5 ms·

How to get accepted for a Y Combinator interview

37 points by thingsilearned 19y ago

Sam_Odio 19y ago
Here's one suggestion they left out which I think would help: have something to show the partners (ideally, a working prototype)
- garbowza 19y ago
  Great point, I definitely endorse that point as well. We didn't have a prototype when we applied, but we created one by the time we were interviewed. Showing even a rough prototype will explain your idea better than anything you say during that 5 minutes.
  - notauser 19y ago
    I do wonder about the demo. All is well and good if it works with no glitches, but what if a spectacular bug catches you out when you don't expect it and the whole thing blows up in your face? By limiting the scope (rather than the maturity) and testing heavily you can be reasonably confident, but it will leave you with a less impressive demo to throw up.
    - ashu 19y ago
      I think you should view the demo as a much more efficient way to express your vision, rather than thinking of it as a way to impress. The latter doesn't hurt but it isn't as useful towards conveying what YC would like to hear.
    - pg 19y ago
      Don't worry about that. We've given enough demos ourselves to know they always break.
- dustineichler 19y ago
  I'd be interested to know what amount of accepted applicants don't even have a prototype if not at least something drawn out on paper.
- SwellJoe 19y ago
  +1 The first thing I ask of anyone interviewing with YC: Do you have a demo? If you don't have a demo, you're going to have to describe your vision in a very short span of time and under pressure. Your demo, presumably, won't be shaky or easily confused by pg's questions (which I was pretty much always thrown off by, as they weren't the things we came in expecting to answer or talk about), and will just work. Even a mockup is better than having nothing, though not by much. Having a demo exhibits so many things that are impossible for them to really judge in any other way. It shows you're committed to the project enough to spend some of your own time on it. It shows you're capable enough to build the things you say you're going to build (or at least a reasonable start on those things). It shows that you've thought enough about the idea to produce a prototype, which gives a much better view of the workability of the concept. And, finally, it helps them to understand what the heck you're talking about--they're hearing dozens of pitches on the interview weekend, and will be far more likely to remember what you're doing, if you show them than if you merely tell them.
tim2 19y ago
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143097 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143097 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143451 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143451 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=96078 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=96078
marvin 19y ago
I assume that PG, after all his bashing of the college application process, is very careful about not giving the wrappings more weight than the applicant. So hints like these wouldn't be worth much. All of these points are really obvious anyway, the kind of things you would consider when writing any important text.
- garbowza 19y ago
  The wrappings are what exposes how good (or bad) the applicant is. Thinking that your natural wonderfulness will be obvious no matter how you fill out your application sets yourself up for failure.
tptacek 19y ago
Union bylaws obligate me to point out that with a similar expenditure of effort and planning, you could "raise" more than twice as much money as a YC "round" by consulting for a month, and then simply start your company. The market does not care whether your friends are "top quality players" who make important contributions. You are not a unique snowflake. If your product or service offering works, you will win.
- jsjenkins168 19y ago
  I wish it was that easy... Raising money beyond bootstrapping is very difficult unless you are referred by a credible source, which is what YC is. Its about the referrals and connections and the associated attention that comes along with them, not so much the money. I'd give up 6% of my startup if I could personally connect with all of the important angels in SV and Boston, probably even if no money was involved. But, like you say it all really comes down to the product. That I'll agree with.
  - tptacek 19y ago
    I see this argument a lot from YC fans, but I never see the two big problems with it addressed: (1) The overwhelming majority of VC A-rounds don't go to YC companies. (2) A majority of YC companies don't seem to get funded --- defined here as "an A round of over $1MM". Graham knows more about (2) than I can claim to, and I could be wrong, but my sense of it is that I am not. The normal route to funding for News.YC readers seems to be: (1) Bootstrap (2) Prototype (3) Customers (4) Adult Supervision (5) Funding (4) --- a CEO who knows how to talk to VC --- sounds demeaning, until you realize that it pales in comparison to (5), which dominates both the normal and the YC graph (note edge to (0) FAILURE at every vertex).
    - nostrademons 19y ago
      1.) means nothing without also knowing what percentage of companies seeking funding are from YC. Hypothetically, if there are 2000 companies seeking VC funding, 20 companies that get into YC, 100 companies funded, and 10 of those funded companies are from YC, then only 10% of VC A-rounds went to YC companies. Yet your chances of getting funding given that you got into YC are 50%, yet your chances of getting funding otherwise are 5%. Most entrepreneurs would give up 6% of their company for a 10-fold increase in the chance of getting funded.
webwright 19y ago
I also believe it helps to have an accent of some kind. PG loves accents.
- sratner 19y ago
  You are just jealous you don't have one.
  - abstractbill 19y ago
    When I first came to the US I was still dating and, of course my accent came up in conversation pretty early. I remember a couple of times saying "oh thanks, I like your accent too", only to be told "but I don't have an accent" ;-)
webwright 19y ago
"The 3 months is just the beginning. After that, you will continue to build your product, find investment, hire employees and create an actual business. This process will take years!" Read that over a few times. By putting your name on that application, you're starting a commitment to your co-founders that you should take seriously... Life can take a turn, but for the most part, you should be prepared to set aside a couple of years at least-- losing a co-founder early on can be pretty deadly.

