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To those who think this list will help them get into YC, or lament "why didn't I get into YC when my idea was squarely on this list": The YC application is a s

To those who think this list will help them get into YC, or lament "why didn't I get into YC when my idea was squarely on this list": The YC application is a sales pitch, and you're not selling your idea, you're primarily selling your charisma and capacity to spin vision and sell. Second, you're selling your chemistry with your cofounders and stability of your relationship. Third, you're selling your capacity to build, at least some usable prototype, but this a low bar. At no point are you actually selling the concrete idea, unless you're doing something extremely specific that seems valuable and you're one of the few who can build it. For the rest, the idea is a rhetorical vehicle to sell the other things.

leetrout 3y ago
Spot on. Add in an ivy league or similar pedigree as social proof for a better chance.
- ultrasaurus 3y ago
  Having met a bunch of YC companies now, I wouldn't say the Ivies are exactly under-represented but it always seems like there's more Stanford than UPenn and more UWaterloo than Cornell. If school means anything it's the quality of their CS programs. Don't let your school hold you back from applying :)
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - asymmetric 3y ago
    Is UPenn particularly good? It’s the first time I hear about it in these discussions. Stanford on the other hand, I always hear about (isn’t that where Page and Brin were at?)
    - Centigonal 3y ago
      I think GP is saying that YC founders tend to be more techy, entrepreneurial types than Wharton MBA types. I'm not sure though, there's a lot left to the imagination.
  - Utkarsh_Mood 3y ago
    going of a tangent but would you say it's worth going to a similarly ranked uni(oxford) if one wants to go into entrepreneurship given its more 'academic' emphasis? as opposed to somewhere like UCSD where it's not as prestigious but close to the tech scene.(bonus points for california weather ha!)
    - keiferski 3y ago
      UCSD is not really near the tech scene, so I wouldn't choose it for that. San Diego is a world away from the Bay Area. The weather in SD is definitely the best in the world, though. The optimal path for someone in your position is to go to Oxford, then get a job/do a master's at Stanford.
    - dCrumpets 3y ago
      Definitely go to Oxford over UCSD. There’s a world of difference in difficulty to get into, and like the other person says, SD isn’t the biggest tech scene unless biotech is your focus. UC schools are also huge and impersonal, part of what lets them offer decently cheap tuition to in-state students; but if you’re not in-state, I don’t think you’re getting the best value for your money. My answer might change if the alternative were Berkeley.
kilroy123 3y ago
From what I've heard, you also need to build up a lot of hype about yourself.
- plondon514 3y ago
  I don’t think this is true at all. I did YC and neither I nor my cofounders had any hype surrounding us or our idea. Unless if by hype you mean a handful of paying users then sure, that won’t hurt :)
- rogerkirkness 3y ago
  Not true for me. No social media other than HN and got in first try.
- echelon 3y ago
  You need to be the right idea at the right time, and the right team to do the thing. Gen AI two years ago was a toy that fit "somewhere" into the "creator economy", which seemed dead. Now try and you'll get a completely different reception.
stn8188 3y ago
I think this is an excellent point. That being said, there are some warm fuzzies that come by seeing my grad school research topic listed here as well (the ML for physics simulations topic). Just some validation that the area I'm spending time in could not only help my specific niche, but be broadly attractive to VC funding to help grow it. Not that I'm anywhere near being ready to build anything (or near graduation, for that matter) but the conversation about it being a possibility came up recently and maybe sometime in the far future it could be a reality.
joey_bob 3y ago
We've never been accepted, but my experience with application process indicates this isn't strictly true. We're not getting any more charismatic, but they have continued to show interest in us applying. Not sure if that's what everyone gets or not.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- from-nibly 3y ago
  They are never going to tell you to not apply. Why would they close that door? There is no, no. They tell everyone "maybe next time."
  - madeofpalk 3y ago
    Well there’s applying, and then there’s offering the interview.
- sangnoir 3y ago
  VC notoriously rarely ever say "no"[1] - just in case. 1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38677251 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38677251
  - FreakLegion 3y ago
    Read the thread beyond the top-most comment. It's true that there's a long tail of wannabes who play this game, but reputable VCs don't mince words.
    - Kwpolska 3y ago
      > reputable VCs Nice oxymoron you got here.
      - pierat 3y ago
        VC's rhyme with feces, and share many attributes.
echelon 3y ago
> The YC application is a sales pitch, and you're not selling your idea, you're primarily selling your charisma and capacity to spin vision and sell. Second, you're selling your chemistry with your cofounders and stability of your relationship. Third, you're selling your capacity to build, at least some usable prototype, but this a low bar. YC is late to the early alpha and is betting on talent/leadership to soak up. Then again, first movers don't always win.
neilv 3y ago
> We've never been accepted, [...] they have continued to show interest in us applying You're getting recurring meetings with them (which have significant opportunity cost for them), so it's not just the usual startup investor unwillingness to say "no" with finality?
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
stefandxm 3y ago
Yes, and quite often you are selling your company. Investors will try to push you out of the game if they see potential in your products. If you don't have a time-to-market-sensitive product you are usually better off grinding in the basement for a longer time than people wants you to believe. If however, you have a very narrow window to be able to launch properly, or if your product is mostly visionary you need investors asap. Just don't expect to come out with a Zuckerberg deal, expect 1-2% of the company in the end and make sure you cash out during the entire road.

