

Ask HN: I can't do YC. What are alternatives? - davidzee

I've just listened to a great interview with Paul Graham [0] and realized that I don't fit into YC: I am over 30. I've worked as a developer / consultant so my cost of living is high. And I've two kids so I am not as mobile when I was 19.
So I want to startup and an idea, a co-founder and a working prototype are there. We do this currently at night and want to pursue this at daytime.
I would love to do something like YC but I just can't. So what are the alternatives? Just look for some angels? But where?<p>[0]: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2009/08/graham_on_start.html
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jacquesm
For one, you should probably tell where you're located, conditions vary quite
a bit depending on location.

The reason why I think YC concentrates on younger people is twofold, for one
they are not under enormous pressure to make money because they don't have a
lot of responsibilities, thus reducing the burnrate (imho this is actually an
asset for an older person!), second, you are not 'free' to move to wherever YC
is because of your prior commitments.

Again, depending on your location I'd try to find out if there is a local
'club' of angel investors, possibly a local VC (you already have a working
demo, you could consider pitching it).

One more option would be to mortgage your house and pool your savings but with
the failure rate of startups being what it is I would be very careful before
doing something dramatic like that.

Another big question is the quantity of money that you will need in order to
get off the ground, and how long you expect to take before hitting break even.

------
nuweborder
Bootstrapping is a great idea. Check out sites such as
<http://www.elance.com>, <http://www.guru.com>, and <http://www.odesk.com> to
find a reliable programmer. Word of advice. You will find your biggest savings
with programmers located in Asia and India, as opposed to the U.S. and Europe
based companies. I saved 90% on my programming this way. Just make sure you
explain exactly what you want done, what you expect, and check credentials and
previous work.

When searching for Angels, you can checkout <http://www.crunchbase.com> to
view what Angels and VCs are investing in your competitors, as well as to do
research on the competition and companies and founders that you like and
admire.

You can find some local Angels, VC and helpful entrepreneurs though
<http://www.meetup.com>, and <http://www.partnerup.com>.

Lastly, share your ideas and get valuable feedback from people that can help
you improve it, at sites such as <http://www.ideaoffer.com>,
<http://www.ideablob.com>, and <http://www.blubstorm.com>. Just make sure to
keep your ideas guarded and protect your intellectual investment in yourself
and your startup. You can even get paid for lending your creative opinions to
others on IdeaOffer. That extra cash can help you bootstrap your idea.

Hope I could be of some help to you. Good luck.

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noodle
1) keep working on it at night until it becomes profitable enough that you can
work on it in the daytime. bootstrapping is usually the best idea for people
who have heavy responsibilities.

2) if you truly believe in your idea, you could take out a loan and use that
to fund your project. depending on how much $ you need and what your savings
and responsibilities look like, this isn't necessarily the best idea.

3) a more middle ground would be to transition to a freelance or part-time
position that allows you to spend more time during the day working on your
project while still providing you with an exterior source of income. could
combine that with #2, as well.

4) look for a more local alternative to YC. they might not be as good, but
they could provide you an alternative that doesn't require you to disrupt your
responsibilities. there are quite a few (you would, naturally, need to figure
out whats near you): seedcamp, techstars, launchbox, boostphase, founders co-
op, capital factory, dreamit, hitforge.

5) search for a local VC or angel investor firm/group/etc. that might be
willing to hear a pitch from you.

~~~
davidzee
Thanks for the YC alternativs:

<http://www.capitalfactory.com> \- Austin

<http://www.dreamitventures.com> \- Philadelphia

<http://www.founderscoop.com/> \- Seattle

<http://www.launchboxdigital.com/> \- Washington, D.C

<http://www.techstars.org/> \- Boulder, Boston

<http://www.seedcamp.com/> \- London

<http://www.hitforge.com/> \- ???

<http://www.boostphase.com/> \- ???

I'm from Germany.

~~~
jacquesm
> I'm from Germany

That changes matters considerably.

have a look here:

[http://de.dir.yahoo.com/Firmen/Finanzdienste/Business_to_Bus...](http://de.dir.yahoo.com/Firmen/Finanzdienste/Business_to_Business/Unternehmensfinanzierung/Risikokapital/)

~~~
davidzee
Thanks for the list. But most of them are classic VCs. Which we are not ready
for yet. We are more looking for incubator / early stage help.

~~~
jacquesm
If you want I can call a contact on monday and ask them if they can recommend
a party in Germany that matches your requirements better, drop me an email if
you want me to do that (mail on my profile page).

------
Mankhool
There is a huge opportunity here for middle-aged founded startups who would
benefit from a YC experience. There is a similar predicament in the arts (at
least in Canada). There are lots of programs for new or emerging artists as
long as your're not over 24. All of the other YC-esque "camps" are similar to
YC in this regard. New ones seem to appear quite often, so perhaps there will
be one tailored to "us" in the near future.

