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YC W15 emails are out
Don't give up!
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- DwayneSamuels 12y agoWon't give up. Feels like losing 10m.
- tjculbertson 12y agoGlad to hear that. Yea, it's a bit of a gut shot - some pain, then anger, then acceptance, and then, as someone else said, back to work; The 7 minute YC rejection workout.
- sillysaurus3 12y agoMost people accepted into YC end up with nowhere near $10M. Not even $1M.
- DwayneSamuels 12y agoThe network of people there matters. If they were investing 10k in my company I'd comply. Your network is your net worth.
- sillysaurus3 12y agoThe network is freely available. You could email sama with an honest question as a startup founder and you'll probably get a reply. He genuinely loves helping people. I don't know what "Your network is your net worth" means, but it sounds like a worldview in which the people you know matter more than what you can do. That's sometimes true, but none of the major startups started off by networking. It didn't matter who the Google founders knew. It didn't matter who Zuck knew. What mattered was what they were doing. The only reason investors might be interested in you is if you're starting the next Google or Facebook, because their entire business model depends on it. But there's an optimistic way to phrase that: If you're starting the next Google or Facebook, then who you know doesn't really matter.
- erbecke 12y agoIt's depends where are you. We are in Latin America (invited), we are so far away to have any chance to create a great network from here, and moving to SF (or any place in USA) first without a network is almost impossible and very expensive for us.
- chuhnk 12y agoInteresting that there's no feedback. If there's a process of online application, review and automated email with a standard response then surely some simple stock answer fitting to the application wouldn't be much effort. I guess if a certain number are just rejected because of sheer volume then I can understand.
- uncoder0 12y agoIf you read http://ycombinator.com/whynot/ http://ycombinator.com/whynot/ it says that sheer volume is the issue.
- chuhnk 12y agoBit of luck necessary then eh.
- DwayneSamuels 12y agoThe earlier you apply the better.
- uncoder0 12y agoYep... Just got ours. Time to get back to work.
- DwayneSamuels 12y agoBtw, I haven't gotten a rejection email. I just know they sent out to they guys they accepted. I guess our application really sucked lol.
- ChrisNorstrom 12y agoI think they're sent out in chunks. I sometimes get mine several hours later than what others report.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- dmvaldman 12y agoIf you got rejected, mind sharing what you're working on? Reply below!
- jndsn402 12y agoA website to compare and buy annuities. Don't have it up yet, any suggestions appreciated.
- brightdream 12y agoHey do you want to collab? I pitched an idea to streamline the purchase of life annuities.
- jndsn402 12y agoDefinitely worth a chat. Email me, ydschwartz at gmail
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- onuryavuz 12y agohttp://cubic.fm http://cubic.fm connects different music sources in a single player and helps users build a globally accessible online music library. Launched the public beta a week ago. we want users to be able to -Create an online music library, independent of the source providing the content. -Build it further by collecting any track discovered anywhere on the web. -Access and interact with other users' libraries, no matter which service they use or subscribe to.
- jtfairbank 12y agoMy friend has an open source project that did this. Let me know if you want to get in touch with him about it. https://github.com/udj https://github.com/udj
- 12y ago
- lettergram 12y agoMaybe third time is the charm... and a successful kickstarter
- mck- 12y agoGetting into YC is not the goal of a startup. The goal is to make something people want. YC certainly helps you achieve that goal, but it is by no means the only way!
- cliffkang 12y agoBack to work :)
- stevenjohns 12y agoRejected. Sucks. The idea was very solid and the team was solid (between the 3 of us we have 2 artists, 2 computer science degrees, 2 computer engineering degrees, and an established viral content marketer). The only two issues were that a) We are planning to build a hardware product and are at the mock-ups/renderings stage so we do not have a prototype, and b) One of the team members hasn't physically met the other two (although we've worked on projects before and have a ~4 year friendship). I had some correspondence with some of the partners about the second point-- PG told me it would be a problem, but Garry Tan said its not really a deal breaker. So I'll put it off to the lack of prototype which is what killed us.
- sillysaurus3 12y agoIf the idea is solid, why are you letting YC's rejection get in the way of pursuing it? Determination matters most.
- pptr1 12y agoagree 100%. Getting into YC is a bad bar for success.
- stevenjohns 12y agoWe're not. It slows us down considerably, but we're still pursuing it.