leetrout 3y ago

Spot on. Add in an ivy league or similar pedigree as social proof for a better chance.

ultrasaurus 3y ago
Having met a bunch of YC companies now, I wouldn't say the Ivies are exactly under-represented but it always seems like there's more Stanford than UPenn and more UWaterloo than Cornell. If school means anything it's the quality of their CS programs. Don't let your school hold you back from applying :)
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- asymmetric 3y ago
  Is UPenn particularly good? It’s the first time I hear about it in these discussions. Stanford on the other hand, I always hear about (isn’t that where Page and Brin were at?)
  - Centigonal 3y ago
    I think GP is saying that YC founders tend to be more techy, entrepreneurial types than Wharton MBA types. I'm not sure though, there's a lot left to the imagination.
- Utkarsh_Mood 3y ago
  going of a tangent but would you say it's worth going to a similarly ranked uni(oxford) if one wants to go into entrepreneurship given its more 'academic' emphasis? as opposed to somewhere like UCSD where it's not as prestigious but close to the tech scene.(bonus points for california weather ha!)
  - keiferski 3y ago
    UCSD is not really near the tech scene, so I wouldn't choose it for that. San Diego is a world away from the Bay Area. The weather in SD is definitely the best in the world, though. The optimal path for someone in your position is to go to Oxford, then get a job/do a master's at Stanford.
  - dCrumpets 3y ago
    Definitely go to Oxford over UCSD. There’s a world of difference in difficulty to get into, and like the other person says, SD isn’t the biggest tech scene unless biotech is your focus. UC schools are also huge and impersonal, part of what lets them offer decently cheap tuition to in-state students; but if you’re not in-state, I don’t think you’re getting the best value for your money. My answer might change if the alternative were Berkeley.

kilroy123 3y ago

From what I've heard, you also need to build up a lot of hype about yourself.

plondon514 3y ago
I don’t think this is true at all. I did YC and neither I nor my cofounders had any hype surrounding us or our idea. Unless if by hype you mean a handful of paying users then sure, that won’t hurt :)
rogerkirkness 3y ago
Not true for me. No social media other than HN and got in first try.
echelon 3y ago
You need to be the right idea at the right time, and the right team to do the thing. Gen AI two years ago was a toy that fit "somewhere" into the "creator economy", which seemed dead. Now try and you'll get a completely different reception.

stn8188 3y ago

I think this is an excellent point. That being said, there are some warm fuzzies that come by seeing my grad school research topic listed here as well (the ML for physics simulations topic). Just some validation that the area I'm spending time in could not only help my specific niche, but be broadly attractive to VC funding to help grow it. Not that I'm anywhere near being ready to build anything (or near graduation, for that matter) but the conversation about it being a possibility came up recently and maybe sometime in the far future it could be a reality.

joey_bob 3y ago

We've never been accepted, but my experience with application process indicates this isn't strictly true. We're not getting any more charismatic, but they have continued to show interest in us applying. Not sure if that's what everyone gets or not.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
from-nibly 3y ago
They are never going to tell you to not apply. Why would they close that door? There is no, no. They tell everyone "maybe next time."
- madeofpalk 3y ago
  Well there’s applying, and then there’s offering the interview.
sangnoir 3y ago
VC notoriously rarely ever say "no"[1] - just in case. 1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38677251 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38677251
- FreakLegion 3y ago
  Read the thread beyond the top-most comment. It's true that there's a long tail of wannabes who play this game, but reputable VCs don't mince words.
  - Kwpolska 3y ago
    > reputable VCs Nice oxymoron you got here.
    - pierat 3y ago
      VC's rhyme with feces, and share many attributes.

echelon 3y ago

> The YC application is a sales pitch, and you're not selling your idea, you're primarily selling your charisma and capacity to spin vision and sell. Second, you're selling your chemistry with your cofounders and stability of your relationship. Third, you're selling your capacity to build, at least some usable prototype, but this a low bar. YC is late to the early alpha and is betting on talent/leadership to soak up. Then again, first movers don't always win.

neilv 3y ago

> We've never been accepted, [...] they have continued to show interest in us applying You're getting recurring meetings with them (which have significant opportunity cost for them), so it's not just the usual startup investor unwillingness to say "no" with finality?

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

stefandxm 3y ago

Yes, and quite often you are selling your company. Investors will try to push you out of the game if they see potential in your products. If you don't have a time-to-market-sensitive product you are usually better off grinding in the basement for a longer time than people wants you to believe. If however, you have a very narrow window to be able to launch properly, or if your product is mostly visionary you need investors asap. Just don't expect to come out with a Zuckerberg deal, expect 1-2% of the company in the end and make sure you cash out during the entire road.