5 ms·

Didn't Get Into TechStars? Don't Sweat it

35 points by kirillzubovsky 15y ago

anmol 15y ago
Doesn't google have an IP assignment like every other tech company, that affects what you can work/own, on the side? Also, as oft-repeated, part-time startups don't quite work.
- kirillzubovsky 15y ago
  I believe the writer had started his last startup, while doing it part-time, and the company is doing alright. The proof's in the pudding.
- jheitzeb 15y ago
  Consult a lawyer. State laws vary. Generally, the USA is a very worker-friendly place. Employers can't own what you do on your own time, and provided it is not competitive, you are likely okay. Granted with a company of Google's scope that may be hard.
- diolpah 15y ago
  Part time startups don't work? I strongly disagree and I would ask for a citation as evidence of this claim. Seems to have worked reasonably well for my company, at least.
eggbrain 15y ago
I've applied to TechStars about 4-5 times, maybe more. Each time I applied I made more and more progress, and got as far as being a TechStars finalist [Top ~30], but no further. Despite each time being "nonselected" rather than "rejected", I still felt pretty discouraged (especially after not even being a finalist the final time). When I looked back however, I changed my mind. While I may not have gotten into TechStars, that didn't mean they didn't have lessons to teach me. I learned a ton about entrepreneurship, learning to code, building a product and userbase, and networking, that I might not have ever learned had I not been striving to get into the program. I can't stop the entrepreneurial fire in me now, and I have David Cohen, Brad Feld, David Tisch, and more to thank for that.
- jheitzeb 15y ago
  I find your attitude very inspiring.
nolite 15y ago
Can you even work 9-5 at google?
- Hisoka 15y ago
  Anyone working in Google with an answer to this question?
chailatte 15y ago
Ironically, most of those in incubator end up working for Google anyways.
kloncks 15y ago
The "logic" escapes me. So, if you didn't make it into a program that gets 600 requests and accepts 2%(1) go ahead and apply to a company that four years ago got 1,000,000 applications a year and only accepted 0.05%. (2) I get what he's saying but Step 1 being simply "get a job at google" is just baffling. (1) http://ask.techstars.org/how-many-companies-apply-to-techstars-each-seasoncity http://ask.techstars.org/how-many-companies-apply-to-techsta... (2) http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-receives-1000000-job-applications-a-year/4308/ http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-receives-1000000-j...
- jheitzeb 15y ago
  Getting into to either isn't based on ratios and stats. Excellent, top-notch engineers that can get jobs at Google might find it harder to get into TechStars if they lack a viable team + idea. There are a LOT of positions open at Google right now. Not many spots at TechStars. Orders of magnitude difference.
d0m 15y ago
The thing is.. You know that TechStars and YC are a bunch of VERY smart VCs and entrepreneurs. You have a huge respect and read everything from them. You're passionate about software engineering and had job offers from great companies but said "No, I want to start my business". And then, those great guys just refuse you. Whatever the way they say it (Awesome other participants, not enough $ to fund everyone), it still mean that they had the opportunity to take you, and they said no. It talks for itself.. Why the fuck would you continue your startup if these extremely smart guys didn't want/trust you?
- kloncks 15y ago
  Now, I just disagree with this view. The vast majority of companies don't take VC money. Many great companies had ideas that were quickly dismissed by these "VERY smart VCs and entrepreneurs". Of course, there's also the argument that the 4-5 YC partners just can't take on every potentially successful startup. Harvard can't accept every qualified candidate; there's not enough seats. But to then tell one of those rejected (or in this case, waitlisted!) to simply forget continuing on with their education elsewhere is just preposterous.
  - d0m 15y ago
    "The vast majority of companies don't take VC money. Many great companies had ideas that were quickly dismissed by these "VERY smart VCs and entrepreneurs"." It's not for the money. It's for the experience that you get, the day to day conversation with all the teams, the contacts that you can get, the incredible feedback and criticism from highly experienced mentor AND the money (Which is really not that much, but just enough to get started and focus without stressing about how you will eat). And note here, I'm talking about first time entrepreneurs; Not someone who's got 5 startups already sold or a google/facebook/whatever CTO. And yeah, you can argue that you don't need it and sometime startups were wrongly dismissed by good VCs; but it's rare. It's their job to spot great startups/revolutionary ideas/extraordinary teams. The fact that you are not chosen means something. You can't only dismiss it.. It's important to know why you weren't chosen. And "The teams were awesome this year" is not a reason. I mean, if your idea is awesome and you are great but they didn't accept you, there must be a reason. Is it because they didn't "get" it? Or felt that the market wasn't ready for it? Or that even though you think you're awesome, you're not? "Of course, there's also the argument that the 4-5 YC partners just can't take on every potentially successful startup. Harvard can't accept every qualified candidate; there's not enough seats. But to then tell one of those rejected (or in this case, waitlisted!) to simply forget continuing on with their education elsewhere is just preposterous." Again, the problem is not to be refused, but to know why you are. If you were refused because of your grades, it's perfectly understandable. If it's because you can't speak the language of the university, it's understandable. But if you're among the best with a great personality and awesome grades, why would they refuse you? And then, school is really different in the way they accept you. It's more about your dossier and your grade.. not about your potential. Whereas, with an incubator, they don't care about your past, they look at you. Your idea. Your personality. Your enthusiast. The fact that they refuse you means a lot more; PG really looked at you, talked with you and thought: "No. You're not in."
igorgue 15y ago
About #1... can you work 9-5 at a tech company? Is this guy a developer? There are non-competes too so you can't build something Google is thinking on building or have you working on, also, and more importantly, most of the "successful" startup guys wont just "get a job at Google", I know many people here would, but it's hard for a lot of people that start businesses to: 1. Just get a 9-5 job 2. Be so deep into computer science that Google requires For many of these guys to get to Google it would be easier to build something and then sell it to them.
nhashem 15y ago
The wording of this blog post is very silly, but I think there's a valid point in here, and that is: the right full-time job can still enable you to work on your startup. That job probably isn't at Google though. There are lots of software engineering positions where hours are 9-5, the problems you solve aren't very hard and thus leave you with lots of mental energy, and there isn't much in terms of "extracurriculars" (conferences, etc) to occupy your time. These are terrible jobs if they're your only path for professional development, but they can be good for a 3-12 month stint while you try and get your startup off the ground. Low commitment, low stress, just enough to pay the bills and get you some health insurance. I can't imagine a software position at Google ever matching that description though.
- jheitzeb 15y ago
  Do you or have you worked there? Neither have I, but friends attest that 9-to-5 is possible there. All depends on the person, their focus and the project they are working on.
  - fourspace 15y ago
    I worked at Google for 5 years. 9-5 is possible, though most people work extra hours. The more important issue is the mental energy. 8 hours at Google is different from 8 hours at a low-key tech gig.
jhdavids8 15y ago
Well, I'd say if you need someone to tell you to get a 9 to 5 job in order to pay the bills and save a floundering startup that can't get VC, you may have bigger problems.
bradleyjoyce 15y ago
If you have a mostly b2b startup, the applications for Tech Wildcatters are open for a few more day! http://techwildcatters.com http://techwildcatters.com, you get up to $25k

