many of the talks given off the record would never happen if they were being streamed and could easily be recorded. You also would have less interaction with fellow batchmates, be less involved in group office hours, and a myriad of other small details that come from being present. For remote to work (at YC or in the workplace) I believe it needs to be fostered and prioritized, and YC as it is now was never built around making remote work. If that is ever going to work I suspect an entire batch would need to be remote and the entire experience redesigned for that batch, and that doesn't appear to be a priority for YC.
  - dewitt 10y ago
    I'd be very interested in better understanding what it takes to make something like YC work remotely. Indeed, if I ever left my own job to start a company again, this is the space I'd like to explore most. It feels to me that there's an incredible untapped potential of talent that simply can not relocate or even come to an office on a regular basis (due to disability, economic reasons, visa status, age, family obligations, etc). If we can unlock that potential then there is so much more we can do as a society. If anyone at YC (or anyone else) is interested in talking, please reach out.
anindha 10y ago
There should be more ways to get help if you are at a pre-YC stage. I'd imagine there are a lot of startups that fail before they get to a YC stage. Startup School is good but it's not ongoing. Most VC firms have been more helpful than YC in the early stages personally. For example, I've had VC firms write me a letter of recommendation for a visa when that's not something YC would do. I can see YC is trying to increase flow. Why not make it more organic?
- Finbarr 10y ago
  Look out for something new from YC very soon: https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193 https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193
  - anindha 10y ago
    That is helpful for someone that is really early or thinking about starting a startup but there is a huge void between that and getting into YC. My assumption is that if someone I know is at a stage that they'd get into YC that they already know about YC and are able to make a better decision to apply or not than me. I've told people about office hours in their city. Something that is helpful and they might not know about.
    - Finbarr 10y ago
      I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised by what we release. It's going beyond a traditional MOOC.
- technotony 10y ago
  YC does write letter of recommendations for visas once they get to know you (ie once they've funded you). I'm sure individual partners do this as well for founders they know personally and are outside YC, I doubt VC firms do that without knowing you personally.
  - mwseibel 10y ago
benologist 10y ago
Best of luck getting much of the world to apply in the next couple months with so much visa uncertainty for the next 4 years. What is your plan for founders who get turned back at the airport if they chose you? PHD-in-progress wasn't good enough reason to enter the US last week and you want the smart people to apply for something in months. What happened to YC's remote etc stuff? That would have been helpful about now.
- mwseibel 10y ago
  as referenced in another comment: https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193 https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193 reply
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
cjbenedikt 10y ago
Don't get it. You're supposed to recommend a founder but end up on an application page? I don't want to apply - only recommend!
- Finbarr 10y ago
  Try this link: https://apply.ycombinator.com/organizations/new https://apply.ycombinator.com/organizations/new
colin_fraizer 10y ago
The RMS Titanic?
boodooer 10y ago
YC is failing in the same way that so many once-great startups fail. They're not innovating or reinventing themselves, at all. And YC really does need to change with the times. Paul Graham was the big reason people wanted so badly to get into YC and he's essentially gone now It's now obvious to everyone that YC can't grant success to founders, it can "only" grant opportunity. So why not admit that YC needs good founders more than good founders need YC? It's always been true but now it should be obvious to all. So, drop all the fake eliteness, secret panels of "experts", and insider-club mentality. Just straight up tell founders what the requirements are for YC funding and then fund them! For example say that all YC startups need: 1. One competent programmer willing to dedicate years. 2. At least one other person willing to dedicate years. 3. A Launched and usable prototype software. What else do you need to know, whether they went to the right school? Whether they're attractive??? How good their spoken English is???
