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Sad to hear PG won't be interviewing applicants anymore (though I understand why). The 10 minutes where he grilled me on my startup idea were some of the most
by tchock23 13y ago
Sad to hear PG won't be interviewing applicants anymore (though I understand why).
The 10 minutes where he grilled me on my startup idea were some of the most fun I've had, despite me not getting in. I was hoping to get another chance someday.
- joshmlewis 13y agoCare to share what your startup was and what the interview was like? Where you thought you went wrong?
- tchock23 13y agoThe interview was intense (as many others have reported) with PG asking rapid-fire questions about the app, business model, team, etc. In the end I was rejected because my app "could be built by a decent developer in a weekend," which in hindsight was 100% correct. That should have been obvious to me since it only took me a few weekends to build the MVP (and I'm a mediocre developer at best), but somehow it wasn't. I ended up substantially changing my business model as a direct result of my 10 minute YC interview. Still waiting to see if that was the right call, but I have a hunch it was...
- amirmc 13y agoInteresting. There's much more to building a business than simply how difficult it is to build the product, so using just that as a reason to reject people seems a bit off. For example, Buffer [1] seems to be doing pretty well and that must have been a comparatively simple app to get off the ground (in terms of MVP). I expect the hard work there is in growing fast enough that you capture most of the market/mindshare (as well as how big that market is). [1] http://open.bufferapp.com/buffer-december-update-2819000-run-rate-1249000-users/ http://open.bufferapp.com/buffer-december-update-2819000-run... EDIT: IIRC Buffer didn't make it to the interview stage for YC. They carried on anyway.
- tchock23 13y agoI was initially surprised for the same reason as you, especially given some of pg's comments about the best ideas looking like "toys" at first. However, looking back I would have done the same thing in his position. My prototype just looked too simplistic and didn't have a defensible business model (at that time) that VCs would have found compelling. YC is a business that must generate returns for its owners, and my startup didn't fit the bill. Better luck next time...
- joshmlewis 13y agoDid you have cofounders at that point?
- tchock23 13y agoI applied solo, but had two people about to join me as co-founders. That could have been part of it, but wasn't the official stated reason...