

Ask pg: How good is this YC application? - edw519

In another thread, hn user "many" posted a link to his Winter YC Application.  As I read it, two things occurred to me: that this was the first time I had ever read a completed YC application, and that I was underwhelmed.  (Sorry many, I really don't mean to pick, and maybe I don't understand your app, but you posted it, so I guess it's fair game.)  Here is that link:<p>http://listenlight.net/media/ycombinator_funding_application.pdf<p>So, pg, I thought it might be helpful to others considering applying if someone from yc could provide a little constructive criticism of this (now public) application.<p>Of course, if my request is out of line, or unnecessarily hurts many's chances, then never mind.<p>Any thoughts?
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pg
I would not recommend using it as a model.

I know you meant well, but I'd appreciate it if people didn't post
applications for the current cycle on News.YC, or the site will be overwhelmed
with "critique my application" links.

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hoffmabc
are you serious?

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mattmaroon
As a heart attack would be my guess.

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mattmaroon
I think attempts to "hack" the YC application will be largely counter-
productive, given the people doing the selection and knowing a little about
the process.

My advice would be to be genuine. If you're worried too much about conforming
to what you think YC will want, you're missing the point entirely.

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sgrove
I agree. Your passion for the idea you're working on should make it more or
less easy to explain it to others - maybe not concisely, but you can surely
talk about it. Explain your vision exactly as you hope it to be - changing it
to meet others' expectations hints that you don't have confidence in your
idea. Put your application in. If it gets rejected, and you believe it's a
good idea, why not pursue it anyway? Look at it this way - another 2-10% of
your idea you get to keep to yourself :)

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brianlash
Some folks might find this link useful:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=251075>

It's a response to a question I posted a few months ago asking to see former
(successful) YC applications. There was a single response but it could shed
some light on what works.

And to set the record straight, of course getting into YC has less to do with
the application than it does the quality and content of the company's
founders/their ideas. But there's no reason to let a poor application get in
the way of that end.

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swombat
Umm... surely that application is a joke? No?

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mattmaroon
I thought that at first, but by the end was convinced it was just someone
trying to be creative and failing.

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motoko
Thoughts:

Give straight answers.

Have co-founders with whom you have at least 6 months working history.

How will you make money? Try this formula: "_____ will buy ___ for $___
because ___."

Avoid seeming like an unstable loner.

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kyro
The only problem I see with pg giving advice is that future applicants might
tweak their application just to fit what pg is looking for, possibly resulting
in an application that misrepresents the team or idea.

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edw519
Actually, that's exactly what I was hoping for (the tweak, not the
misrepresentation).

The "tweaking" wouldn't be the effect, but the cause. The effect would be to
help the team focus on their best target.

I believe that anything that gives people a better chance at succeeding is a
good idea.

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SwellJoe
I think that'd be a disservice to future applicants and YC.

Here's why: Any single application cannot represent _everything_ YC is looking
for. They invest in wildly varying startups. I was surprised when we were
asked to come for an interview, and equally surprised when we were
accepted...because YC had never funded anything in our area before (we're not
web 2.0, we're not a hosted app, we're not social or user generated, and our
design sense historically kinda sucks). But, history now indicates that YC is
looking for more than merely more web 2.0 apps. They've now funded hardware,
enterprise apps, sports related apps, and a lot more. There is no "YC style
startup". Reddit was a great success, and one can find parallels in some of
the other YC startups...but there are far more that don't fit that mold at
all.

If you tweak to fit what you think is the YC mold, you may very well tweak out
the really unique and interesting bit of your application.

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prakash
What would be really interesting to see is, PG fill in the application with
the Viaweb idea, that should give prospective applicants _some idea_ when
applying to YC!

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hugh
If an applicant sees _filling out a form_ to be a major challenge that
requires a model to work from, then how is said applicant going to cope with
running a company?

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jacobbijani
More importantly, if you need a model to create a good application then
chances are your personality/idea is not valid to begin with.

Thats kinda-sorta the whole idea of an application :)

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prakash
very true :-)

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boredguy8
PDF replaced, I take it? Or are those two words the app?

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incomethax
Seems like it, that's all I get as well

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rms
I'd be happy to offer constructive feedback on YC apps; just send me an email.

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jaydub
I would imagine that by now college admissions officers are tired of reading
the same formulaic crap.

If I were reviewing applications for anything I would provide a basic skeleton
of guidelines and hope for a diverse pool of responses. Trying to fit in to
someone else's mold (even that of the reviewer) often comes off as quite
contrived.