- mwseibel 10y ago
  Honestly - it would make our jobs so much easier if there was a simple guide on how to figure out what makes a good startup. The problem is that a successful startup is the exception. It is hard to design a process to find outliers. Here are some links to guidance we provide: http://www.ycombinator.com/howtoapply/ http://www.ycombinator.com/howtoapply/ http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/ http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/ http://www.paulgraham.com/start.html http://www.paulgraham.com/start.html Here are some questions I ask myself when reading applications: Can they build their own MVP? Is there a massively unequal equity split? Do the founders have pre-exisiting relationships? Do they have a non-obvious/controversial insight on their space Is the problem being solved significant (problem a lot of people have or people pay money for)? Am I impressed with the progress they have made since starting? If they don't get into YC - will the continue working on this company?
  - nojvek 10y ago
    I would love YC to open satellite offices in Seattle and Vancouver. Both have great talent pools. YC should at least do an experiment. Same time zones and not too far from SF.
  - 10y ago
ddebernardy 10y ago
I don't mean to flamebait or troll or anything, but lots of the "misconceptions" seem grounded in data, based on the very data that you're putting forward: https://blog.ycombinator.com/common-misconceptions-about-applying-to-yc/ https://blog.ycombinator.com/common-misconceptions-about-app... > Misconception: Only US companies get into YC. > S16: 29% were from outside the US. So it's mostly true. > Misconception: I need to raise a seed round before I apply to YC. > S16: False. 14.2% of accepted companies weren’t even incorporated when they applied. So it's mostly true. The list goes on and on. Not that it removes the merit of YC or anything, but, hey, mind neutering the PR/marketing BS a bit to give the actual picture without trying to paint lipstick all over the pig? ;-) The way that FAQ or whatever it is reads atm is: "Our deal flow is not as big as we'd like, so please send more applications in so we can show we've tons of demand to those we raised funds from and ensure they'll invest again because we get to be picky since we're hugely popular!" Which is PR/marketing at the end of the day, but just don't be misleading to would-be founders.
- jchmbrln 10y ago
  I don't have an opinion on YC one way or the other, but...do you have an axe to grind? There are only three numbers in that list that don't overwhelmingly support the claims made. You call that a list that "goes on and on", "PR/marketing BS", and "lipstick all over the pig"?
  - ddebernardy 10y ago
    No, I'm merely a marketer myself, with some experience behind their side of the table, so I felt like calling out "oh really?!?" types of statements when I see them for the gullible entrepreneur types (met many) who might thoughtlessly drink the cool-aid. Also, there were more than three. A few more that stood out, and I'm sure we could argue on a few more: > Misconception: I’ve raised too much money for YC. Is a sampling anomaly for all we know. > Misconception: I’m too far along for YC. Likewise. > Misconception: Solo founders aren’t accepted. Seriously? "8.5% had a solo founder." > Misconception: I need to know someone at YC or have an alumni recommendation. Likewise. "54.7% did not have a recommendation." Of those that did/didn't, how many got accepted? > Misconception: I’ll never get in. Right, 100% who got in applied, see? Meaningless.
koolba 10y ago
> If you know someone working on a startup who we should encourage to apply for the Summer 2017 batch, recommend them here. What the heck? This post reads like YC can't find enough founders (in quality + quantity) already. If so, is it due to the changing landscape of startups themselves or the shift in focus from startups to left leaning political ideology?
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
devgutt 10y ago
