5 ms·

so if we don't have phenomenal growth (ie "$100k in revenue in your first month or 10k users in 24 hours") we still have a chance? Does anyone know examples of

so if we don't have phenomenal growth (ie "$100k in revenue in your first month or 10k users in 24 hours") we still have a chance? Does anyone know examples of YC companies who are in small markets? I was under the impression they only liked larger markets (since they are more fundable by vc's and the like).

pg 15y ago
Of course you don't need phenomenal growth. Most of the best companies we've funded didn't have it when they applied. Looking for YC cos in small markets could be misleading. By the time you know they're YC cos, they've been exposed to YC and so would have been encouraged to reconsider their market if they were in a bad one. There may be some that are still in what seem to be small markets, but if so that's probably because they're in the Altair Basic phase.
- bfe 15y ago
  A few like Wakemate and Octopart come to mind where they seem to serve small markets now, but it's easy to see how they could branch out into huge adjacent market space - not necessarily as obliquely as Microsoft starting from Altair Basic, more like Amazon starting out as just an online bookstore.
- johnx123-up 15y ago
  In that case, what's your #1? Some ideas like Wikipedia, SocialAV might have sustained with very thin initial user base.
- newchimedes 15y ago
  I can see how it can be misleading looking at small market YC companies. Though I'm still wondering what's considered "small" by YC's standards. Someone mentioned Octopart and Wakemate as smaller market companies, but as a consumer/retail play it seems still like a decent potential market. This is a long about way of me asking if people consider the adult entertainment market small/big. That's where our startup is "disrupting." It's one of those industries where you hear talk of the "billions" being made, but not many share their numbers. One of the few well known exits in the adult space was AdultFriendFinder being sold to Penthouse for $500 million...and interestingly they grew the site from little to no outside money.
nicholasreed 15y ago
You always have a chance, but certain things will definitely improve your odds. If you don't have the users/revenue, focus on your market size. Without either of those, showcase your amazing team. If you don't have an amazing team...spend 6 months locked in a basement coding, and become an amazing team. Browse through http://yclist.com/ http://yclist.com/ to see if any companies were small-market. Version 1 doesn't have to cater to a giant market, but you should have a plan to get there eventually (and be able to concisely express your plan).
- llch 15y ago
  One shouldn't spend months in basement coding, instead go and execute something simple, release, get metrics and feedback and learn how to iterate with an aim at product fit. With experience and good examples of launched products, that would get you an amazing team and good track record.

pg 15y ago

Of course you don't need phenomenal growth. Most of the best companies we've funded didn't have it when they applied. Looking for YC cos in small markets could be misleading. By the time you know they're YC cos, they've been exposed to YC and so would have been encouraged to reconsider their market if they were in a bad one. There may be some that are still in what seem to be small markets, but if so that's probably because they're in the Altair Basic phase.

bfe 15y ago
A few like Wakemate and Octopart come to mind where they seem to serve small markets now, but it's easy to see how they could branch out into huge adjacent market space - not necessarily as obliquely as Microsoft starting from Altair Basic, more like Amazon starting out as just an online bookstore.
johnx123-up 15y ago
In that case, what's your #1? Some ideas like Wikipedia, SocialAV might have sustained with very thin initial user base.
newchimedes 15y ago
I can see how it can be misleading looking at small market YC companies. Though I'm still wondering what's considered "small" by YC's standards. Someone mentioned Octopart and Wakemate as smaller market companies, but as a consumer/retail play it seems still like a decent potential market. This is a long about way of me asking if people consider the adult entertainment market small/big. That's where our startup is "disrupting." It's one of those industries where you hear talk of the "billions" being made, but not many share their numbers. One of the few well known exits in the adult space was AdultFriendFinder being sold to Penthouse for $500 million...and interestingly they grew the site from little to no outside money.

nicholasreed 15y ago

You always have a chance, but certain things will definitely improve your odds. If you don't have the users/revenue, focus on your market size. Without either of those, showcase your amazing team. If you don't have an amazing team...spend 6 months locked in a basement coding, and become an amazing team. Browse through http://yclist.com/ http://yclist.com/ to see if any companies were small-market. Version 1 doesn't have to cater to a giant market, but you should have a plan to get there eventually (and be able to concisely express your plan).

llch 15y ago
One shouldn't spend months in basement coding, instead go and execute something simple, release, get metrics and feedback and learn how to iterate with an aim at product fit. With experience and good examples of launched products, that would get you an amazing team and good track record.