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Ask YC: How do you know what to fix...
We applied to YC and were rejected. Now we are considering re-applying but we can't figure out what area to improve so that we stand a better chance. The rejection email gives no specific reason. Your thoughts? Especially folks who have reapplied earlier.
- danielha 19y agoIn that same vein, how would we know what to tell you if you don't show us anything? Generic advice: Get a lot of feedback from a lot of people.
- kashif 19y agoI just want to get an idea of how other folks who reapply reason this out. I am not showing the demo because its no longer stable - we are working on it.
- corentin 19y agoAh! Just put it in the hands of people and you'll know what to fix.
- kashif 19y agoPerhaps we will do just that. And maybe even put up the application we submitted.
- corentin 19y agoI bet you don't because you're afraid of the truth. If your application sucks, why wait any longer to know? And if it's popular, you'll be glad to have released it now. edit: I'm not trying to teach you lessons here, because I'm a programmer too and I know this feeling. But because I'm not talking about my application here, I can let my brain talk instead of my heart. You know what I mean?
- kashif 19y agobecause 1. its being worked on and the demo has been pulled down. 2. It was a prototype not the beta, we are refactoring a significant parts which we had just hacked to submit in time. 3. It is a job site, it wont pick up from just a demo :)
- edw519 19y agoYou bring up an interesting question. I would be glad to give my critique of your application (for what it's worth). I imagine quite a few others here would as well. With enough feedback, you could probably find common themes and have something to run with. The big question: how to share you application with others? I don't see a problem of cutting and pasting it into a new thread and asking for feedback. You run the risk of sharing your secrets with the world. Also, this approach may not sit well with ycombinator themselves. Any thoughts?
- brlewis 19y agoThe goal of YC is to unleash the latent potential of hackers to change the world via startups. Why would it not sit well with them for people to use news.yc to improve their ideas and prospects for success?
- mdemare 19y agoLooking better to YC is pretty much a zero-sum game. Try getting better at whatever it is that's important to your startup.
- kyro 19y agoI think you'd be a much better candidate if they see you, and your team, pursue your startup, despite receiving a rejection, instead of waiting for the next cycle. You should have the drive to pursue it internally. Don't wait for YC to push you. I don't think that's their purpose.
- andreyf 19y agoYou should add a menu bar. Definitely a menu bar.
- gscott 19y agoThere might be nothing to fix. PG did say they didn't understand some of the applications, they didn't get the "big idea" that the application writer was trying to convey. You might just rephrase your idea and make sure your programming team looks highly qualified.