For a minute I thought it would be a service to match founders of fail startup from previous batches with others entrepreneurs willing to apply. I would definitely like that.
nojvek 10y ago
I'm curious how much does it cost to rent for 3 months near YC campus for 3 months?
- harigov 10y ago
  If you are looking for a 1-bed apartment, it will cost around $1600-2000. You can find something for less if you are willing to live in a smaller place.
masudhossain 10y ago
So does this mean that I should contact people in my network to go and recommend me? Is YC going to read all these recommendations or is it going to be only forwarded to the person applying?
jaypaulynice 10y ago
I think a lot of early stage startups look up to YC acceptance as validation, but when you apply at the early stage, you get rejected almost automatically. Too much emphasis on number of users, revenue, etc. So a lot of potentially great startups die before they even see the light of day. Feedback to early stage startups could encourage more founders to apply and keep going. Otherwise it's time consuming to put an application together. I have a feeling that the next Facebook, Google, etc. will not be discovered in any accelerator program.
- wj 10y ago
  I would imagine that as investors YC would like to invest in the founders that look at users and revenue as validation of their ideas rather than acceptance into YC as validation. Not only does that show the startup is more viable but shows the dedication of the founders. I agree with you on feedback. I would LOVE specific reasons why I was not accepted as it would give me very clear goals to shoot for. I also understand that the time to provide that feedback would be crippling to their own productivity. (As an aside, I wonder if we are past the stage of another Facebook or Google. In a macro sense it seems as if we might be at a bit of a pullback from globalization and a result of that might be less new large global companies. I wonder if the next global companies of that size come from India or Brazil but for that to be the case the company would really need to come at the same time of massive economic growth and reduced corruption.)
- snowmaker 10y ago
  Actually, 60% of YC companies are pre-launch when they apply. We care deeply about making sure YC stays a place for early stage companies.
ishbits 10y ago
Kinda related to some of the discussion. Is there anywhere within 2-3 hours of the Bay Area where one could start a company yet have a normal house with a normal yard for a family?
- markmcdonald 10y ago
  The Bay Area has lots of single family homes with yards. Is there a budget you're looking to stay under?
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  Most of the populated areas within 2-3 hours of San Francisco (and an even greater ratio of those within 2-3 hours of any part of the Bay Area) meet that description.
idlewords 10y ago
For some reason, they just keep refilling this piñata.
pedalpete 10y ago
I'd like YC to maybe do a blog-post or give some insight into what they are doing here, what they are planning to accomplish, etc. Though that may spoil the data they are trying to collect??
greens231 10y ago
YC should have branches for europe and asia.
dzink 10y ago
Tossing in an idea: Why not use a rolling application process where founders can update YC on any progress they are making with their startups and an internal system ranks and reddit-scores the startups. YC can jump in and send a note to a founder any time - like an internal advisory board. When application times near, just send a note to the founders you find promising based on your scoring system and they can provide additional info like a video or join an interview if needed. This approach would give YC a lot more data and be less distracting to founders. If you want to reduce volume, just ping companies you know are not VC fundable and let them move on. The deadline-based application process is distracting. While the application is helpful, and should be kept, the founders are expected to waste time and attention every 6 months wondering "but what if my next 3 out of 6 months are committed to YC". Now requesting recommendations adds just one more distraction. People who are committed to work on their project will likely apply multiple times to an ever-decreasing odds process. If you keep the application open year-round we can just direct information your way whenever it happens and use it as our own benchmark. Just a thought.

