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YC is looking at this from the VC/startup perspective. "Does this group of people with this company seem like they can make a billion dollar business in the nex

YC is looking at this from the VC/startup perspective. "Does this group of people with this company seem like they can make a billion dollar business in the next ~10 years?" They want founders that target a huge (or growing / potentially huge) market with stars in their eyes and some insight as to how to own it. If you're content with a small business and growing slowly then you are not a good fit. You might have a great business in the end, but still not be a fit for the model. Like others have said, YC partners miss big hits. They're not perfect. Keep going and if you have a relentless focus on month over month growth and keep your churn down then you have a chance to get VC-style growth capital. But, if you just want to bootstrap a profitable business you'll be better off doing that on your own and getting bank loans or other risk-adverse capital.

theli0nheart 7y ago
What you say is technically true, but given how easy it is to pivot nowadays, and the fact that YC prides itself on accepting teams even pre-product, this "billion dollar business" line seems like a great way to reject anyone they want for any reason.
- Grustaf 7y ago
  Since it’s their money, it seems pretty reasonable that the should be able to invest in whoever they want, for whatever reason.
  - theli0nheart 7y ago
    I agree, and I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is telling applicants how they make decisions in a nice fair way, when in fact they use another, “secret” rubric that’s based more on brand and connections. If you’re going to evaluate folks, don't lie about how you're doing it.
    - jconley 7y ago
      They accept founders with a cornucopia of backgrounds. From people with barely an idea to people with running businesses. I would presume the farther along your business is and the more stuck you are on that particular model the more the evaluation leans toward the business growth metrics. When we did YC we were accepted with an idea, a landing page with some email signups, and almost a customer. They asked hard hitting questions in the interview. We did have industry connections, some unique insights, and previous startup experience. After being "inside" (as a company founder at least) and seeing everything they write about on the "outside", I take what YC says at face value. They earned trust.
    - Grustaf 7y ago
      I’m not sure how it would benefit them to “lie” about their criteria, unless they were secretly racist or something (clearly not the case). If anything they would want to encourage the kind of founders they actually accept, to make the process more efficient. I’m sure the process isn’t entirely fair, since picking winners at such an early stage is incredibly hard and they have so little time for each candidate, but I’m also sure that they _try_ to be as fair as possible. And I write this as someone that has been rejected about half a dozen times...
      - jconley 7y ago
        Garry just posted a video about the criteria they used in interviews when he was there... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTgzA6iKZc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTgzA6iKZc https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21288988 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21288988 Note: He was one of the partners assigned to us and invested in our company with his VC firm.

theli0nheart 7y ago

What you say is technically true, but given how easy it is to pivot nowadays, and the fact that YC prides itself on accepting teams even pre-product, this "billion dollar business" line seems like a great way to reject anyone they want for any reason.

Grustaf 7y ago
Since it’s their money, it seems pretty reasonable that the should be able to invest in whoever they want, for whatever reason.
- theli0nheart 7y ago
  I agree, and I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is telling applicants how they make decisions in a nice fair way, when in fact they use another, “secret” rubric that’s based more on brand and connections. If you’re going to evaluate folks, don't lie about how you're doing it.
  - jconley 7y ago
    They accept founders with a cornucopia of backgrounds. From people with barely an idea to people with running businesses. I would presume the farther along your business is and the more stuck you are on that particular model the more the evaluation leans toward the business growth metrics. When we did YC we were accepted with an idea, a landing page with some email signups, and almost a customer. They asked hard hitting questions in the interview. We did have industry connections, some unique insights, and previous startup experience. After being "inside" (as a company founder at least) and seeing everything they write about on the "outside", I take what YC says at face value. They earned trust.
  - Grustaf 7y ago
    I’m not sure how it would benefit them to “lie” about their criteria, unless they were secretly racist or something (clearly not the case). If anything they would want to encourage the kind of founders they actually accept, to make the process more efficient. I’m sure the process isn’t entirely fair, since picking winners at such an early stage is incredibly hard and they have so little time for each candidate, but I’m also sure that they _try_ to be as fair as possible. And I write this as someone that has been rejected about half a dozen times...
    - jconley 7y ago
      Garry just posted a video about the criteria they used in interviews when he was there... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTgzA6iKZc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTgzA6iKZc https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21288988 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21288988 Note: He was one of the partners assigned to us and invested in our company with his VC firm.