anmol 15y ago

Doesn't google have an IP assignment like every other tech company, that affects what you can work/own, on the side? Also, as oft-repeated, part-time startups don't quite work.

kirillzubovsky 15y ago
I believe the writer had started his last startup, while doing it part-time, and the company is doing alright. The proof's in the pudding.
jheitzeb 15y ago
Consult a lawyer. State laws vary. Generally, the USA is a very worker-friendly place. Employers can't own what you do on your own time, and provided it is not competitive, you are likely okay. Granted with a company of Google's scope that may be hard.
diolpah 15y ago
Part time startups don't work? I strongly disagree and I would ask for a citation as evidence of this claim. Seems to have worked reasonably well for my company, at least.

eggbrain 15y ago

I've applied to TechStars about 4-5 times, maybe more. Each time I applied I made more and more progress, and got as far as being a TechStars finalist [Top ~30], but no further. Despite each time being "nonselected" rather than "rejected", I still felt pretty discouraged (especially after not even being a finalist the final time). When I looked back however, I changed my mind. While I may not have gotten into TechStars, that didn't mean they didn't have lessons to teach me. I learned a ton about entrepreneurship, learning to code, building a product and userbase, and networking, that I might not have ever learned had I not been striving to get into the program. I can't stop the entrepreneurial fire in me now, and I have David Cohen, Brad Feld, David Tisch, and more to thank for that.

jheitzeb 15y ago
I find your attitude very inspiring.

nolite 15y ago

Can you even work 9-5 at google?

Hisoka 15y ago
Anyone working in Google with an answer to this question?

chailatte 15y ago

Ironically, most of those in incubator end up working for Google anyways.

kloncks 15y ago

The "logic" escapes me. So, if you didn't make it into a program that gets 600 requests and accepts 2%(1) go ahead and apply to a company that four years ago got 1,000,000 applications a year and only accepted 0.05%. (2) I get what he's saying but Step 1 being simply "get a job at google" is just baffling. (1) http://ask.techstars.org/how-many-companies-apply-to-techstars-each-seasoncity http://ask.techstars.org/how-many-companies-apply-to-techsta... (2) http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-receives-1000000-job-applications-a-year/4308/ http://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-receives-1000000-j...

