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And yet, knowing all this, I still applied alone. Had the perfect co-founder, too: lifelong friend, smart, capable, diligent, with whom I’ve worked on a number

And yet, knowing all this, I still applied alone. Had the perfect co-founder, too: lifelong friend, smart, capable, diligent, with whom I’ve worked on a number of projects. He just couldn’t get his act together for the application. Still, if my ice cube’s chance in hell of getting accepted pans out, I’ll probably drag him into it anyway; it’s not really about the money. I applied with some truly insane ideas, so even though I could go it alone, it’d be way nicer to have someone on board! Fingers crossed, anyway. Anyone in a similar boat?

dgallagher 15y ago
Not in the same boat, but in the initial beginning, I'd make sure you give them as many opportunities to quit as possible. It'll weed out those who aren't truly dedicated, and may jump ship anyway 3-24 months from now. I'm not sure how common dropouts are among YC founders, but it's a pattern I've noticed in real life. If something is going to take a long time to accomplish, requiring lots of dedication and persistence, you've got to be 100% certain all parties involved are all-in or they have a high probability of flaking out.
- evincarofautumn 15y ago
  I absolutely agree; you need a persistent “go big or go home” attitude if you’re going to make it as a startup business. I once took on a rather large game project with another good friend of mine, an artist. Though he was pessimistic from the beginning, I insisted we keep at it. In retrospect, it would’ve been much better to reevaluate the scope of the project early on, rather than burn ourselves out and not finish anything. Of course, I don’t actually see my erstwhile cofounder quitting on me—he’s as dedicated as I am. We were just going to miss the deadline to apply together, so I said “Screw it—I’ll apply alone and hire him immediately, if by some magic I get in”.

dgallagher 15y ago

Not in the same boat, but in the initial beginning, I'd make sure you give them as many opportunities to quit as possible. It'll weed out those who aren't truly dedicated, and may jump ship anyway 3-24 months from now. I'm not sure how common dropouts are among YC founders, but it's a pattern I've noticed in real life. If something is going to take a long time to accomplish, requiring lots of dedication and persistence, you've got to be 100% certain all parties involved are all-in or they have a high probability of flaking out.

evincarofautumn 15y ago
I absolutely agree; you need a persistent “go big or go home” attitude if you’re going to make it as a startup business. I once took on a rather large game project with another good friend of mine, an artist. Though he was pessimistic from the beginning, I insisted we keep at it. In retrospect, it would’ve been much better to reevaluate the scope of the project early on, rather than burn ourselves out and not finish anything. Of course, I don’t actually see my erstwhile cofounder quitting on me—he’s as dedicated as I am. We were just going to miss the deadline to apply together, so I said “Screw it—I’ll apply alone and hire him immediately, if by some magic I get in”.