112 points by katm 10y ago

What exactly does this do? Clicked the links and it's not clear if YC is just request the community send links to the YC Application page, of if something else is going on.

Finbarr 10y ago
It lets you sign up and provide a more detailed recommendation for an individual or team that you think should apply to YC. When you provide a recommendation, we reach out and encourage them to apply. You can also track the status of all your recommendations and see how they did.
- saycheese 10y ago
  By track the status, what exactly do you mean? For example, they submitted an application, were rejected, meet YC, got funding, etc.
  - Finbarr 10y ago
    Exactly. You can see whether or not they applied, got an interview, and got accepted.
- packeted 10y ago
  Is this the best mechanism for YC backed founders to recommend other founders who they already know are intending to apply to YC?
  - Finbarr 10y ago
    Yes.

redtrackker 10y ago

I've noticed a lot of effort over the past year to get more startups interested in YC (deal flow). I'll say what I hear a lot of startup founders saying now -- YC is just not the same anymore. It's lost its appeal and exclusiveness factor. People are just turned off from it. I hope some of the YC team reads this comment and takes heed.

wtvanhest 10y ago
I have to agree. I applied to YC a few years back, failed, and subsequently shut down the business. If I ever start another company, I doubt highly that I would apply to YC. I'm not even really sure why. I just don't equate it with prestige anymore.
- brilliantcode 10y ago
  It's probably due to the higher number of YC backed companies that it's losing that exclusive nature coupled with the market correction in the startup labor market-people are becoming increasingly less obsessed with playing lottery with their time and more likely to bootstrap to control their own destiny or find a stable job-we've seen enough of what "acquisition" really means.
zitterbewegung 10y ago
Can you recommend somewhere else then?
- dlo 10y ago
  An overlooked alternative is to: 1) Reduce your burn rate. 2) Save up enough money to live off of for a year. 3) Bootstrap your startup off your savings. I am going to make a guess that many of the strongest startups will be produced from this procedure. Getting funding, from YC or elsewhere, has a way of changing your startup in a way that makes it much less likely to succeed. They have said so in fact -- they want you to fail quickly.
  - 10y ago

saycheese 10y ago

For those that do not click the links... Applications for YC Summer 2017 are open now: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13600594 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13600594

dewitt 10y ago

Does YC still require founders move to the Bay Area? That is a significant burden for say, older founders with families. I mention that because the pitch says: "We know that great founders can come from anywhere — any city, school, country or background" But the application form says: "If we invest in you, your group is expected to move to the Bay Area for June–Aug 2017." There's a bit of a disconnect, and I'm curious how it's reconciled.

saycheese 10y ago
Yes, they require all the founders to be in the Bay Area from June-August 2017. Also appears they have done away with the fellowship, which did not require a fellow to relocate.
joncalhoun 10y ago
YC is only 3 months. Last I checked they still expect you to come to the bay area, but only for those 3 months. After that you can do as you please. I know this may be challenging in some situations, but I doubt YC could offer the same value remotely. For starters, many of the talks given off the record would never happen if they were being streamed and could easily be recorded. You also would have less interaction with fellow batchmates, be less involved in group office hours, and a myriad of other small details that come from being present. For remote to work (at YC or in the workplace) I believe it needs to be fostered and prioritized, and YC as it is now was never built around making remote work. If that is ever going to work I suspect an entire batch would need to be remote and the entire experience redesigned for that batch, and that doesn't appear to be a priority for YC.
- dewitt 10y ago
  I'd be very interested in better understanding what it takes to make something like YC work remotely. Indeed, if I ever left my own job to start a company again, this is the space I'd like to explore most. It feels to me that there's an incredible untapped potential of talent that simply can not relocate or even come to an office on a regular basis (due to disability, economic reasons, visa status, age, family obligations, etc). If we can unlock that potential then there is so much more we can do as a society. If anyone at YC (or anyone else) is interested in talking, please reach out.

anindha 10y ago

There should be more ways to get help if you are at a pre-YC stage. I'd imagine there are a lot of startups that fail before they get to a YC stage. Startup School is good but it's not ongoing. Most VC firms have been more helpful than YC in the early stages personally. For example, I've had VC firms write me a letter of recommendation for a visa when that's not something YC would do. I can see YC is trying to increase flow. Why not make it more organic?

Finbarr 10y ago
Look out for something new from YC very soon: https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193 https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193
- anindha 10y ago
  That is helpful for someone that is really early or thinking about starting a startup but there is a huge void between that and getting into YC. My assumption is that if someone I know is at a stage that they'd get into YC that they already know about YC and are able to make a better decision to apply or not than me. I've told people about office hours in their city. Something that is helpful and they might not know about.
  - Finbarr 10y ago
    I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised by what we release. It's going beyond a traditional MOOC.
technotony 10y ago
YC does write letter of recommendations for visas once they get to know you (ie once they've funded you). I'm sure individual partners do this as well for founders they know personally and are outside YC, I doubt VC firms do that without knowing you personally.
- mwseibel 10y ago

benologist 10y ago

Best of luck getting much of the world to apply in the next couple months with so much visa uncertainty for the next 4 years. What is your plan for founders who get turned back at the airport if they chose you? PHD-in-progress wasn't good enough reason to enter the US last week and you want the smart people to apply for something in months. What happened to YC's remote etc stuff? That would have been helpful about now.

mwseibel 10y ago
as referenced in another comment: https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193 https://twitter.com/sama/status/821538708943880193 reply
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

cjbenedikt 10y ago

Don't get it. You're supposed to recommend a founder but end up on an application page? I don't want to apply - only recommend!

