

YC Interview Advice From a Guy Who Got An Interview and Didn’t Get Accepted - nhashem
https://plus.google.com/u/0/117964673266913360417/posts/FyFtW4FqpaB

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pkamb
HN really needs to extend the little "domain preview" in the title to include
sub-domains. Seeing "(google.com)" and then ending up on a G+ page always
throws me for a loop.

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johnbatch
They do this for some domains already ( tumblr.com, blogspot.com,
posterous.com, etc.) I have the same issue with plus.google.com.

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yesimahuman
> YC is an amazing opportunity to work with some of the finest people in the
> technology industry, it’s not a ticket to automatic success

Find something you are passionate about, work hard, be persistent, and go for
it. YC is a great opportunity, and you should be looking for opportunities
whenever you can.

But without your own hard work your company will be nothing, and this doesn't
change with or without YC.

Yes, it sucks getting rejected from anything, but the only time it's the end
of the world is if you give up because of it. My last startup that interviewed
at YC, was rejected, and shut down soon after, probably weighed too heavily
our rejection (though it was far from the only reason we shut down).

(Disclaimer: I'm a two time rejected applicant, one time rejected interviewee)

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wallawe
Just wondering, were you rejected twice after being interviewed the first
time? I'm wondering if they will dismiss you more easily after having met and
decided you aren't the type of person they want to fund...

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yesimahuman
It was a flat reject first, then an interview rejection, then another flat
reject. I wasn't actually the one who applied the first time though.

About your statement, I don't know. I can't waste my time thinking about that
though. I'm really excited about what I'm working on right now and I've
learned a ton in the last few years. Going for it is all that matters to me
now.

I will be applying again next round though :)

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hansy
Thanks for sharing. It's always nice to hear the tale from the side that
didn't get in.

By the way, I've seen one or two outdoor advertising startups pop up here and
there over the last year or so ... which means your original idea may have
legs. If I remember the names or stumble on them again, I'll be sure to come
back and post the companies ... in case you're interested or just mildly
curious.

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ryen
Adstuc.com is one. Saw a presentation a while back and it looks like they have
some traction although its still in beta.

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nashequilibrium
I was just taking a look at ycuniverse and noticed that the 4th startup on the
list, trunk.ly was acquired by AVOS(Delicious) and I have not gone through the
whole list yet. A friend of mine always reminds me "are you playing to play or
are you playing to win?".I would also like to quote the last paragraph from
the blog post.

"We still know that chance is there and believe that we can do it. It's always
been up to us to prove it, being accepted into YC, or not, doesn't actually
change that fundamental requirement. We've got great supporters and more
ammunition in the bag still - so it's back to the grind stone again and let's
move forward (another thing that wouldn't change whether we were in YC or
not)."

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wallawe
It sounds like they were excited to hear about as you said "extending your
tenacles into the offline world." You probably didn't hit the notes they were
hoping for. I know the article was to serve as more of an informative on the
interview process but I'm wondering why you didn't take the acceptance as a
sign that you should continue you working on the idea. Sure it might need some
restructuring but that's where the persistence comes in.

Great article though regardless. Oh yeah, and the design/logo sucked ;)

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wooyi
I don't think getting into YC should impact your decision to move ahead with
your startup. It should not matter. And you should assume you won't get
funding and you will take longer than expected and you will be in debt. Then
figure out how you will make it work... so when it happens, you won't feel
like throwing up and getting a panic attack

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sbisker
Oh. Hey, I remember you! I got rejected with you guys! (At that same bar, with
the Plurchase fellow.) This is a small forum indeed.

Just one piece seems missing from this article. If you're not doing
Adeptley.com - what are you doing now, and do you regret not doing Adeptley?

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snampall
Thanks for sharing your story. Are you guys still pursuing 'Adeptley' or
pretty much gave up on it after the rejection?

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yongshin
Very interesting post nhashem. Btw, what was the second idea that got rejected
from YC, any possibility you can share?

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citizenkeys
I got about 30 blog entries by interviewees over here:
<http://ycuniverse.com/interviewees.php>

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jphackworth
No offense, but if you didn't get accepted, wouldn't it be better to _not_
follow your advice?

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dwynings
So you only learn from your successes and not your failures?

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anoother
No, but perhaps only success can prove you've learned from your failures.

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ale55andro
Regardless, it's still good information.

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josscrowcroft
Top Advice: When In Doubt, Make Sure to Capitalize Every Word (Except For a
Few of Them) To Grab People's Attention and Make Their Eyes Bleed

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jarjoura
_shrug_ sometimes a lame idea is just a lame idea. Sounded more like you just
wanted to be part of YC for the sake of being part of YC and not start a
company you would be super-passionate about.

I mean, also, your website you put up kind of looks like you spent 2 nights on
it.

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ale55andro
I thought the website looked neat. It's not going to win any competitions but
it's well done and a good start. The idea is interesting too. If this person
wasn't passionate about what they were doing, I'm sure they wouldn't be
writing a post to improve their visibility and exposure. I wish them good luck
and so should you :P

