4 ms·

"Do something weird/clever, give them something weird (snacks?), or wear something weird. I believe the AirBNB founders brought their ObamaO's." I would not re

by pg 16y ago

"Do something weird/clever, give them something weird (snacks?), or wear something weird. I believe the AirBNB founders brought their ObamaO's." I would not recommend gratuitous weirdness actually. The Airbnbs' cereal boxes were interesting because they were an organic part of an impressive story, not just a prop. The best way to stick out is to seem like you deeply understand your domain and your users. That is (unfortunately) a surprisingly rare quality.

sachinag 16y ago
I'm astonished that that's rare. Do you tend to select companies to interview who aren't developing for themselves (non-young men programmers)?
- weaksauce 16y ago
  Probably not intentionally, but that is where the larger markets are. You can only sell so much to young men programmers.
- pg 16y ago
  It's rare simply because it's (nearly) identical with being good at starting a startup, and in this domain as in any other, being good is rare.
citizenkeys 16y ago
Ahh, but weirdness tends to result in creativity. "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." I have added this link to my list of blog entries about the YC Interview experience, bringing the total number of entries to 8 ( http://ycuniverse.com/interviewees.php http://ycuniverse.com/interviewees.php ). If you have an interview lined up, I would read all of those upfront, study all of the known companies and founders that YC has already funded ( http://ycuniverse.com/ycombinator-companies.php http://ycuniverse.com/ycombinator-companies.php ) and use all that information to your advantage.
jvyduna 16y ago
Thanks. Post updated to emphasize memorable and relevant creativity. I don't want you guys inundated with the bizarre.