

What happens after you interview at Y Combinator — and get rejected. - katherinehague
http://katherinehague.com/post/18806809604/what-happens-after-you-interview-at-y-combinator-and

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greenyoda
This story is inspiring, but the business they've started,
<http://shoplocket.com>, is even more interesting -- it looks like it can take
a lot of the hassle out of selling products and services on the web. They
currently only support PayPal as a payment provider, but as the article
mentions, they're working on other options.

One thing I think can be improved: The company's logo doesn't have any high-
tech items in it (except maybe a CD, which is a bit dated), so it might not
appear relevant to somebody who's interested in selling software or computers
or e-books rather than makeup and lingerie.

~~~
katherinehague
Thank you so much for the awesome feedback! Can't wait for you to try us out.
I'll admit we had a bit of fun picking the products for the wallpaper, adding
in some more practical/digital goods is a good suggestion.

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simonw
Just one piece of feedback on <http://shoplocket.com/> \- the thing I went
looking for straight away was the demo of the actual widget, with an actual
product in it (even if it wasn't something I could actually check out with) -
I couldn't find a demo linked from the homepage, which I think is a missed
opportunity.

~~~
katherinehague
Great feedback. We'll definitely look at posting one ASAP! :)

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leeskye
Another piece of feedback - if you click on the 'Request beta access' button
accidentally without entering anything, it returns the thank you page
(<https://www.shoplocket.com/beta-thanks>). There should be an error message.

Otherwise, it's a pretty interface. Gluck!

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dgcliff
The website is beautiful - in regards to Objection Two, have you had a look at
Stripe?

<https://stripe.com/>

I think this would work really well with your product. I'm glad you got your
funding, your product looks fantastic.

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katherinehague
We actually use Stripe for our own invoicing right now. We may be based in
Toronto, but we're with Silicon Valley Bank. I'm in SF right now and was just
visiting the Stripe office this morning. Interesting things to come, I promise
:)

~~~
karanbhangui
How did you guys get a US tax number? Or are you using stripe as a personal
account (SSN only)?

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katherinehague
You can get a US EIN as an international business, just go to the site Stripe
points you to and there are instructions for non-US businesses. As for the
SSN, we were able to talk to the guys at stripe and get our account active
without this.

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hardik988
A small feedback on the demo video on shoplocket.com - I admit it is
beautifully produced, but it spends more time on explaining what ShopLocket is
not, rather than what it is.. The "what it is not" part could easily come in
the copy IMHO. Also, what simonw said - I immediately looked around for a demo
of the widget but couldn't find one..

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einhverfr
Great article. I think one thing that helps those who are successful be
successful is that they treat "failure" as a stage on the road to success, and
this means taking every opportunity to learn and get better.

FWIW I am thinking about applying for YC funding for 2013 but not 100% sure
yet. I am still in the process of selecting co-founders, transitioning from
self-employment-mode to startup-mode, etc. and may have some investors closer
to home. I will probably still do it for the experience that will come with it
and the possibility that it may make us more successful.

Articles like this helps make the decision easier. Even if I plop down a
significant chunk of change for an intercontinental plane ticket, I want to
make sure that it will be worth it.

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coopr
This looks remarkably like <http://kout.me/> \- are there substantial
differences?

~~~
katherinehague
We've had others point us to Kout as well. There are certainly similarities
between what we're doing and what products like Kout and Gumroad are doing. We
really focus on the embedded product design, so that it is almost a mini
storefront. You can place it anywhere, and so can your fans. Sort of like how
people share Youtube videos today, but for products. Rather than just
monetizing links, we're taking our cue from ecommerce platform that allow
sellers to have more control over the design and messaging of their listing.

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atomical
Hi Katherine,

The two objections seem fairly easy to overcome with time and money. Is it
possible to be amenable to change in the interview process or is that
considered a cop out to PG and the people involved?

~~~
katherinehague
Hard for me to say without being in their heads exactly what other problems
they might have seen. Can only really comment on the feedback we were given.

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toddnessa
Persistence & determination are two of the most important factors. Why hang
your dreams on any particular group? I say know what you want to do and let
nothing stand in your way. And for Y Combinator? They simply can't support the
dreams of everyone that applies. Not everyone is going to fit with what they
are comfortable with and wish to get behind to support. If you get to the
interview stage as this group did and are rejected, obviously the feedback can
be fuel and added direction to further shape your vision going forward.

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e1ven
Nicely done! The site looks great, and it's a good inspiration to see the
"Life after Rejection", as it were.

Are you going to apply to YC again this cycle, or are you too far down the
chain now?