Finbarr 10y ago
Try this link: https://apply.ycombinator.com/organizations/new https://apply.ycombinator.com/organizations/new

colin_fraizer 10y ago

The RMS Titanic?

boodooer 10y ago

YC is failing in the same way that so many once-great startups fail. They're not innovating or reinventing themselves, at all. And YC really does need to change with the times. Paul Graham was the big reason people wanted so badly to get into YC and he's essentially gone now It's now obvious to everyone that YC can't grant success to founders, it can "only" grant opportunity. So why not admit that YC needs good founders more than good founders need YC? It's always been true but now it should be obvious to all. So, drop all the fake eliteness, secret panels of "experts", and insider-club mentality. Just straight up tell founders what the requirements are for YC funding and then fund them! For example say that all YC startups need: 1. One competent programmer willing to dedicate years. 2. At least one other person willing to dedicate years. 3. A Launched and usable prototype software. What else do you need to know, whether they went to the right school? Whether they're attractive??? How good their spoken English is???

mwseibel 10y ago
Honestly - it would make our jobs so much easier if there was a simple guide on how to figure out what makes a good startup. The problem is that a successful startup is the exception. It is hard to design a process to find outliers. Here are some links to guidance we provide: http://www.ycombinator.com/howtoapply/ http://www.ycombinator.com/howtoapply/ http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/ http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/ http://www.paulgraham.com/start.html http://www.paulgraham.com/start.html Here are some questions I ask myself when reading applications: Can they build their own MVP? Is there a massively unequal equity split? Do the founders have pre-exisiting relationships? Do they have a non-obvious/controversial insight on their space Is the problem being solved significant (problem a lot of people have or people pay money for)? Am I impressed with the progress they have made since starting? If they don't get into YC - will the continue working on this company?
- nojvek 10y ago
  I would love YC to open satellite offices in Seattle and Vancouver. Both have great talent pools. YC should at least do an experiment. Same time zones and not too far from SF.
- 10y ago

ddebernardy 10y ago

I don't mean to flamebait or troll or anything, but lots of the "misconceptions" seem grounded in data, based on the very data that you're putting forward: https://blog.ycombinator.com/common-misconceptions-about-applying-to-yc/ https://blog.ycombinator.com/common-misconceptions-about-app... > Misconception: Only US companies get into YC. > S16: 29% were from outside the US. So it's mostly true. > Misconception: I need to raise a seed round before I apply to YC. > S16: False. 14.2% of accepted companies weren’t even incorporated when they applied. So it's mostly true. The list goes on and on. Not that it removes the merit of YC or anything, but, hey, mind neutering the PR/marketing BS a bit to give the actual picture without trying to paint lipstick all over the pig? ;-) The way that FAQ or whatever it is reads atm is: "Our deal flow is not as big as we'd like, so please send more applications in so we can show we've tons of demand to those we raised funds from and ensure they'll invest again because we get to be picky since we're hugely popular!" Which is PR/marketing at the end of the day, but just don't be misleading to would-be founders.

jchmbrln 10y ago
I don't have an opinion on YC one way or the other, but...do you have an axe to grind? There are only three numbers in that list that don't overwhelmingly support the claims made. You call that a list that "goes on and on", "PR/marketing BS", and "lipstick all over the pig"?
- ddebernardy 10y ago
  No, I'm merely a marketer myself, with some experience behind their side of the table, so I felt like calling out "oh really?!?" types of statements when I see them for the gullible entrepreneur types (met many) who might thoughtlessly drink the cool-aid. Also, there were more than three. A few more that stood out, and I'm sure we could argue on a few more: > Misconception: I’ve raised too much money for YC. Is a sampling anomaly for all we know. > Misconception: I’m too far along for YC. Likewise. > Misconception: Solo founders aren’t accepted. Seriously? "8.5% had a solo founder." > Misconception: I need to know someone at YC or have an alumni recommendation. Likewise. "54.7% did not have a recommendation." Of those that did/didn't, how many got accepted? > Misconception: I’ll never get in. Right, 100% who got in applied, see? Meaningless.

koolba 10y ago

> If you know someone working on a startup who we should encourage to apply for the Summer 2017 batch, recommend them here. What the heck? This post reads like YC can't find enough founders (in quality + quantity) already. If so, is it due to the changing landscape of startups themselves or the shift in focus from startups to left leaning political ideology?