- MarkyPc3 12y agoDon't let it slow you down. Think about things practically. If you didn't get accepted now, that only means you won't receive money from them for now. You can still always get in touch and ask questions and hopefully get answers. The most important part of YC is that you have an intense drive to get work done without being distracted. You have a [petrifying] sense of accountability and a demo day to get ready for. If you can set these up for yourself, then it could be just as good. The only thing missing would be to get in touch with partners who'd otherwise have more time to speak with you and meet you in person. Email your questions. You may get answers and you may even build meaningful relationships eventually.
- pptr1 12y agoI think the mindset to have here is that YC is so popular and the number of YC partners are so small, that you have a very small chance to get in the first place. I wouldn't burn too many candles hoping to get in or trying to figure out a reason why you did not. There is a benefit to applying in that it makes your commitment to your startup even stronger. Focus on what is important and that is your business. I truly believe building something sustainable is better for YOU, than trying to make the next Dropbox, Facebook etc. But if you already gaining Facebook like traction I am sure YC will already have heard of you. Worry about your startup and just focus on making it sustainable. Becoming popular with customers and maintaining that relationship. has more benefits for more people than getting into YC. Focus on what is important.
- tjculbertson 12y agoThis is an interesting point on the timeline for YC in that their apps increased 40%! PG says they now have 3 silos, like 3 mini YC's reviewing. But if you have 1400 alums reviewing apps, by definition you are going to have scoring that is biased against finding black swans, regardless of how many silos you create. As you say, the problem is too many apps and not enough time for a smaller amount of alums to review the apps. One answer might be going to a rolling application process to avoid the washout that happens with a wave 40% bigger than you anticipated. And/or opening other offices, which is most likely in the works.
- smeyer 12y agoWhy do you think opening other offices is likely in the works? This is a genuine question. Sorry if it's obvious (I don't follow YC too closely), but what would you think has changed since their choice to stop doing YC batches in Cambridge? Just the sheer growth in size?
- tjculbertson 12y agoYea, I think just sheer growth. PG mentions growth and Sam taking over at about minute 3 or 4 in the video above. So who knows.
- yuprejected 12y agoCan you share how many applications there were for this batch? Might make some of us feel like all these years grinding on startups isn't for nothing and is just a simple matter of volume.
- yousifa 12y agoThey had said they were expecting close to 5k
- michaelchisari 12y agoThey said they were averaging 3 applications a minute on the last day, so that's around ~4300 applications right there.
- ameister14 12y agoDidn't get in, no worries though. Good team, great product moving forward. It would have removed some obstacles, that's all. Good luck to everyone, and keep at it; we are.
- yosho 12y agoMy team and I got rejected in 2010. We're still working together and we're generating mid 8 figure revenues now. So it's definitely not the end of the world and the silicon valley network is so vast these days that no one should let a YC rejection stop them from doing amazing things. Keep on truckin!
- sillysaurus3 12y agoMid 8 figure revenues? Like, $50,000,000/yr? If you're still growing, it sounds like YC missed out.
- pptr1 12y agoYC will miss out on allot of companies. It not humanly possible for them to be that good. I rather have a business that has that type of growth than get into YC.
- kgc 12y agoCool - what's your company?
- aaronharnly 12y agoLooks like it is http://touchofmodern.com http://touchofmodern.com. Coverage: http://pando.com/2014/06/19/touch-of-modern-raises-14m-to-prove-that-the-era-of-mens-commerce-has-finally-arrived/ http://pando.com/2014/06/19/touch-of-modern-raises-14m-to-pr...
- usernamepc 12y agoAs expected. Single non-coding founder. Why do i bother? For a few weeks after the rejection I find myself very highly motivated.
- malokai 12y agoRegarding whether you should learn a programming language, which can depend on how large the company is you're building and how busy that keeps you, if you're still at point 0 with an idea and little progress, learning to program can really help. It also makes finding a programming cofounder easier because fewer programmers probably want to work on the cheap with a piece of a company that may never work out, but they will be willing to work with a fellow programmer as a cofounder on ideas that interest them both.
- erbecke 12y agoLearn how to code. It's not impossible. You need to understand how to code if you want to run a IT company. Regards!
