
Applications Open for Winter 2012 YC Funding - pg
http://ycombinator.com/apply.html?2012
======
bourdine
I'm apply last year (W11) but was rejected. Now I know why - not because I'm
russian, just my idea was a totally shit. Thanks PG, that you reject me. I got
many ideas since last year - Startups Franchise, Help Button to any
smartphones and many other, I invent new XML-format RSS+ and tons of many
ohers great things. Now I got an idea, that 85% of G+ techbloggers say 'this
is realy cool' because this is really cool, not because I'm think so. This is
a startup, that can grow fast and make good cashflow. September, 15 Steve
Blank come to Moscow and I'm pitch him with it. If him also say 'cool' I'm
apply. I have a great cofounder - IP lawyer from New Delhi. We can do it, PG.

~~~
rokhayakebe
Go Bourdine!

------
simonw
If you're still on the fence about whether or not you should reply, I suggest
reading "What Happens at YC": <http://ycombinator.com/atyc.html> \- that's the
essay that convinced us to apply with Lanyrd, and it was everything the essay
promised and more.

~~~
earbitscom
The best summary I have heard of whether or not to apply is:

"If you think you might need YC, you need it. If you think you might not need
YC, you need it. If you are ABSOLUTELY SURE you don't need YC, you probably
still do, but maybe not."

~~~
wheels
I'm not really comfortable with the word "need" there since obviously most
successful companies don't go through YC. It's more like, "What are the
situations where going through YC is a net minus?" and there are very few.

YC is a great boost in the right direction, but most people that apply won't
be accepted. What should they do? Well, if they were serious in the first
place, they should start their company anyway. People who want to start
companies should start companies; people who just want to get into YC (and
assume that they'll then be on the gilded path) shouldn't do either.

~~~
sneak
> "What are the situations where going through YC is a net minus?" and there
> are very few.

Last I checked, doing YC requires one to live in the USA, a place that has
been rapidly increasing in insanity for the last ten years or so. That's a net
loss for anyone who values their basic freedoms.

Then again, some value customers, cash flow, and shareholder value more than
their own personal liberties, so the "net loss" calculation will vary from
individual to individual -- but note well that it will probably only become
more likely as the US becomes worse.

Plot the points from the PATRIOT act to the TSA harassment and groping and
throw _that_ graph in your deck.

~~~
wheels
It's particularly ironic that you say that replying to a YC founder that lives
in the same city as you.

YC has never required you to live in the US beyond the 3 months that the
program runs. They strongly _recommend_ it, but there are a handful of YC
companies headquartered elsewhere (with the largest contingent in and around
London).

~~~
sneak
1) That's enough to ruin the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (presuming US
citizenship) for 2012. 35 days/year is all we get.

2) Short of bussing down to Mexico and flying home from there, how would one
avoid sexual assault at the hands of the US government after the program ends?

3) Whoever solves this telepresence issue for problems like this once and for
all will make a mint.

~~~
patrickod
For what it's worth. 1 - There are ways around this. For instance you don't
have to pay yourself a salary.

2 - I've flown in and out of the US numerous times this year and have yet to
be "molested" or even go through millimeter wave scanning. Even then the
radiation dose is minuscule. You'll get more exposure to radiation on the
flight itself than in the scan. Don't let your fear rule you.

3 - Telepresence isn't the problem; the 8-hour time difference is. Technology
will not surpass this unless one side becomes nocturnal

~~~
sneak
Maybe my problem is the mistaken(?) assumption that the best code is always
written between midnight and 7AM.

~~~
patrickod
That is not my experience. While the odd all-nighter can be productive when
deadlines are looming I think many would agree it's not the best practice.
Personally I like to sleep normal hours and function in the daylight

------
throwaway_1971
I would like to ask a question.

We have a product. We have beta customers and it seems we will have revenue of
about $30K/year (that is according to survey of existing customers). We
believe the revenue should be 100M/year :) But we are not sure if we know what
we don't know.

We are old (in 40s) and geeks (never did any business before but we dreamed
about).

Does it make sense for us apply to Y combinator? Meaning what path would be
the most efficient for us?

~~~
lacker
Nowadays it is common for YC founders to be older. One group of founders had 9
kids between the 2 of them that they brought to Mountain View for this last YC
batch. Those guys also had a product already, although after YC it is a few
times larger and they raised a nice seed round. Go for it!

~~~
charliepark
How were they able to afford it? Living off the money YC gives you is one
thing if you're the proverbial single 20-something, much different if you're
married with 4 or 5 (!) kids.

