
Ask HN: Next Steps After YC Rejection - Taek
A large number of startups are going to receive a rejection notice from Ycombinator today. To quote Sam Altman, &quot;Best of luck, and don’t give up.&quot;<p>Many cofounders are looking at huge corporate salaries vs. barely making ends meet trying to start a company. There&#x27;s a lot that they don&#x27;t know and a lot places they could use a ton of help.<p>For everyone who doesn&#x27;t make Ycombinator tonight, where are other places to get help as a startup? (More than just alternate incubators, though I&#x27;d love to hear about those as well)
======
mkal_tsr
I think it's important to step back and ask yourself to objectively look at
the bigger picture. Lots of people / companies probably applied as a way to
jump-start their funding efforts, grow their networks, and learn from
advisors. That sounds great but remember, objectivity...

1\. If you were accepted, you would not suddenly have more money in your
business account overnight.

2\. If you were accepted, you would still have more effort to get through
before meeting people

3\. When you meet these advisors and contacts, you're not immediately using
them to their fullest benefits from day-0.

... _and then_ there's still the matter of not just learning what you're being
taught, but executing on it correctly. That does not happen overnight through
from a single email. That comes from adapting and evolving as an individual
and team, regardless of if you're in a bootstrapped company,
incubator/accelerator, VC-funded, etc. It's a process that takes time. Use
that time wisely with what you have available and what you can make available.

------
Alexontwowheels
There are so many great resources. Being accepted by YC is not "make or
break". If your business is viable and you work hard, you'll get there.

But every business needs guidance, we're all in this together, so I love this
question.

If you're in the Bay Area, finding great startup advisors is not a huge task
(outside of bay area, it may be more work, I don't know from experience).
Either way, the goal should be to seek those with relevant experience, and
just get in front of them however you can. I recommend the following as a
start: \- AngelList (scout out advisors/angels in your relevant industry) \-
FounderDating \- LinkedIn

Other notable accelerators/incubators: \- Techstars \- 500 Startups \-
AngelPad

I'm not one for luck, so I like to say... Get to work, the world is ready for
you!

------
tsf
Chris Heivly, founder of MapQuest and The Startup Factory, is interested in
talking to anyone who was rejected by YCombinator and wants advice or
direction. He holds regular weekly office hours in half-hour slots, and a
video chat might be a good start to getting on your feet again. If you are
interested, please email mark@thestartupfactory.co for further details.

