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Anyone can bootstrap but once you are done do you have an audience with people who if they invest in your product? If not then you have to make a web app that
by gscott 19y ago
Anyone can bootstrap but once you are done do you have an audience with people who if they invest in your product? If not then you have to make a web app that is going to generate an income for you and your co-founders.
- tptacek 19y agoAnyone can bootstrap. Funny. Listen to what Graham himself says: if you have customers, nobody cares what your pedigree is. Most successful companies don't come through YC. Most funding sources --- top tier VC included --- don't come with real PR benefits. YC does. But it's not proven that you need it.
- gscott 19y ago> Anyone can bootstrap. Funny. I am not sure how that is funny. After web applications started dropping like flys about 2000 I decided that I could build my own that would be just as good but without millions in venture capital.
- tptacek 19y agoWhat are you talking about, applications or companies? If by "bootstrap" you mean "build an app in your spare time while holding down a full-time job in IT at Wells Fargo", you win the argument. If by "bootstrap" you mean "build a company without funding", implying making payroll, I think you're nuts. It's at the very least incredibly scary to bootstrap a company.
- deleted 19y ago[deleted]
- gscott 19y agoBuilding the application, gaining paying users, building a company from that money. The opposite is to get the money first, create a company, then build an application. I would prefer the last one, but getting the money up front is really difficult for most people. Not because there idea but there connections. YC builds the connections, helps build the idea, and then puts it all together. So while YC is great, there will always be a greater number of people wanting in then there is room. So it is back to Plan A.
- freax 19y ago> if you have customers, nobody cares what your pedigree is. If you already have customers, you're doing YC a favor by applying.
- gscott 19y agoI don't agree, YC doesn't accept a sure thing most of the time they like to gamble and hit the next 'big thing'. There is one exception in the companies they have taken on but all the rest were not established and only a few looked like a sure thing (auction manager, photo editor, comments manager).
- axod 19y agoOh no! You have to make money ?? Well getting investment and perpetuating inflated valuations until someone stupid buys the company sounds a much better idea.