3 ms·

The 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 rejecte

The 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 ago
Interesting. 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 ago
  I 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 ago
    Did you have cofounders at that point?
    - tchock23 13y ago
      I 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...

amirmc 13y ago

Interesting. 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 ago
I 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 ago
  Did you have cofounders at that point?
  - tchock23 13y ago
    I 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...