YC Rejected: Please read.
16 comments
I am all for preserving HN's sanctity, and I agree with and appreciate most of the points you make. But your tone makes the whole thing sound almost exclusively like "losers, please keep your rejection sob stories away from HN". I wonder how rejected applicants will take your well-meant advice.
Rejection has a human angle, and refusing to acknowledge that people respond to it in (seemingly) irrational ways doesn't help those who need encouragement, validation, or just knowledge of the fact that they are not alone. How is asking other hackers 'which web framework to use?' any 'better' than asking other YC applicants rejection related questions, given that this is effectively the only public YC forum?
Rejection has a human angle, and refusing to acknowledge that people respond to it in (seemingly) irrational ways doesn't help those who need encouragement, validation, or just knowledge of the fact that they are not alone. How is asking other hackers 'which web framework to use?' any 'better' than asking other YC applicants rejection related questions, given that this is effectively the only public YC forum?
To be horribly blunt - vastly more people posting and commenting care about the web frameworks.
I'm generally a sympathetic person, but I have no interest at all in hearing complete strangers complaining about not getting mentoring and money for their start-up. Most businesses fail very early (including the one I started years back), and most of them don't get these sorts of benefits.
I'm generally a sympathetic person, but I have no interest at all in hearing complete strangers complaining about not getting mentoring and money for their start-up. Most businesses fail very early (including the one I started years back), and most of them don't get these sorts of benefits.
Disclaimer: We (Ramamia) got rejected.
YC is a hell of an opportunity. The advice/mentoring, along with a little bit of cash is big for young ambitious hackers/entrepreneurs/dreamers like us. There is no doubt it gives you an advantage.
At the end of the day, if your startup fails, it won't be due to a rejection from YC or any one specific event. Think about it logically, should one decision/outcome determine if a startup loses? Just being apathetic and letting the world have its way with you, isn't the way to go.
So, go fire up textmate,photoshop,gdocs,or whatever gets you going and keep chugging along. You've taken the time to fill out the application and probably more, so keep going. Post on HN for feedback once the demo is up. The community will actually give you valuable feedback and won't be assholes. You may succeed, you may fail, but I promise you that you will not regret it.
YC is a hell of an opportunity. The advice/mentoring, along with a little bit of cash is big for young ambitious hackers/entrepreneurs/dreamers like us. There is no doubt it gives you an advantage.
At the end of the day, if your startup fails, it won't be due to a rejection from YC or any one specific event. Think about it logically, should one decision/outcome determine if a startup loses? Just being apathetic and letting the world have its way with you, isn't the way to go.
So, go fire up textmate,photoshop,gdocs,or whatever gets you going and keep chugging along. You've taken the time to fill out the application and probably more, so keep going. Post on HN for feedback once the demo is up. The community will actually give you valuable feedback and won't be assholes. You may succeed, you may fail, but I promise you that you will not regret it.
> YC is a hell of an opportunity. The advice/mentoring, along with a little bit of cash is big for young ambitious hackers/entrepreneurs/dreamers like us.
To be a bit of a downer, I think that's why some people are so distraught about getting rejected - sure, some people are going to come out ahead anyway, and some never will no matter how much of a boost they get, but something like YC is a big push for those at the margin. It really could be the difference between success and failure.
To be a bit of a downer, I think that's why some people are so distraught about getting rejected - sure, some people are going to come out ahead anyway, and some never will no matter how much of a boost they get, but something like YC is a big push for those at the margin. It really could be the difference between success and failure.
shit happens. getting rejected is part of the entrepreneur's job description :) fortunately, YC lets you try again.
my first YC app (for my first company, an online SAT prep which I ran for a few years) was rejected, and their critiques were largely right.
i was accepted 2 years later with a different idea (dropbox).
that said, helpful as it may be, YC is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for success. it's still up to you to MSPW.
my first YC app (for my first company, an online SAT prep which I ran for a few years) was rejected, and their critiques were largely right.
i was accepted 2 years later with a different idea (dropbox).
that said, helpful as it may be, YC is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for success. it's still up to you to MSPW.
We were also rejected the first time as well. And were accepted for a different idea in the next batch.
