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Woke up this morning to a rejection email. The good news is that this means I have successfully achieved my New Year's Resolution of failing more. The bad news

Woke up this morning to a rejection email. The good news is that this means I have successfully achieved my New Year's Resolution of failing more. The bad news is that it doesn't make failing any easier! We didn't even hear about Y-Combinator until the week before, but I'd echo notdarkyet's comments about how you start to dream. Either way, the process has already been a very worthwhile exercise, without which I would t have discovered Hacker News, so there are a lot of positives to take away. Unlike notdarkyet I go back to a very well paying job, but that's a curse in itself because it makes it far too easy to become complacent and comfortable. I guess I just need to find the next thing to fail at until next round :-)

jparkside 15y ago
Did You apply before or after the deadline?
- Tzunamitom 15y ago
  Two days before...
shimms 15y ago
Just to put it out there - why not continue on the rejected idea? YCombinator are good, but not infallible. Just because they reject your application doesn't guarantee that your idea doesn't have legs.
- Tzunamitom 15y ago
  Thanks for the suggestions - we absolutely will be doing. Though I didn't apply to Y-Combinator because I thought the idea needed validation, or because I needed the money, I applied for two main reasons: 1. I feel the programme represents the best possible start for the company, the buzz of being around so many super smart people with a constant focus on delivery would help make it a success. 2. The programme would provide a framework for the transition we need to make from a corporate job to startup world. No matter what anyone tells you, it's extremely difficult to give a startup enough attention when you're doing it "on-the-side" of a big four corporate job due to the sheer number of hours (let alone the regulations). It's also very hard to leave a six-figure tax-free salary at 27 under current economic conditions without a framework for a transition. I recognise that 2. is a complete excuse regardless of its merits. Given that I don't want to be sitting around at 70 wondering why I never did what I truly wanted to, I now have a lot of thinking to do about where to take this - i.e. take the plunge and self fund; minimise workload to bare minimum to find some time to work on the side; find a startup in Silicon Valley to join to move in the right direction.

jparkside 15y ago

Did You apply before or after the deadline?

Tzunamitom 15y ago
Two days before...

shimms 15y ago

Just to put it out there - why not continue on the rejected idea? YCombinator are good, but not infallible. Just because they reject your application doesn't guarantee that your idea doesn't have legs.

Tzunamitom 15y ago
Thanks for the suggestions - we absolutely will be doing. Though I didn't apply to Y-Combinator because I thought the idea needed validation, or because I needed the money, I applied for two main reasons: 1. I feel the programme represents the best possible start for the company, the buzz of being around so many super smart people with a constant focus on delivery would help make it a success. 2. The programme would provide a framework for the transition we need to make from a corporate job to startup world. No matter what anyone tells you, it's extremely difficult to give a startup enough attention when you're doing it "on-the-side" of a big four corporate job due to the sheer number of hours (let alone the regulations). It's also very hard to leave a six-figure tax-free salary at 27 under current economic conditions without a framework for a transition. I recognise that 2. is a complete excuse regardless of its merits. Given that I don't want to be sitting around at 70 wondering why I never did what I truly wanted to, I now have a lot of thinking to do about where to take this - i.e. take the plunge and self fund; minimise workload to bare minimum to find some time to work on the side; find a startup in Silicon Valley to join to move in the right direction.