~~~
katherinehague
Thanks! Things are moving pretty quickly but I think we're likely going to
apply again. YC is just such a great opportunity, its worth a shot.

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Concours
Here is my feedback, the site looks great as well as the widgets, I went to
your site and wanted to give you my email for a beta invitation and here's
what I got

"Thanks! Thanks for your interest in ShopLocket! We're opening up beta access
on a rolling basis. Stay tuned for your invite"

Needless to say, that's not what I was expecting to see, I'll suggest to fix
it.

~~~
katherinehague
We've only been live for a week, so we're trying to manage the number of
people we let in. We appreciate you requesting an invite and will certainly
get one out to you shortly! Sorry if this is not what you were expecting.

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donny
Thanks for the story. It's inspiring.

I applied for YC W12 with a sure-bet idea of RFS 5 (development on handhelds).
I didn't get an interview (granted, the software wasn't finished yet). It was
kinda heart-broken, but it _drove_ me. I did crazy hours to get
<http://worqshop.com> released. Now, I'm going to apply for S12.

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shad0wfax
Good article.

On a tangential note about shoplocket, I feel it is focused entirely on the
seller. You can allay some of my fears as a buyer about the guarantees and
security I have buying through this. It says risk free, but again for the
seller. How can customers _trust_ the seller?

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dsrguru
Inspiring story. As others have said, entrepreneurs who use rejection as fuel
have an infinitely better chance of succeeding than those who give up.

I do want to point out that while the website is very pretty, the viewer needs
to scroll down a lot on the home page to see some important content. I don't
have any specific suggestions for how to improve that, but that's something
you might want to think about.

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dariusmonsef
A lot can happen after you don't get in. My good buddy Jon has a positive
story with Storenvy after not getting into YC. (similar space too)

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mayop100
Couldn't agree more. I see many people applying to incubators who plan to
return to their day jobs if they don't get in -- if that's their mindset I
don't think they are ready to take the plunge. To be an entrepreneur you need
to be ready to make it work no matter what happens.

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aquinn
Other than the fonts looking a bit jagged on Win7/Chrome the design looks
amazing.

<http://dl.dropbox.com/u/511546/pics/shoplocket.JPG>

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kyrra
WARNING: this is nitpicking the writing of the post. In the first few
paragraphs, there is heavy use of the words "I" and "we" without having a
reference for what "we" actually means. It's sorta confusing.

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mgallivan
I signed up for beta.

One question, what happens if there comes a time when I want to roll out to
two, or three, or four products? Can I host them all on the same ShopLocket
page?

~~~
phillmv
Yup. You can create n-products and do whatever you want with them.

*Nota bene: I work on ShopLocket.

~~~
peteforde
Is it possible that the questioner meant "multiple items per widget" instead
of "multiple widgets per page"?

~~~
mgallivan
No, it was the latter - thanks though!

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lionheart
Are you guys going to apply again? I also got an interview for W12 and didn't
get in, but I'm applying again now and will again and again until I get in.

~~~
katherinehague
Definitely think we'll be looking at applying again, it would be a phenomenal
experience. Hope things are going well for you guys!

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locusm
Love the site and immediately thought of 4 or 5 family/friends that could use
something like this. Good luck. Whats it built in?

~~~
katherinehague
Awesome! We're built in rails.

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sunsu
Product concept looks great! However, the site is cut off for me on my iPad.

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auston
Interesting post. But the most interesting part is Shoplocket, I'm a big HN
lurker, I can't help but think you guys should talk to Sahil Lavingia of
Gumroad!

~~~
katherinehague
Thanks! There are indeed many similarities to the problems we're tackling and
those Gumroad is tackling. I have a lot of respect for what they have built.

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Paskulin
Thank you for writing this, we are applying this year and it's great to hear a
story on how the interview works and how you should build your product.

Keep up the good work and hope to see you this summer.

And remember: Good solidars are never left behind.

