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Didn't get an interview. Would love feedback on our app because I thought we had a real shot. Idea: Codecademy for Data Science Team: 3 UC Berkeley Seniors with

Didn't get an interview. Would love feedback on our app because I thought we had a real shot. Idea: Codecademy for Data Science Team: 3 UC Berkeley Seniors with degrees in CS (2X), Statistics (2X), Business, and Electrical Engineering. 2 committed to working full time. One has a 1 year masters after working full time in the summer. Progress: Prototype stage Extra: Received recs from 2 YC alumni, not sure specifically what I feel like we were just a bit early maybe to apply?

sdesol 12y ago
I think your problem is your potential market. How big of a market is there for Data Science? The thing with codecademy is they could potentially attract hair dressers, janitors, etc. Your main target are people with degrees who have an interest in data mining. You are either not describing what your product does correctly or you have a unrealistic view of your potential market. Your team sounds great but I really can't see the demand for data science knowledge being that great.
- brianliou91 12y ago
  Thanks for the feedback! I think your right!
- argonaut 12y ago
  As someone who has tangentially interacted with YC, I seriously doubt that is the reason. YC cares about the team above all, then followed by customers/users/traction (but really, it's the team). The addressable market is not very high on their list of concerns. Though it certainly is a factor, I don't think it is the reason for rejection. One question I have is how well does the team know each other? What are some of your team members' accomplishments? Honestly YC doesn't care very much about all the degrees you have (I would even argue that the fact that there are 5 degrees among the 3 of you is a negative signal for YC because it indicates credentialism, but that's just my opinion).
avichal 12y ago
Check out Insight Data Fellows
tsf 12y ago
We'd like to invite you to have a video chat with The Startup Factory. If you are interested, please email mark@thestartupfactory.co for details.

sdesol 12y ago

I think your problem is your potential market. How big of a market is there for Data Science? The thing with codecademy is they could potentially attract hair dressers, janitors, etc. Your main target are people with degrees who have an interest in data mining. You are either not describing what your product does correctly or you have a unrealistic view of your potential market. Your team sounds great but I really can't see the demand for data science knowledge being that great.

brianliou91 12y ago
Thanks for the feedback! I think your right!
argonaut 12y ago
As someone who has tangentially interacted with YC, I seriously doubt that is the reason. YC cares about the team above all, then followed by customers/users/traction (but really, it's the team). The addressable market is not very high on their list of concerns. Though it certainly is a factor, I don't think it is the reason for rejection. One question I have is how well does the team know each other? What are some of your team members' accomplishments? Honestly YC doesn't care very much about all the degrees you have (I would even argue that the fact that there are 5 degrees among the 3 of you is a negative signal for YC because it indicates credentialism, but that's just my opinion).

avichal 12y ago

Check out Insight Data Fellows

tsf 12y ago

We'd like to invite you to have a video chat with The Startup Factory. If you are interested, please email mark@thestartupfactory.co for details.