- usernamepc 12y agoI'm sure I could learn but I'll never be at a level to be really productive, so I find it better to use my time on doing customer development, product management (which I can do), sales and finding ways to make money to pay the rent and the contractors I hire to design and code. This model, while often considered 'bad' by the experts, works for me- so just running with it. In case you are curious we're live at http://www.oncontracting.com http://www.oncontracting.com. A website that makes it easy to find onsite contract jobs at Fortune 1000 companies.
- JASchilz 12y agoRejected. Now my startup is gonna succeed...just a little more slowly.
- henreman 12y agoOur team got rejected. http://doshh.com http://doshh.com We were creating a mobile payment system to be used in Myanmar.
- pajop 12y agowould like to know more! @pageman on Twitter
- henreman 12y agoHey pajop, mine is @henreman. Followed you :) What project you guys working on? For me, I will still continue with the project but without financial backing it will just be slower.
- kamikazi 12y agoSounds interesting. Few more details? - email in my profile. And all the best. We got rejected too.
- henreman 12y agoHi Kamikazi, what project you guys working on? For me, I will still continue with the project but without financial backing it will just be slower.
- kamikazi 12y agoMe too. In my case YC deadline just happened to coincide my decision to startup. More than the financial backing my startup would've benefited more by being in YC ecosystem and my feet on the ground presence in signing up those early customers. Might try in next batch. Good luck! Can't see your email anywhere. Email me?
- rgbrgb 12y agoOne positive data point here. We got invited for an interview [1]! It's at least the 4th time I've applied, 2nd time with this company, and the 1st time I've been invited for an interview. Good luck to everyone, and as I always tell myself: YC is not the goal, making something people want is not the goal, making something good that people want is the goal. [1]: https://www.openlistings.co/ https://www.openlistings.co/
- clairity 12y agocongrats! it's a huge opportunity if you've really cracked the code on how to enter that market without the cooperation of the various mls's, which are highly incentivized to keep the current system in place (i did my mba thesis project on the real estate listings space).
- retrogradeMT 12y agoYour site looks great. As an objective 3rd party with experience in the real estate sector, I think you are on to something great. (Which is obvious since you got in!)
- jdkanani 12y agoRejected. Will launch soon.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- abraren 12y agoAny nonprofit applicants out there? We'd love to hear about you!
- gault8121 12y agoI received an interview for Quill.org. The third time was the charm. The only thing that really matters is your users. Other people, such as the judges who assess your app, the influential people whom you'd like to get their support - these are not necessarily your users, and they won't necessarily understand the problems you're solving. Stay true to your users, and if they love what you are doing everything else will follow.
- retrogradeMT 12y agoPretty fun site and a bit addicting. I just wish you had this for Javascript syntax... I would spend hours.
- abraren 12y agoGood advice, Quill & cool service! At Instrumentl we're stopping at nothing to support our researchers, bottom line. Best of luck in interviews!
- mck- 12y agoHere's a curious data point: we were invited for an interview last time, but we didn't get in. We had no paying customers yet. The feedback was that we should get 10 customers and apply again. So we did. But no interview this time :/
- mhluongo 12y agoSimilar situation here. We mitigated their primary concerns from our last interview, but didn't get the interview this time.
- fudged71 12y agoPG said ours was too obviously a good idea and our customers would build it themselves. They didn't. We didn't get invited this time either.
- ajju 12y agoHey, you have an interesting product. Curious why you priced it per vehicle. I am a potential user, but the per vehicle pricing makes it incredibly expensive for us to even consider it. What kind of customers do you have right now?
- mck- 12y agoWe have customers delivering moving boxes, picking up laundry, lawn care, compost bins, etc... What is your use-case? We can talk alternative pricing models if you find it valuable -- email me at marc@routific.com
- ChrisNorstrom 12y agoJust remember: "YC is an option. Not a barrier." Real entrepreneurs might WANT to get into YC, but do not NEED to get into YC. If you really "need" YC then I think you're doing it wrong. Usually the types of people who are devastated by their YC rejection (like me my first time) are the kind that have everything riding on YC. As if it's the only way to get anything built or started. It's a terrible mindset to have. Once I opened up my options and had a plan B, C, D, etc... my business improved, my startup ideas changed and got better, I built more things and got more experience.
- bozoUser 12y agodo the co-founders also get the email?