~~~
mrkurt
Having kids just changes the equation a bit, it's not a unpassable roadblock.
If you have 1/3rd of a dozen kids, you've probably had a job for a while,
credit cards with excessively high limits, etc. It's not impossible to get
enough savings to survive for a fixed amount of time, and the credit cards can
provide a nice safety net just in case.

------
mikesaraf
Can anybody that is in or has been through YC answer these questions:

How difficult and costly is it to find a place in SF for 3 months? It seems
like a large part of the YC money would get used up for the founders basic
living expenses.

Do most YC company founders go in debt / use savings / use most of the YC
money, to cover personal expenses while they do this?

~~~
olivercameron
Most new founders don't live in San Francisco. YC encourages you, and rightly
so, to live in and around Mountain View, where rent is much, much cheaper than
the city.

~~~
samstave
I dont think it is "much, much" cheaper.

GOTO Padmapper.com to take a look....

~~~
mikesaraf
Cool and very useful site, Thank You!

------
spoiledtechie
Shameless plug: I want to do this 100%. I have exhausted every single person I
know who codes for the passed 4 years. It pretty much comes down to "They
don't want to do the work and are completely happy in their current job".

If anyone is interested, I would love to be your co-founder.

I have built several websites. I am experienced in both C# and Java. Ive built
several Android Apps. I know DBs like the back of my hand and I have DRIVE.

I have an amazing idea. Ya of course everyone says that, but I really do. Its
a total niche idea and it has the ability to make money from both users and
sponsors alike through subscriptions and sales from the application. I am
currently iterating the idea my self through the night, but would love for
someone to jump on board. This niche is supported by well over 1000 groups
willing to pay good money. There is no competition to the point I want to
bring the idea.

I want to apply, but I am totally a Solo here. Anyone want to co-found an
idea? I want someone who is 100% ready to jump in.

Contact me.

spoiledtechie with gmail

~~~
Vadoff
Wait, I don't get it. If you have such skills and an idea that you truly
believe in why haven't you started coding it yet? It doesn't have to be much,
perhaps you can't even do all of it yourself, but you should at least TRY. If
your skills with C#/Java/DBs aren't an exaggeration, I don't see any reason
why you shouldn't at least start.

It's great that you're looking for a co-founder, this is a great start, but
just don't jump head first into a relationship without getting to know them
first. You should keep doing what you've been doing by meeting up with a lot
of potential co-founders, discussing your idea, gauging their enthusiasm,
skillset, and how well you think you'll get along.

~~~
dangrossman
"I am currently iterating the idea my self through the night"

------
kevingadd
If we have a project that we think has potential to be turned into a
sustainable business, but simply haven't had enough time to be able to even
identify a good co-founder candidate... should we just wait and apply next
cycle once we've found someone that's a good fit?

I can imagine that bringing on a co-founder type later on in development might
be the sort of thing that always turns out badly, but I don't really know. It
seems shortsighted to let important things like product development and
identifying customers take a backseat in favor of finding a co-founder when
you're not even sure precisely what you're building yet.

I also find this question challenging since I applied for a previous YC with a
solid co-founder who has since moved on to stable work since we got little
interest from competent angel investors, so it seems like a step backward to
even consider applying without a co-founder this time.

------
zbruhnke
PG - Quick question, Does it hurt to apply too early? like before some demos
etc. are actually finished?

i.e. My idea is fleshed out but some of the project the application is for is
not yet, if I submit now are you guys more or less likely to take a look at it
when I re-submit with updated URL's etc.?

~~~
pg
Submit when you feel you're close to finished. Given that constraint, the
earlier you submit the better.

------
ForrestN
Sorry if this has been asked/answered before: is there a disadvantage to
applying multiple times? In other words, is it better to wait until you are
totally sure you have your strongest application, or is it worth taking the
risk, and then applying again when you are further along with your project?

~~~
marcomonteiro
I applied for Summer 11 and didn't get in and I'm still serious about what I'm
doing so I'm applying again. If nothing else maybe they'll remember me and if
I dont get in there's always the next session. It doesn't hurt to keep putting
yourself out there. Good luck.

~~~
nicholasjbs
There were multiple companies in my batch (S10) that had applied multiple
times. One company had actually applied four or five times, I think.

