4 ms·

I would like to ask a question. We have a product. We have beta customers and it seems we will have revenue of about $30K/year (that is according to survey of

by throwaway_1971 15y ago

I would like to ask a question. We have a product. We have beta customers and it seems we will have revenue of about $30K/year (that is according to survey of existing customers). We believe the revenue should be 100M/year :) But we are not sure if we know what we don't know. We are old (in 40s) and geeks (never did any business before but we dreamed about). Does it make sense for us apply to Y combinator? Meaning what path would be the most efficient for us?

marcomonteiro 15y ago
Why not? I applied previously not so much for the money but rather the mentorship, advice and relationships that could be built. Don't sell yourselves short because your "old". Sell the fact that your mature, disciplined and responsible enough to commit to this company and bring tremendous experiences along with you.
pclark 15y ago
age is irrelevant, you should do it.
teej 15y ago
That's a big question. Let me attempt to answer it by breaking it down. > We have a product Several of the hottest companies in the last batch had been around for years before YC. Also, AirBnB. > We are old. I don't think that's an issue. Ever since the announcement of the Start Fund, YC has seen more and more seasoned founders come in. My -favorite- company in the S11 batch is a group of wickedly-smart guys in their 30s who've never started a company before. > Does it make sense for us to apply to YC? Depends. YC gives you exposure, business and investment contacts, operational help, and focus. For many companies, those things move the needle. If you're willing to give up a minuscule slice of your company to open up growth opportunities, then do it.
patrickod 15y ago
nobody in YC will ever hold your age against you. It's a complete non-issue. If you want to develop this idea then you should apply.
lacker 15y ago
Nowadays it is common for YC founders to be older. One group of founders had 9 kids between the 2 of them that they brought to Mountain View for this last YC batch. Those guys also had a product already, although after YC it is a few times larger and they raised a nice seed round. Go for it!
- charliepark 15y ago
  How were they able to afford it? Living off the money YC gives you is one thing if you're the proverbial single 20-something, much different if you're married with 4 or 5 (!) kids.
  - mrkurt 15y ago
    Having kids just changes the equation a bit, it's not a unpassable roadblock. If you have 1/3rd of a dozen kids, you've probably had a job for a while, credit cards with excessively high limits, etc. It's not impossible to get enough savings to survive for a fixed amount of time, and the credit cards can provide a nice safety net just in case.

marcomonteiro 15y ago

Why not? I applied previously not so much for the money but rather the mentorship, advice and relationships that could be built. Don't sell yourselves short because your "old". Sell the fact that your mature, disciplined and responsible enough to commit to this company and bring tremendous experiences along with you.

pclark 15y ago

age is irrelevant, you should do it.

teej 15y ago

That's a big question. Let me attempt to answer it by breaking it down. > We have a product Several of the hottest companies in the last batch had been around for years before YC. Also, AirBnB. > We are old. I don't think that's an issue. Ever since the announcement of the Start Fund, YC has seen more and more seasoned founders come in. My -favorite- company in the S11 batch is a group of wickedly-smart guys in their 30s who've never started a company before. > Does it make sense for us to apply to YC? Depends. YC gives you exposure, business and investment contacts, operational help, and focus. For many companies, those things move the needle. If you're willing to give up a minuscule slice of your company to open up growth opportunities, then do it.

patrickod 15y ago

nobody in YC will ever hold your age against you. It's a complete non-issue. If you want to develop this idea then you should apply.

lacker 15y ago

Nowadays it is common for YC founders to be older. One group of founders had 9 kids between the 2 of them that they brought to Mountain View for this last YC batch. Those guys also had a product already, although after YC it is a few times larger and they raised a nice seed round. Go for it!

charliepark 15y ago
How were they able to afford it? Living off the money YC gives you is one thing if you're the proverbial single 20-something, much different if you're married with 4 or 5 (!) kids.
- mrkurt 15y ago
  Having kids just changes the equation a bit, it's not a unpassable roadblock. If you have 1/3rd of a dozen kids, you've probably had a job for a while, credit cards with excessively high limits, etc. It's not impossible to get enough savings to survive for a fixed amount of time, and the credit cards can provide a nice safety net just in case.