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

devgutt 10y ago

For a minute I thought it would be a service to match founders of fail startup from previous batches with others entrepreneurs willing to apply. I would definitely like that.

nojvek 10y ago

I'm curious how much does it cost to rent for 3 months near YC campus for 3 months?

harigov 10y ago
If you are looking for a 1-bed apartment, it will cost around $1600-2000. You can find something for less if you are willing to live in a smaller place.

masudhossain 10y ago

So does this mean that I should contact people in my network to go and recommend me? Is YC going to read all these recommendations or is it going to be only forwarded to the person applying?

jaypaulynice 10y ago

I think a lot of early stage startups look up to YC acceptance as validation, but when you apply at the early stage, you get rejected almost automatically. Too much emphasis on number of users, revenue, etc. So a lot of potentially great startups die before they even see the light of day. Feedback to early stage startups could encourage more founders to apply and keep going. Otherwise it's time consuming to put an application together. I have a feeling that the next Facebook, Google, etc. will not be discovered in any accelerator program.

wj 10y ago
I would imagine that as investors YC would like to invest in the founders that look at users and revenue as validation of their ideas rather than acceptance into YC as validation. Not only does that show the startup is more viable but shows the dedication of the founders. I agree with you on feedback. I would LOVE specific reasons why I was not accepted as it would give me very clear goals to shoot for. I also understand that the time to provide that feedback would be crippling to their own productivity. (As an aside, I wonder if we are past the stage of another Facebook or Google. In a macro sense it seems as if we might be at a bit of a pullback from globalization and a result of that might be less new large global companies. I wonder if the next global companies of that size come from India or Brazil but for that to be the case the company would really need to come at the same time of massive economic growth and reduced corruption.)
snowmaker 10y ago
Actually, 60% of YC companies are pre-launch when they apply. We care deeply about making sure YC stays a place for early stage companies.

ishbits 10y ago

Kinda related to some of the discussion. Is there anywhere within 2-3 hours of the Bay Area where one could start a company yet have a normal house with a normal yard for a family?

markmcdonald 10y ago
The Bay Area has lots of single family homes with yards. Is there a budget you're looking to stay under?
dragonwriter 10y ago
Most of the populated areas within 2-3 hours of San Francisco (and an even greater ratio of those within 2-3 hours of any part of the Bay Area) meet that description.

idlewords 10y ago

For some reason, they just keep refilling this piñata.

pedalpete 10y ago

I'd like YC to maybe do a blog-post or give some insight into what they are doing here, what they are planning to accomplish, etc. Though that may spoil the data they are trying to collect??

greens231 10y ago

YC should have branches for europe and asia.

dzink 10y ago

Tossing in an idea: Why not use a rolling application process where founders can update YC on any progress they are making with their startups and an internal system ranks and reddit-scores the startups. YC can jump in and send a note to a founder any time - like an internal advisory board. When application times near, just send a note to the founders you find promising based on your scoring system and they can provide additional info like a video or join an interview if needed. This approach would give YC a lot more data and be less distracting to founders. If you want to reduce volume, just ping companies you know are not VC fundable and let them move on. The deadline-based application process is distracting. While the application is helpful, and should be kept, the founders are expected to waste time and attention every 6 months wondering "but what if my next 3 out of 6 months are committed to YC". Now requesting recommendations adds just one more distraction. People who are committed to work on their project will likely apply multiple times to an ever-decreasing odds process. If you keep the application open year-round we can just direct information your way whenever it happens and use it as our own benchmark. Just a thought.