------
zbruhnke
I've applied twice as a solo founder and have had no luck. If you think Sam
Altman is tenacious you definitely have not met me yet. I haven't sold Obama
O's like Brian Chesky and the gang but I have some stories that would be
considered equally compelling by most.

I founded a company and had an exit while still in college full time. I had 13
employees when I was 19, I currently work for a well funded startup with top
tier investors and ship code every day. Yet even with all that said I have not
managed to get to the interview round.

This time around I have something a little more special in store for my
application, so we shall see how this works. For me (like many others I'm
sure) the problem is not selling people on the idea, it is selling qualified
people on the idea. I want to bring on someone who can truly add value to the
team and I want a partner not just another body.

It's just finding a way to stand out on the application process that a solo
founder has a hard time with, I think many solo founders don't realize exactly
how hard that is when the YC staff reads through more than 2,000 apps each
cycle now.

~~~
Tofusensei
If you're such a rockstar, why bother with YC at all?

~~~
zbruhnke
I certainly am not claiming to be a Rockstar however I will answer your
question in the best way I know how.

I believe in people truly adding value, I know from experience (knowing YC
Alums) that YC adds value and can turn a good product into a great product. I
am not too proud to know that there are lots of people out there who are
Faster, Stronger, Smarter and probably better looking than me however I am
also aware that if I am not actively seeking out those people (I believe YC
has tons of them) then I am already a step behind those who are.

So while I truly believe with the right product and vision I will succeed no
matter what I find no harm in trying to better myself via a program like YC.

------
bitsweet
How many solo founders were accepted in summer 2011? Has the % accepted
increased with the larger class size?

~~~
brandnewlow
Solution: Don't be a solo founder.

I spent a few years trying to go that route. It's death. Death. If you can't
sell someone else on joining up, how on earth are you going to sell someone in
giving you money?

~~~
rgrieselhuber
Solo founder here. YC S10. We have 8 people now, are well funded and making
good revenues. It might not have worked for you but that doesn't mean it can't
be done.

~~~
brandnewlow
Congrats! Absolutely it can be done. And absolutely I failed to pull it off by
myself. That doesn't change my advice to folks to find a co-founder.

~~~
mindcrime
_That doesn't change my advice to folks to find a co-founder._

Right, but you're not advocating the "stop the world" and do nothing until
they _do_ find a co-founder, are you? I guess that's my point: a solo-founder
isn't necessarily somebody who intends to _stay_ a solo-founder, but are
likely someone who just hasn't found their co-founder(s) yet. And I, for one,
would not advocate stopping everything until you find that person (or
persons).

------
Shenglong
pg - if one of the co-founders who won't be the CEO lives far away on another
continent, is it required that he/she show up for the interview? While I don't
expect this to be a problem either way, we're just thinking of ways to
minimize costs.

Edit: I'm talking specifically about the interview. If accepted, we'd both
come down.

~~~
patrickod
My co-founder and I both couldn't make it to interview. He flew out and I
interviewed over a video chat via Skype. It's not a problem at all.

~~~
Shenglong
Wonderful - thank you for the information!

------
simondlr
Has anyone from other countries signed up for this? Does anyone know how the
visa situation is in order to work for those 3 months in the USA?

~~~
kitcar
It varies drastically by country - see <http://travel.state.gov/visa/>

~~~
simondlr
Thank you!

------
emiranda
Is it worth applying to Y Combinator if your company is already profitable? My
partner and I have a company that is generating enough profits that we are
able to work full-time on it, get paid a decent salary, and still have some
left over to re-invest into the company at the end of every month.

~~~
dbul
<http://paulgraham.com/equity.html>

------
tagnu_
Hi, a small issue in the application page.

If the 'Company url' field is typed without "<http://> it doesn't get saved.

<http://example.com> (good)

www.example.com (bad)

example.com (bad)

Is it a bug or am I doing it wrong. (Ubuntu /Firefox 6.0)

thank you.

------
TrevorBurnham
The link to "Directed Edge's successful application video" at
<http://ycombinator.com/video.html> points to
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=855057>, which in turn leads to a 404.
The video can, however, be found at <http://scotchi.posterous.com/directed-
edge>.

------
danberger
Can't wait to apply to YC.

In the meantime, a shameless plug: if there are any devs out there in DC or
NYC who want to join this startup as a technical co-founder let me know. The
early version of the product has validated the idea, we have a nice userbase,
an impressive following, and deep ties to our industry, contact me - dan at
danjberger.com - i'd love to chat :)

------
acak
I started looking for a cofounder about a month ago. I am not sure if I will
find one by October 31st but the search is on.

How is this evaluated on the application?

Also, there was a recent clarification by the USCIS that a H1-B visa holder
can work for his/her own company.

Is YC cognizant of this and can it help the visa holder jump through any hoops
(legal or otherwise) to be a H1-B start-up founder?