If I can offer an alternative to post-rejection angst: just implement it. Do it on nights and weekends, scale down your feature expectations to the bare minimum (for 1.0, anyhow), maybe plan on something that actually has a chance of taking money from paying customers rather than playing the VC game, whatever you need to do.
Its quite viable, particularly for small team sizes, and you will learn quite a bit about business, which will serve you in good stead no matter where your career or further ambitions take you.
You'll also note that there are plenty of imitation-worthy businesses out there which were in your shoes once. Basecamp got written as a side project between consulting work. Balsamiq Mockups was a one-man band. I could bore you to death with stories of niche software firms that do pretty well for themselves.
Its quite viable, particularly for small team sizes, and you will learn quite a bit about business, which will serve you in good stead no matter where your career or further ambitions take you.
You'll also note that there are plenty of imitation-worthy businesses out there which were in your shoes once. Basecamp got written as a side project between consulting work. Balsamiq Mockups was a one-man band. I could bore you to death with stories of niche software firms that do pretty well for themselves.
I like when people seeking feedback mention they're a YC reject (if not in the headline in the accompanying text). They're demonstrating their relentlessness and it satisfies my curiousity to see what sort of teams/projects weren't selected.
To me, it's just as appropriate to mention as the fact that other companies are "(YC'08)" or whatever.
To me, it's just as appropriate to mention as the fact that other companies are "(YC'08)" or whatever.
Now I'm not exactly a suave Casanova, but I have learned that introducing myself as "Hiya, I'm Patrick and I just got shot down by that girl over yonder. What's your name?" is not a way to endear myself to people. I think this insight is probably transferable to business.
Your application is what it has accomplished, not what it hasn't. Highlight accordingly.
Your application is what it has accomplished, not what it hasn't. Highlight accordingly.
True, and I wouldn't recommend leading with "YC reject" if you're courting an investor or customer.
But teams asking for help/feedback from peers, here, benefit by demonstrating earnestness and tenacity. They don't have to impress by selective disclosure. Acknowledging, without obsessing over, the prior YC rejection at the same time as releasing other positive news heightens the emotional impact of that news.
Founding myths often highlight the many rejections that had to be overcome. For a team that's really on a mission, it's never too early to start sending the message: nothing stops us.
But teams asking for help/feedback from peers, here, benefit by demonstrating earnestness and tenacity. They don't have to impress by selective disclosure. Acknowledging, without obsessing over, the prior YC rejection at the same time as releasing other positive news heightens the emotional impact of that news.
Founding myths often highlight the many rejections that had to be overcome. For a team that's really on a mission, it's never too early to start sending the message: nothing stops us.
I think working applications and paying customers demonstrate earnestness and tenacity more effectively than tales of the string of failures you've suffered to this point.
But teams asking for help/feedback from peers, here, benefit by demonstrating earnestness and tenacity.
More to the point, I think, is that they benefit by fully disclosing their situation. Disclosing that you are not YC funded (either through rejection or simple disinterest in applying,) is helpful when one is asking for advice.
It might not be something that you want to include in the headline, but it's certainly worth mentioning, especially if you are looking for VC or financial advice.
More to the point, I think, is that they benefit by fully disclosing their situation. Disclosing that you are not YC funded (either through rejection or simple disinterest in applying,) is helpful when one is asking for advice.
It might not be something that you want to include in the headline, but it's certainly worth mentioning, especially if you are looking for VC or financial advice.
Good post, people get hung up too much on being validated by others. Do your own thing, and stop worrying so much
I have an idea. How about we organize our own startup group, for sharing information, support, dinners, basically all that YC does but without money and giving away percentage? Also without PG (unless he might want to :).
PS. I am not YC reject, I never applied since I don't have a co-founder.
PS. I am not YC reject, I never applied since I don't have a co-founder.
For us, we were at idea stage when we applied to YC. The application process has motivated us to start something whether or not we get into one of the 'combinators this summer (some decisions are still pending). That's an awesome kick in the pants. Applying to YC was a great opportunity to find out which of my peers were interested in startups and to get started on something. We're both still in school, so we have good circumstances to get going regardless of the decision.
Guys- I think being an entrepenuer is seriously what matters. Once you make money what do you do with it? Spending it gets boring so you start a new challenge. What's important is that you stick with what your doing and be the best at it! I also think at the least applying for Y combinator is at the bare minimum an exercise that is good for understanding your product better.
