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Just to clarify a bit...Dan is one of the best "off the cuff" speakers that I know, and Tom is almost inhuman in his ability to work for countless hours straigh

Just to clarify a bit...Dan is one of the best "off the cuff" speakers that I know, and Tom is almost inhuman in his ability to work for countless hours straight and turn out an amazing product. The Ticketstumbler advice is definitely spot on: - Make sure that you know your shit when you're going in for the interview. Know your competitors inside and out (there will be laptops open during the interview and active googling will be conducted while you're talking), and be able to articulate why you're different. - Be confident in your idea, but also be open to suggestions/recommendations. Push back if you feel it's necessary, but being open and flexible are traits that YC is looking for. - Anticipate obvious questions and have intelligent answers ready. - Definitely have a demo/prototype. We'll be writing up a more in depth blog post in the next few days on the Anyvite blog, but just wanted to toss some ideas out there now in response to the TS blog post.

jumper 18y ago
"Anticipate obvious questions and have intelligent answers ready." Does that include putting the answers in the presentation? I suppose their might be some that wouldn't really fit there even if they were predictable though. Otherwise, I'm not sure if intentionally withholding them until the QA part is a good way of looking stupid or smart...
- drm237 18y ago
  There is no presentation. No powerpoint, no projector, none. This isn't a business meeting. You walk in and they fire questions at you. You respond as best you can and realize that your only ability to steer the conversation is with the responses you give.
  - jumper 18y ago
    Ah, what with the talk of the mock up I assumed you at least put up something as a visual basis. Sounds... refreshing, actually, even if it puts you on the spot, it frees you to show your stuff personally, as opposed to through prepared materials.
    - jmorin007 18y ago
      Yep, you actually just walk into the office with your laptop in hand, set it down on the table, everyone gets up and stands behind you to watch as you start driving and talking...then they start asking you questions, you get derailed answering the questions, and suddenly ten minutes have gone by.

jumper 18y ago

"Anticipate obvious questions and have intelligent answers ready." Does that include putting the answers in the presentation? I suppose their might be some that wouldn't really fit there even if they were predictable though. Otherwise, I'm not sure if intentionally withholding them until the QA part is a good way of looking stupid or smart...

drm237 18y ago
There is no presentation. No powerpoint, no projector, none. This isn't a business meeting. You walk in and they fire questions at you. You respond as best you can and realize that your only ability to steer the conversation is with the responses you give.
- jumper 18y ago
  Ah, what with the talk of the mock up I assumed you at least put up something as a visual basis. Sounds... refreshing, actually, even if it puts you on the spot, it frees you to show your stuff personally, as opposed to through prepared materials.
  - jmorin007 18y ago
    Yep, you actually just walk into the office with your laptop in hand, set it down on the table, everyone gets up and stands behind you to watch as you start driving and talking...then they start asking you questions, you get derailed answering the questions, and suddenly ten minutes have gone by.