- mjdude 12y agoNope
- kamikazi 12y agoGot rejected. No big deal. Will continue as planned. Good luck to everyone who got selected and double of that to fellow rejectees. Launched a medical tourism startup-- prepre-alpha. Just nothing to show on url really (OTOH I also wonder if radical honesty would be the path to take?) If huge or uncertain costs, or the fear & uncertainty of fighting your insurance/Dr/hospital over surprise billings post-hospitalisation is holding you back from any, and I mean ANY, elective treatments - let's talk. In most cases, for a fraction of cost of copay+deductibles, apples-to-apples less than 10% what it would cost you in USA, you can get yourself treated & pampered at top-class facilities in India. Including return airfares. We have docs/hospitals/nurses with solid repute. Here to help you navigate and arrive at right choices. Happy to answer any queries or concerns that a potential patient has. My email is in my profile. Can chat/Skype/Hangout whatever. No time-limit, no-obligation, no fake-guilt selling. Will keep answering queries as much as I can. At the end of it if you decide against it that's perfectly ok. So yeah, email me?
- bozoUser 12y agoDint make it. But appreciate feedback on www.snapkaro.com
- hprof1 12y agoWe make mistakes
- suneel0101 12y agoAlso got rejected, but just applying was a valuable experience because of the sort of questions it forced us to tackle. getpartake.com - Expense Sharing for Couples
- pulkitpulkit 12y agoIs there an argument for applying late (taking note of ~5k applications on last day or so)?
- raphael_motta 12y agoGot rejected, but we will keep working hard! Our Startup is Cronus Audio Technology. The main purpose of Cronus is to enable the musicians to extract the most from their performance, simple, elegant and versatile way, offering innovative tools that cover expressive artistic interactions, excellence in audio effects and social connectivity. Our first product will be the Cronus-Z, an innovative proposal for equipment that mixes the functionality of a multi-effect pedal with the power and versatility of an audio workstation, in a compact and portable format. The Cronus-Z will have numerous resources, to effectively meet the demands of various user profiles. More information can be found at: http://www.cronus-audio.com http://www.cronus-audio.com
- akshatpradhan 12y ago\o/ for rejection! Launched a turbo tax, but for PCI Compliance. Managing PCI Compliance is an unsolved real (big) problem, even bigger than HIPAA. There's been headline breaches in the news (e.g. Target, Kmart, Staples) and companies fear PCI because of its vague language and cost. With my relevant domain expertise in the security field, I'm bringing new tech to an old-school market. http://www.ComplianceChimp.com http://www.ComplianceChimp.com Instead of completing a PCI Requirement that looks like this: http://i.imgur.com/ZW0PzBd.png http://i.imgur.com/ZW0PzBd.png You can complete one that looks like this: http://i.imgur.com/XdkrG4o.png http://i.imgur.com/XdkrG4o.png
- lkedem 12y agoGot rejected. Will continue as planned. Getting into YC is not the goal, it is what it is - an accelerator. I am sure if I had gotten in, I would be able to take my company further faster, but with the slim chance of 3% interview invitation rate this definitely wasn't something to count on. I did have an extra glimpse of hope when I saw my founder introduction video had a view on ycombinator.com on oct-26th (amazing how google tell you these things). The company: infiniRoom - Never run out of storage space on your smartphone. sign up for beta http://www.infiniroom.com http://www.infiniroom.com
- abhi1304 12y agoGot rejected. We are working on an Answering (Analytics) system that works with Natural Language and voice. http://numahub.com http://numahub.com. Our product is cool and we are very positively moving ahead. YC acceptance would have been great but not being accepted motivates us to push harder.
- johntheoak 12y agoAlso rejected but that's fine, our project is quite new (http://stackeo.me http://stackeo.me - A Product Hunt for developers) so we have a lot to go. Good luck for those who got an interview!
- nyddle 12y agoRejected. Working on a time tracking solution for google platform: https://whathaveidone.today https://whathaveidone.today.
- aliakhtar 12y agoI really wish I could see what it does without having to open a demo video.
- e7chun 12y agoWow...there are some amazing companies out there. Kudos to those who got the interview, but for those who didn't, don't give up! My team (www.stempaks.com) was really fortunate enough to get an interview. But like rgbrgb said, our goal isn't to get into YC; it's to create a good product that people will want.