~~~
kiteloop
Do you have a link to this USCIS clarification?

~~~
acak
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-immigration-a-
step...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-immigration-a-step-in-the-
right-direction/2011/08/03/gIQA2bGgsI_story.html)

------
TomGullen
We are already a registered Ltd company in the UK, is this going to cause
problems? I understand you must incorporate in the USA.

~~~
TomGullen
Does anyone know?

------
marcomonteiro
What do you guys (and gals) think about non-technical co-founders? Well at
least co-founders who are barely learning to code?

~~~
pg
The founders don't all have to be programmers, but we prefer there be at least
one.

~~~
marcomonteiro
Thank you PG, I really appreciate your reply. The person I have in mind is
brilliant and picking up programming concepts quickly. We also work well with
each other and he is someone I can count on to stick with me through the hard
times.

------
robjohnson
From this thread, it almost seems that a founder dating section of HN would be
pretty beneficial to a lot of people. Granted, there are already too many
find-a-cofounder sites out there, but the caliber of people and ability to see
the past posting history of a potential cofounder on HN seems to be
potentially valuable.

~~~
helen842000
Agreed.

------
rglover
Just curious, is there any stigma attached to companies that apply without
being 100% on everyone being able to move to the Bay Area? I personally can
move, though, my co-founder is still in school (it's just the two of us). Is
it better to just wait until everyone can move?

~~~
lloydarmbrust
Yes. It's almost a smell test--if you can't get your team to move, are you
really committed?

------
iradik
How many two-person startups were accepted last year where one of the founders
resided in sf, and the other resided in a nearby city such as Seattle?

This is a case where both founders are software engineers who have already
worked together closely for a sustained period.

------
grigy
I have two questions:

1\. Do the US applicants have significant advantage over the foreign
applicants?

2\. Does YC help to get visa?

~~~
zmitri
No and No

------
jcarden
I'm looking for some co-founders for the next cycle. Tried my social circles
and ran into the competence and drive issue that many of you probably
experienced. If you are interested we should definitely talk. Shoot me an
email at carden.justin@gmail.com

------
jbhelms
I am planning on applying this round, but I have to admit that I hate making
presentations, in fact I am dreading the 1 minute video I have to make for the
application. I imagine that I will get over it.

------
RobertHubert
:D Thanks for the heads up! I can tell there are a lot of excited founders in
here, myself included! "Looks frantically in nightstand drawer for napkin with
MASTERPLAN scribbled on it" jk.

I wish you all the best of luck.

------
marcomonteiro
Here we go again, or should I say here I go again. ;)

------
rorrr
How do people start up with less than $20K? That's barely enough to cover
basic icorporation + lawyer + equipment + website graphic design. If you need
to hire somebody professional (like sales guys), what do you do?

~~~
idlewords
$20K is a LOT of money. You can form an LLC for a hundred bucks, lease a
server for another hundred, and do your own graphic design at the outset (or
hire a student for a couple of hundred).

To hire a sales guy, just use the money from all the sales that are taking up
so much of your time you need to hire someone else to handle them. That comes
a little bit later...

~~~
Smirnoff
I wouldn't suggest creating an LLC. I think it's a standard practice to
incorporate all Y-Comb companies.

~~~
tptacek
* LLCs are corporations.

* My understanding is all YC companies are C-corps.

* That's because LLC's and S-Corps have limitations on shareholders and share classes.

* The C.W. is that any major external investor is going to rip up your corp structure no matter what you do.

* It's almost certainly not the case that YC would turn town a promising team because they were already an LLC. The principals just need to unanimously agree to convert.

* You should get _some kind_ of limited liability structure ASAP when you start, because until you do, most/all of your company obligations attach themselves to your credit, your assets, your mortgage, &c.

* Of the limited liability structures available to you, LLCs are the fastest and cheapest. S-Corp and C-Corp only change taxation and equity structure.

