4 ms·

I think applying to YC should be seen as fund raising activity. And pg's essays clearly state that fund raising is a distraction, so when you do that, just focu

I think applying to YC should be seen as fund raising activity. And pg's essays clearly state that fund raising is a distraction, so when you do that, just focus on it, and get it over with, so you can continue building. I must have applied at least 4 times now with Practal in various forms (at some point it was a different project called ProofPeer), got a rejection each time. The idea has been developed further each time, but in ways hard to communicate to a VC (or anyone, really). Reading this announcement I now have a choice: prepare another YC application in the next 2 days, or finish chapter 2 of my book about the logic used in Practal instead [1]. I think the choice is obvious, there is indeed such a thing as applying too early. I mean, I am not going to pivot to something else, there is no idea other than Practal I will ever be interested in. Working on anything else feels like a waste of my time. Hopefully I have something to show for when the winter batch comes around. [1] http://abstractionlogic.com http://abstractionlogic.com

ankit219 2y ago
One of PG's blogs talk about being fundable. For a founder, there is always a transition from being a builder to being an entrepreneur (business owner) where you must be able to access whether you are fundable and know what you need to do to get capital. I think it's the same thing with YC. There is an investor who says they like it as early as possible, but fundamentally you know if you are investible. It's sensible to only do fundraising activity when you have some confidence you are fundable.
- practal 2y ago
  Exactly. Previous applications have taught me a lot about what VCs expectations are, and I know when I am fundable in their eyes. My ideas work and are a game changer. But until I can explain this clearly and have objective proof of that, I am not fundable. So no real sense to apply until then.

ankit219 2y ago

One of PG's blogs talk about being fundable. For a founder, there is always a transition from being a builder to being an entrepreneur (business owner) where you must be able to access whether you are fundable and know what you need to do to get capital. I think it's the same thing with YC. There is an investor who says they like it as early as possible, but fundamentally you know if you are investible. It's sensible to only do fundraising activity when you have some confidence you are fundable.

practal 2y ago
Exactly. Previous applications have taught me a lot about what VCs expectations are, and I know when I am fundable in their eyes. My ideas work and are a game changer. But until I can explain this clearly and have objective proof of that, I am not fundable. So no real sense to apply until then.