

YC Winter 2009 application is due today (Friday). - thorax

Who's giving it a shot?<p>We're a bit too far along, but we might.<p>http://ycombinator.com/w2009.html
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iamelgringo
I organize Hackers and Founders, a a meetup in the Bay area:
<http://www.hackersandfounders.com>

We held a meetup last night, and had the founders of Heysan and Snipd talk
about the YC funding experience and about having a startup.

I was really surprised that out of 40-45 attendees, only about 3-4 were
thinking about applying for YC funding. Everybody else was bootstrapping. Some
of the guys have really cool web apps that they've built in their spare time
like <http://www.dabbleboard.com> .

I wonder if people's attitudes towards getting funded is changing, or if it's
just the demographic of the group that we're attracting. Most of the group is
fairly ambivalent towards getting funding.

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fuelfive
No such thing as too far along. Speaking as a YC founder who had angel money
and a product going in, you'd have to be post-series A for YC not to make
sense. The YC logo on your slide deck alone is probably enough to boost your
valuation by more than 6.4%.

~~~
falsestprophet
YCombinator required 6.4% of your already funded company? How much funding did
you secure before?

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zeantsoi
I just noticed that the application deadline is listed as 10PM EST (not PST)
on the "Y Combinator Funding Page", though it's listed as 10PM PST on another
page. I wonder if this will have any repercussions on anybody...

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cmshop
I noticed that too. But I remember that several hours before 10pm PST on my "Y
Combinator Funding Page", the application deadline was still shown as 10PM
PST.

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siong1987
I am just wondering how many actually submit their applications. Feel free to
cast your vote here if you did apply - [http://siong1987.com/yc-
winter-2009-is-due-today-at-10pm-pst...](http://siong1987.com/yc-
winter-2009-is-due-today-at-10pm-pst/) .

Current Number of Applications: 23

Then, we can see how competitive it is for Winter 2009 application.

Thanks.

P/S: I will update this comment with the latest number of applications.

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vaksel
probably not as competitive as before. The whole point of YC is to get
contacts so its easier to get VC funding. And with the current economic
situations and VCs being stingy most will probably wait for the market to
stabilize

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dshah
Not sure I agree that the whole point of VC is to raise VC funding.

The whole point of YC is to get connected with some great people and build
something people want.

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fallentimes
Agreed, but I also think it varies for the individual/team. Some groups gain
mostly from VC exposure, some gain mostly by being able to talk to PG & Co.
and others gain molsty from the smart people they're now surrounded by for
three months (that was us).

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arasakik
Old, but good: <http://particletree.com/notebook/today-is-the-day/>

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gqwu
Anyone else feeling nervous?

I hope we at least get an interview so we can present to PG & Co.

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walterk
No, but this is also my second time applying. Given how ridiculously
competitive it was during the summer round, I feel it's probably unreasonable
for just about anyone to get their hopes up.

My advice is, don't bank your startup dreams on getting in. If your team and
idea truly have merit, you can and should have a startup plan that does not
depend on getting into YC. View it as the best-case scenario instead.

Not getting in, by the way, does not imply that your team and idea don't have
merit. Last time they couldn't accept many that did.

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callmeed
Does YC publish the number of applicants for past rounds?

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gqwu
I saw the number 600 a few times, not sure which round it was for.

Only 50-60 groups will get invited to the interview. :(

Also I read that 75% of the apps are submitted in the week before the
deadline.

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cofejay
50-60..that is alot, so how many from that group actually get picked?

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gqwu
Ycomb alumni bloggers say around 20-22. Tough odds!

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siong1987
Anyone of you apply with a ready prototype?

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callmeed
Yeah, I was able to get a rough prototype together this week. It doesn't have
some of the better features I'm aiming for, but I think it helps to have
something visible.

We got our app in this morning. We listed about 4 or 5 other ideas in the app
too. Not sure if that helps or hurts.

Sometimes I go back and forth on what idea is most
attractive/viable/appropriate.

~~~
LiveTimeCards
Yeah I applied, they have a rough prototype that they can hopefully look at.

