3 ms·

An entrepreneur's perspective on the YC/Yuri Milner deal

17 points by kul 16y ago

joshfraser 16y ago
Doing YC for the second time? Why? Feels like the incremental value of going back for seconds decreases once you have already gotten access to the YC network.
- kul 16y ago
  Hmm - it's still well worth it in my opinion. I last did YC 4 years ago (W07), and whilst I now have my own network, it could still be much bigger. But anyway, there are many other benefits. The focus of prototype and demo day really increases productivity. Close proximity to the YC partners does wonders for your product development, and of course the YC alumni network is much bigger than when I first did it.
borski 16y ago
How do you know you're doing YC this summer? Applications, as far as I'm aware, aren't due until March... Is there some sort of grandfather rule?
- zck 16y ago
  "Hey YC, I'm interested in coming back this summer. I had a successful exit last time. We cool?" "We dig. You're in."
  - borski 16y ago
    That's legit; I was just wondering if that's actually the case.
rhizome 16y ago
"perspective"
- kul 16y ago
  edited, thanks
mindcrime 16y ago
I'm too lazy to write up a blog post on it, but here's my take on how it could conceivably affect my startup: Up until now, I've looked at YC as something that wasn't a doable scenario, because they require the founders to move to the Bay area and live out there for the 3 months, while investing a fairly small amount (I think somewhere around $17,000 is the norm, no?) Anyway, for somebody in my shoes, that is, doing a self-funded, bootstrapped startup while working a day job, the requirement to move would mean needing to quit the day job, but the initial investment would leave - for me anyway - too short of a runway to justify it. At the end of 3 months, I'd come back here (presumably) and need to find another day job, and need to find it pretty quick, in order to pay rent and car payment, etc. But the $150,000 investment option should be good for at least a year of runway, enabling a founder to work on their project full-time. Given a year, I'd feel pretty good about the chances of getting some traction and making a go of things. So where, before, I looked at the YC application as something to do just to force myself to think about things, and maybe do a "mock YC interview" with some local people as an exercise, now I'm seriously interested in actually applying for a future cycle (if this offer continues as future cycles come along.) I see it as changing the whole game for somebody in my position... from YC being something I'd have to turn down even if accepted, into something that is a very real, practical scenario. Of course getting accepted is a whole different story, but hey... you can't win if you don't play, right?

17 points by kul 16y ago

Doing YC for the second time? Why? Feels like the incremental value of going back for seconds decreases once you have already gotten access to the YC network.

kul 16y ago
Hmm - it's still well worth it in my opinion. I last did YC 4 years ago (W07), and whilst I now have my own network, it could still be much bigger. But anyway, there are many other benefits. The focus of prototype and demo day really increases productivity. Close proximity to the YC partners does wonders for your product development, and of course the YC alumni network is much bigger than when I first did it.

borski 16y ago

How do you know you're doing YC this summer? Applications, as far as I'm aware, aren't due until March... Is there some sort of grandfather rule?

zck 16y ago
"Hey YC, I'm interested in coming back this summer. I had a successful exit last time. We cool?" "We dig. You're in."
- borski 16y ago
  That's legit; I was just wondering if that's actually the case.

rhizome 16y ago

"perspective"

kul 16y ago
edited, thanks

mindcrime 16y ago

I'm too lazy to write up a blog post on it, but here's my take on how it could conceivably affect my startup: Up until now, I've looked at YC as something that wasn't a doable scenario, because they require the founders to move to the Bay area and live out there for the 3 months, while investing a fairly small amount (I think somewhere around $17,000 is the norm, no?) Anyway, for somebody in my shoes, that is, doing a self-funded, bootstrapped startup while working a day job, the requirement to move would mean needing to quit the day job, but the initial investment would leave - for me anyway - too short of a runway to justify it. At the end of 3 months, I'd come back here (presumably) and need to find another day job, and need to find it pretty quick, in order to pay rent and car payment, etc. But the $150,000 investment option should be good for at least a year of runway, enabling a founder to work on their project full-time. Given a year, I'd feel pretty good about the chances of getting some traction and making a go of things. So where, before, I looked at the YC application as something to do just to force myself to think about things, and maybe do a "mock YC interview" with some local people as an exercise, now I'm seriously interested in actually applying for a future cycle (if this offer continues as future cycles come along.) I see it as changing the whole game for somebody in my position... from YC being something I'd have to turn down even if accepted, into something that is a very real, practical scenario. Of course getting accepted is a whole different story, but hey... you can't win if you don't play, right?