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Correct me if I'm wrong, but as a startup your metrics, learnings, and progress grows every single day, which means that applying early puts you at a disadvanta

by dzink 9y ago

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as a startup your metrics, learnings, and progress grows every single day, which means that applying early puts you at a disadvantage from your future self, let alone from competing companies, to get into one of those 400 interview spots. YC doesn't have the time and resources to re-review 7000 applications over and over again. If you re-submit later in this application cycle, you may not get reviewed again (I've regretted submitting early in the past, after our updated video with co-founders, vs solo founder, didn't get viewed at all.) Thus even with months of application time, it still makes sense for applicants to wait until the last moment to submit. Again, comment if you know more. Is rolling admissions an idea worth trying out for YC - all teams start at the same time, but interviewing and admission decisions don't have to?

pbreit 9y ago
What if they received so many fantastic applications ahead of yours there were few or no spots left?
- Hydraulix989 9y ago
  There's always spots for good startups (even at/especially at YC). The worst thing for an investor is a missed opportunity (after all, they're looking for that 100th portfolio item that makes up for the 99 other losses). Meanwhile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot by giving yourself a bad early impression from the get go (solo founder who didn't find a technical cofounder a few weeks later, didn't close your first customer yet so you were still pre revenue, etc.), and the difference week over week can be night-and-day for an early stage startup.
dustingetz 9y ago
i think there's a hot spot if you can get your shit together a week or two early. If it's your first time, obviously your shit will not be together and you should submit last second with everybody else.
dalton 9y ago
If you have already submitted your application and then your startup has material changes to the idea, new cofounders, huge progress, etc. you can email us using this form https://www.ycombinator.com/contact/ https://www.ycombinator.com/contact/ and we will make sure to make note of what has changed since you submitted.

by dzink 9y ago

pbreit 9y ago

What if they received so many fantastic applications ahead of yours there were few or no spots left?

Hydraulix989 9y ago
There's always spots for good startups (even at/especially at YC). The worst thing for an investor is a missed opportunity (after all, they're looking for that 100th portfolio item that makes up for the 99 other losses). Meanwhile, you're just shooting yourself in the foot by giving yourself a bad early impression from the get go (solo founder who didn't find a technical cofounder a few weeks later, didn't close your first customer yet so you were still pre revenue, etc.), and the difference week over week can be night-and-day for an early stage startup.

dustingetz 9y ago

i think there's a hot spot if you can get your shit together a week or two early. If it's your first time, obviously your shit will not be together and you should submit last second with everybody else.

dalton 9y ago

If you have already submitted your application and then your startup has material changes to the idea, new cofounders, huge progress, etc. you can email us using this form https://www.ycombinator.com/contact/ https://www.ycombinator.com/contact/ and we will make sure to make note of what has changed since you submitted.