Here's one suggestion they left out which I think would help: have something to show the partners (ideally, a working prototype)

garbowza 19y ago
Great point, I definitely endorse that point as well. We didn't have a prototype when we applied, but we created one by the time we were interviewed. Showing even a rough prototype will explain your idea better than anything you say during that 5 minutes.
- notauser 19y ago
  I do wonder about the demo. All is well and good if it works with no glitches, but what if a spectacular bug catches you out when you don't expect it and the whole thing blows up in your face? By limiting the scope (rather than the maturity) and testing heavily you can be reasonably confident, but it will leave you with a less impressive demo to throw up.
  - ashu 19y ago
    I think you should view the demo as a much more efficient way to express your vision, rather than thinking of it as a way to impress. The latter doesn't hurt but it isn't as useful towards conveying what YC would like to hear.
  - pg 19y ago
    Don't worry about that. We've given enough demos ourselves to know they always break.
dustineichler 19y ago
I'd be interested to know what amount of accepted applicants don't even have a prototype if not at least something drawn out on paper.
SwellJoe 19y ago
+1 The first thing I ask of anyone interviewing with YC: Do you have a demo? If you don't have a demo, you're going to have to describe your vision in a very short span of time and under pressure. Your demo, presumably, won't be shaky or easily confused by pg's questions (which I was pretty much always thrown off by, as they weren't the things we came in expecting to answer or talk about), and will just work. Even a mockup is better than having nothing, though not by much. Having a demo exhibits so many things that are impossible for them to really judge in any other way. It shows you're committed to the project enough to spend some of your own time on it. It shows you're capable enough to build the things you say you're going to build (or at least a reasonable start on those things). It shows that you've thought enough about the idea to produce a prototype, which gives a much better view of the workability of the concept. And, finally, it helps them to understand what the heck you're talking about--they're hearing dozens of pitches on the interview weekend, and will be far more likely to remember what you're doing, if you show them than if you merely tell them.

tim2 19y ago

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143097 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143097 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143451 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143451 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=96078 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=96078

marvin 19y ago

I assume that PG, after all his bashing of the college application process, is very careful about not giving the wrappings more weight than the applicant. So hints like these wouldn't be worth much. All of these points are really obvious anyway, the kind of things you would consider when writing any important text.

garbowza 19y ago
The wrappings are what exposes how good (or bad) the applicant is. Thinking that your natural wonderfulness will be obvious no matter how you fill out your application sets yourself up for failure.

tptacek 19y ago

Union bylaws obligate me to point out that with a similar expenditure of effort and planning, you could "raise" more than twice as much money as a YC "round" by consulting for a month, and then simply start your company. The market does not care whether your friends are "top quality players" who make important contributions. You are not a unique snowflake. If your product or service offering works, you will win.

jsjenkins168 19y ago
I wish it was that easy... Raising money beyond bootstrapping is very difficult unless you are referred by a credible source, which is what YC is. Its about the referrals and connections and the associated attention that comes along with them, not so much the money. I'd give up 6% of my startup if I could personally connect with all of the important angels in SV and Boston, probably even if no money was involved. But, like you say it all really comes down to the product. That I'll agree with.
- tptacek 19y ago
  I see this argument a lot from YC fans, but I never see the two big problems with it addressed: (1) The overwhelming majority of VC A-rounds don't go to YC companies. (2) A majority of YC companies don't seem to get funded --- defined here as "an A round of over $1MM". Graham knows more about (2) than I can claim to, and I could be wrong, but my sense of it is that I am not. The normal route to funding for News.YC readers seems to be: (1) Bootstrap (2) Prototype (3) Customers (4) Adult Supervision (5) Funding (4) --- a CEO who knows how to talk to VC --- sounds demeaning, until you realize that it pales in comparison to (5), which dominates both the normal and the YC graph (note edge to (0) FAILURE at every vertex).
  - nostrademons 19y ago
    1.) means nothing without also knowing what percentage of companies seeking funding are from YC. Hypothetically, if there are 2000 companies seeking VC funding, 20 companies that get into YC, 100 companies funded, and 10 of those funded companies are from YC, then only 10% of VC A-rounds went to YC companies. Yet your chances of getting funding given that you got into YC are 50%, yet your chances of getting funding otherwise are 5%. Most entrepreneurs would give up 6% of their company for a 10-fold increase in the chance of getting funded.

webwright 19y ago

I also believe it helps to have an accent of some kind. PG loves accents.

sratner 19y ago
You are just jealous you don't have one.
- abstractbill 19y ago
  When I first came to the US I was still dating and, of course my accent came up in conversation pretty early. I remember a couple of times saying "oh thanks, I like your accent too", only to be told "but I don't have an accent" ;-)

webwright 19y ago

"The 3 months is just the beginning. After that, you will continue to build your product, find investment, hire employees and create an actual business. This process will take years!" Read that over a few times. By putting your name on that application, you're starting a commitment to your co-founders that you should take seriously... Life can take a turn, but for the most part, you should be prepared to set aside a couple of years at least-- losing a co-founder early on can be pretty deadly.