Just Don't Die – Reflections from a Reject
Back then I started labeling Bandsintown, a "Y Combinator Reject". Looking back on it, 10 YEARS LATER!, it wasn't smart. I was implying an association which we hadn't earned. At the time being rejected, and eventually seeing that they had accepted a competitor, really fueled us.
My post back then was two parts; the first part, which I regret, is that I thought Y Combinator had made a mistake and I wanted to prove them wrong. The rejection felt like the start of an underdog story and I wanted to capitalize on it. The post, the association, etc, had zero impact on our success or lack of it, so it was silly labeling us that way and in hindsight I think they made the right call.
The second part, which I don't regret, is sharing our story of rejection. That's what I found fascinating about Ohanaian's tweet. Rejections are relatable and helpful since ALL eventual successes have their moment of rejection and subsequent perseverance. At the time of that post I KNEW I was going to make Bandsintown successful and I wanted the post to offer hope to others who might be in similar situations. That's partially why I am writing this post now.
Ten years later, I would like to say sorry to @pg for trying to capitalize on Y Combinator without having earned it. I would also like to say to all the future rejects to just keep going. The company that was rejected now has ~40M registered users, used by nearly every musician in the world, listed as a Time Magazine Best App of 2016, and Business Insider "100 World's Greatest Apps". It's def not a unicorn, and debatable wether I would even call it a personal success or failure, but it's 10 years later, it's alive, and it's providing for it's employees. I'm grateful for that.
The most important three words @PG has ever said "Just don't die".