I agree with most of what you said, but I think this belongs as a comment in the rejection post.
I figured there'd have been less of a chance of someone submitting one of the above posts to have come across what I wrote as a comment than as a thread by itself.
Your users will tell you whether you are creating something of value for them or not, YC isn't always capable of seeing that! So trust your users, in yourself, and move on!
what I'd like to know is (yes I've been rejected again) is should I consider organizing now... or continue coding and again hope to get picked up by yc in the next round (yes I know I don't need yc). they say the don't like dealing with existing paperwork. I'd also like to know if anyone has seen YC fund something that wasn't a web application.
As kyro said, being accepted or rejected by YC should not be a determining event when it comes to "should I continue". Yes, you should continue, in the same way you would have if YC had never existed.
the question is not one of 'should continue' it's one of should I go out and organize and start building the legal entity now, or should I code for 6 more months and try again.
Do you need to build a legal entity to go out and talk to people etc? A lot of people over here at least get warned against incorporating until they absolutely need to.
That I can't answer, since I'm not familiar with the legal kerfuffle surrounding incorporation in the US. In the UK, incorporating takes about an hour and costs £50, but I hear that it's a lot harder and more onerous in the US.
I don't know about incorporation, but an llc takes about as much in the US. it's not really an easy question generally. I'll probably end up waiting until closer to a 'production' release
I got rejected and frankly it didn't bother me one bit. I don't need the money. I have enough. I just wanted the feedback of experienced mentors. Also, I though it would be a great way to meet highly motivated individuals who I could probably bring into my startup since right now I'm flying solo.
I actuallly think that the YC rejects aint a bad idea. We could all work togather there like we would if we got accepted. I mean that would be really cool. We could prepare ourselves and stuff. Generally, we'd be a huge team working on different projects.
Me, I have already recieved my rejection (i prefer "unsuccessful") notification, but I can assure you, i will push on. Though honestly, the opportunity for YC would have been welcome.
who needs today founding & vcs to start up ???
"Why did I get rejected?!??"
I don't know, many of us don't either. Other than your idea possibly being a pile of garbage, none of us here know as to the exact reasons you got rejected. Sure, pg will, but I doubt he'll write up a critique of your app and post it publicly. If you want to know why you were rejected, email someone at yc to see if they're even willing to give you feedback.
"Maybe we should start a YC-rejected group!!!"
Go for it. Honestly, it's a big waste of time. Last year someone created RejectedByYC.com, but that seems to have vanished. I don't really know why you'd want to limit yourself to giving/receiving feedback and support for your project from other YC-rejected companies. The rest of us who got accepted or didn't apply aren't less willing to encourage/support/critique your efforts.
"I got rejected, but I'm moving on!!!"
Awesome, but really, even considering to discontinue a project based on your YC decision is foolish. Sure, the experience is great, you get a little cash to get you off the ground, but if your motivation was that dependent on the outcome of whether you'd be accepted to YC, you need to realize that there are much higher hurdles to be conquered ahead. Plus, we don't need to know you're moving on. Create something, ask for feedback, and we'll care.
"MyStartup (YC reject '09) asking for feedback!!!"
Don't label yourself as a YC reject. I don't know why people do this. I am no more interested in your startup whether accepted or rejected from YC. There are several YC companies I think are crap, and many rejects that I think are awesome. I guess what you're trying to get across by labeling yourself as a YC rejects is "PG thinks we're crap, but I'm out to prove him wrong!" That makes you seem bitter and unable to emotionally settle with your rejection. We are a community of startups and people interested in them and we need not to label ourselves into various camps. There are startups that are accepted into YC, and for those companies, they were each merely granted an opportunity. For every YC accepted company, there's another who has received angel investing sans incubator-type program, and another who has been hooked up with a client that could bring lots of business, and another that just took vc funding. Starting companies is about finding opportunities. And if YC isn't an opportunity that came your way, you have hundreds of other paths to pursue.
I've said this before, but please realize that Digg, Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Myspace, eBay, Amazon, PayPal, and 99.999% of the most popular and/or highly valued acquired companies didn't go through YC, nor any other YC-like program.