

Ask HN-Y Combinator more prestigious than McKinsey in 10 years? - nrao123

I run an internet startup but used to be an ex-Mgmt consultant from a top firm and came from a b-school background. The peer pressure was quite a bit to join one of the top consulting firms or IB firms regardless of what you actually enjoyed doing. People would spend hours on Vault to get advise on applications, interviews etc. I was surprised to see a similar thread about YC here- http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=518656<p>This got me thinking, if, in another 10-15 years, “getting” into a top "branded" program like YCombinator, TechStars etc... be more socially prestigious than joining a brand name firm?<p>Or am I a dinosaur and has it already happened?
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menloparkbum
Is this really how people are thinking about YCombinator funding? That it's a
social stepping stone like getting a Harvard MBA? Ugh. I thought I escaped
from those people when I left Boston. I'm applying mainly because I could use
the money!

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comatose_kid
Excellent! I'm sure sentiments like this will compel YC to invest in my idea -
a prep-school to improve the chances for prospective YC applicants.

edit: Here's an example of the coursework the prep-school provides -
[http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv335/comatose_kid/yc_dum...](http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv335/comatose_kid/yc_dummies.jpg)

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yshara09
I am not sure if our case is different from most but here it is: We are
working on a webapp which we are really excited about. We talked with friends
and potential users with great feedback. We will continue to build it on the
side while working day jobs and see if we can get traction from the users. We
are applying for YC Summer 09. Getting accepted would validate that we are not
the lunatic fringe. (The end users might still disagree) It would allow us to
jump into it full time and the application process would help us reflect on
the business side of things seriously, which we hackers get easily blind sided
about.

However, looking at some other applicants experiences and expectations (as
written on blogs), yes, it does feel like applying for an Ivy League MBA.
Looking for validation is something common between these 2 endeavors (and that
includes us).

However, In my opinion, HN is what makes YC special. It's a model that's hard
to replicate.

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triplefox
These days, reality is breaking left and right. Notions like prestige will be
left in the dust until society someday reorders itself. Right now it's a
continuous chorus of "What! You can actually DO that?" coming from the people
who play those games.

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omnivore
10-15 years? There will be something better and more cutting edge in the
marketplace. These things move too fast to become venerable and established
and it seems unlikely that's what the founders intended anyway. But that said,
your idea poses an interesting idea about the future of business, credentials
and how we view experience versus a piece of paper.

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utnick
I think getting in is not prestigious in and of itself. Creating a successful
startup is prestigious. But getting into YC and then failing wouldn't look
especially great on your resume ( at least to most observers ).

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Major_Grooves
I don't think failing would look bad per se. There are a lot of learnings that
can be taken from failure. Better to have tried and learnt, than to never try!

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MaysonL
It would depend upon why you failed.

Failure because you just gave up, not so good.

Failure because Google bought you, and then deadpooled you: eh, not so bad.

Failure because after 6 months of living in an EDAR [1] you still weren't
ramen profitable: a bit too stubborn for corporate existence, better try
another startup.

[1] <http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2009/0225/building_2-1.html>

