How to make your YC application stand out (opens in new tab)

(aarone.com)

50 pointsaepstein12y ago13 comments

13 comments

9 comments · 2 top-level

Romoku12y ago· 7 in thread

The one trait I've noticed about these articles is the applicant must have a significant amount of planning.

It doesn't sound like YC is something that you wake up on Monday and say, "I'm going to live in California for 3 months on savings without a reliable source of income and hope I can turn my idea into a business."

pg12y ago

Strangely enough, a lot of the most successful startups we've funded applied at the last minute. E.g. David Rusenko of Weebly told me he applied 30 min before the deadline.

Robin_Message12y ago

That could be because a) anyone who can put together a coherent pitch in 30 minutes already knows the problem space and solution very well, and/or b) there isn't time to lie or exaggerate in 30 minutes, so if you fund them, they are actually as good as they said they were.

Any ideas which?

3 more replies

driverdan12y ago

Is there any data available on how much forethought and planning went into the decision to apply and the app/vid themselves?

From what I've learned talking to YC startups and reading about others it seems pretty mixed, that some spent many hours planning and some made the decision at the last minute.

1 more reply

jbarrec12y ago

I've been so busy working on my prototype that I almost forgot about Winter 2014. Had I not read this article I would likely have forgotten.

Macsenour12y ago

PG, could it be that the sense of urgency makes the passion of the team stand out?

aepsteinOP12y ago

Yes and no. In my situation (OP), I had about a month to find a place for my wife to live in NYC (until I got there after YC), find a place for our team to live in SF, and find someone to rent the place we owned in the DC area. And it all worked out. Sometimes the time constraints can be a good thing.

outericky12y ago

I think the planning phase is whether or not you are going to go all in and pursue your idea as a business opportunity; regardless of YC. YC happens to be something that makes you decide that. Could be other things, but some people need something to push them a little.

Miyamoto12y ago

> The week after Christmas, we drove our entire lives up to our new apartment in NYC, got my wife settled in the city, and then I flew out to San Francisco to live on the other side of the country from her for 3 months.
> And it was, without a doubt, one of the best experiences of my life.

Out of context this wording is kind of funny/sad.

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