jheitzeb 15y ago
Getting into to either isn't based on ratios and stats. Excellent, top-notch engineers that can get jobs at Google might find it harder to get into TechStars if they lack a viable team + idea. There are a LOT of positions open at Google right now. Not many spots at TechStars. Orders of magnitude difference.

d0m 15y ago

The thing is.. You know that TechStars and YC are a bunch of VERY smart VCs and entrepreneurs. You have a huge respect and read everything from them. You're passionate about software engineering and had job offers from great companies but said "No, I want to start my business". And then, those great guys just refuse you. Whatever the way they say it (Awesome other participants, not enough $ to fund everyone), it still mean that they had the opportunity to take you, and they said no. It talks for itself.. Why the fuck would you continue your startup if these extremely smart guys didn't want/trust you?

kloncks 15y ago
Now, I just disagree with this view. The vast majority of companies don't take VC money. Many great companies had ideas that were quickly dismissed by these "VERY smart VCs and entrepreneurs". Of course, there's also the argument that the 4-5 YC partners just can't take on every potentially successful startup. Harvard can't accept every qualified candidate; there's not enough seats. But to then tell one of those rejected (or in this case, waitlisted!) to simply forget continuing on with their education elsewhere is just preposterous.
- d0m 15y ago
  "The vast majority of companies don't take VC money. Many great companies had ideas that were quickly dismissed by these "VERY smart VCs and entrepreneurs"." It's not for the money. It's for the experience that you get, the day to day conversation with all the teams, the contacts that you can get, the incredible feedback and criticism from highly experienced mentor AND the money (Which is really not that much, but just enough to get started and focus without stressing about how you will eat). And note here, I'm talking about first time entrepreneurs; Not someone who's got 5 startups already sold or a google/facebook/whatever CTO. And yeah, you can argue that you don't need it and sometime startups were wrongly dismissed by good VCs; but it's rare. It's their job to spot great startups/revolutionary ideas/extraordinary teams. The fact that you are not chosen means something. You can't only dismiss it.. It's important to know why you weren't chosen. And "The teams were awesome this year" is not a reason. I mean, if your idea is awesome and you are great but they didn't accept you, there must be a reason. Is it because they didn't "get" it? Or felt that the market wasn't ready for it? Or that even though you think you're awesome, you're not? "Of course, there's also the argument that the 4-5 YC partners just can't take on every potentially successful startup. Harvard can't accept every qualified candidate; there's not enough seats. But to then tell one of those rejected (or in this case, waitlisted!) to simply forget continuing on with their education elsewhere is just preposterous." Again, the problem is not to be refused, but to know why you are. If you were refused because of your grades, it's perfectly understandable. If it's because you can't speak the language of the university, it's understandable. But if you're among the best with a great personality and awesome grades, why would they refuse you? And then, school is really different in the way they accept you. It's more about your dossier and your grade.. not about your potential. Whereas, with an incubator, they don't care about your past, they look at you. Your idea. Your personality. Your enthusiast. The fact that they refuse you means a lot more; PG really looked at you, talked with you and thought: "No. You're not in."

igorgue 15y ago

About #1... can you work 9-5 at a tech company? Is this guy a developer? There are non-competes too so you can't build something Google is thinking on building or have you working on, also, and more importantly, most of the "successful" startup guys wont just "get a job at Google", I know many people here would, but it's hard for a lot of people that start businesses to: 1. Just get a 9-5 job 2. Be so deep into computer science that Google requires For many of these guys to get to Google it would be easier to build something and then sell it to them.

nhashem 15y ago

The wording of this blog post is very silly, but I think there's a valid point in here, and that is: the right full-time job can still enable you to work on your startup. That job probably isn't at Google though. There are lots of software engineering positions where hours are 9-5, the problems you solve aren't very hard and thus leave you with lots of mental energy, and there isn't much in terms of "extracurriculars" (conferences, etc) to occupy your time. These are terrible jobs if they're your only path for professional development, but they can be good for a 3-12 month stint while you try and get your startup off the ground. Low commitment, low stress, just enough to pay the bills and get you some health insurance. I can't imagine a software position at Google ever matching that description though.

jheitzeb 15y ago
Do you or have you worked there? Neither have I, but friends attest that 9-to-5 is possible there. All depends on the person, their focus and the project they are working on.
- fourspace 15y ago
  I worked at Google for 5 years. 9-5 is possible, though most people work extra hours. The more important issue is the mental energy. 8 hours at Google is different from 8 hours at a low-key tech gig.

jhdavids8 15y ago

Well, I'd say if you need someone to tell you to get a 9 to 5 job in order to pay the bills and save a floundering startup that can't get VC, you may have bigger problems.

bradleyjoyce 15y ago

If you have a mostly b2b startup, the applications for Tech Wildcatters are open for a few more day! http://techwildcatters.com http://techwildcatters.com, you get up to $25k