
Applications open for Winter 2011 YC Funding, Deadline October 19 - pg
http://ycombinator.com/apply.html
======
pg
I encourage would-be applicants to read this before applying.

<http://ycombinator.com/howtoapply.html>

It's odd how many don't seem to.

~~~
todayiamme
Can I ask a question?

When do you expect companies to move to the bay area? Further, what time frame
do you work in for the interviews etc.?

~~~
todayiamme
In retrospect, that sounds so dumb.

I should have specified what I meant by the time frame. My co-founder is still
in school. So I was wondering if you has something like a block of time you
scheduled it in so that if he had any issues at all I knew 100% whether or not
he would be able to come.

So, what I wished to ask is if there was some flexibility in the dates just in
case someone throws a fit (we are still monetarily dependent).

------
callmeed
Will we see any news RFS posts? (<http://ycombinator.com/rfs.html>)

Do the existing ones still apply?

~~~
pg
There's at least one big new RFS in the works. Existing ones still apply.

------
coffeemug
If you're on the fence about applying, do it! YC is without a doubt one of the
most transformative experiences in my life. Even if you don't get in, you will
learn a lot about yourself by going through the application process. Just do
it!

------
nezumi
So HN comment history contributes to the application process? It makes sense,
but as a lurker I have to admit I'm a little unsettled by it. It makes me
wonder if my tendency to take a backseat and only raise my hand if I'm sure
what I have to say is relevant and has not already been said, is somehow an
indicator about my likelihood of success as an entrepreneur?

~~~
jnovek
I wouldn't sweat it. I think I had almost no karma when we applied.

I don't think it hurts you as much as it can possibly help you. If you have
lots of intelligent comments, it's one more reason to put you in the
"interview" pile. I think only a few people in our round had notable HN
records.

------
oneplusone
Two questions:

1) Is there any process for investing in a company already incorporated in
Canada? Could we apply with the assumption we would move it over to the US if
accepted?

2) Would YC consider applications for a team with an existing early-stage
product on the market?

~~~
tomhoward
We had an established company incorporated in Australia. When we got into YC
we set up the company in the US same as all the other YC companies, and
transferred our IP to the US company.

Many YC companies already have products on the market.

~~~
pmjordan
Isn't this risky with regard to visas? Or are there no drawbacks to running
and owning shares in a US company as a non-US residents?

~~~
tomhoward
No, there's no problem with a non-US resident owning a US corporation.

18 months on we still don't have visas as we haven't found it necessary to be
based in the US - or not important enough to subject ourselves to the expense
and distraction of the visa application process. We come and go from time to
time on VWP. Only now the company's becoming more solid will we look at
obtaining visas.

------
edanm
Could anyone from outside the US give advice on the process for getting a
visa? I'm from Israel, and am wondering how difficult the whole visa situation
is, and where I should start researching about it.

~~~
notauser
People have done it before on a WT visa. I'm not sure that the INS would treat
you kindly if they found out was was going on though.

Other than I'm not aware of any good options unless you have a company to back
you (L1/H1B), serious money (7 figures), family in the US (7+ year queue), or
a Nobel prize (not kidding - take a look at the 'alien of extraordinary
ability' visa).

~~~
sjtgraham
It's not as difficult as one might think to get a O-1 visa or EB-1 green card.
Lack of a Nobel prize does not preclude one from successfully obtaining these
visas, although having one probably increases one's chances.

------
kenzan100
How would YC read second, third and so-on submitted application form? Should I
submit as much as I can whenever I fill a chunk so that they would have more
time reading("Early submissions have a significant advantage"), or would this
just make them read less on further submission?

~~~
pg
We don't do a lot of re-reading, so I'd wait till you're pretty near done to
submit.

------
alexro
SongKick founders moved back to London after YC's 3 months ended. Is it
perceived as a generally good strategy for people from the UK?

~~~
Harj
depends on the company. since the songkicks were working on live music, it
made sense for them to be somewhere with an active live music scene e.g.
london.

if you're working on something completely location agnostic and you're getting
a lot of valley investor interest around demo day, it probably makes more
sense to stay in the US than return to the UK (that's what we did).

~~~
pmjordan
This sounds great in principle, but the visa situation seems rather daunting.

"Running a business" is specifically forbidden for visa waiver or B1/B2 visa
visitors; besides, I suspect they won't be too happy if you repeatedly "visit"
to the extent that >50% of your time is spent in the US. H1-B seems to be a
lottery and infeasible if you own the company _and_ are employed by it. I have
no idea if we'd qualify for an EB-1, and E1/E2 seem more geared for
owners/employees of bigger companies than recently-formed startups.

There seems to have been a string of originally European YC-funded companies
that successfully moved to the US, yet there are examples where founders are
"stranded" in Europe (e.g. Dailybooth). I vaguely remember an article written
by one British founder of a YC startup some years back who got in via an E2,
but I can't seem to find it. It would be extremely interesting to hear about
past experiences with this; I realise it's possible that there's a good reason
why everyone keeps quiet about it.

------
Mc_Big_G
_We'll review applications and get back to you at the end of the day on
November 2._

I've seen others mention a rejection email
(<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11495>), but I didn't get one last
round. Are rejection emails only for those who had interviews and got rejected
or should everyone receive an email? I searched for the answer, but didn't
find it.

edit: I searched my email and found a rejection from '09, but definitely
didn't receive one from Summer '10.

~~~
pg
Did you apply under this username?

~~~
Mc_Big_G
Yes, the 2010 application was this username. The one from '09 was a different
username which I abandoned because it was the name of the business.

~~~
pg
I just went and looked and your 2010 application was a late application. We
didn't send individual "no" emails to late applications; we just posted
something on HN saying that we'd now talked to all the people we were going to
from the late applications.

Incidentally, the odds of getting accepted are much lower for applications
after the deadline.

~~~
Mc_Big_G
Thanks for taking the time to check, much appreciated.

 _Incidentally, the odds of getting accepted are much lower for applications
after the deadline._

I was working on something else when the application period opened and wasn't
considering applying. A few months later, I was free and started working on
the idea when the application period was extended, so I applied knowing the
chances were low.

Is there any merit in reapplying a late submission (with some improvements in
my case) or would you say those applications have already been vetted? I
imagine it's the latter since it seems to be more about the team than the
idea.

------
ivanzhao
What about the VISA situation for Canadians (to stay longer than 3 months)?

~~~
wolfrom
I wouldn't worry too much about Visas for Canadians, especially if you have a
Bachelor's or higher in tech. I think there are several different strategies
that can work to get a Visa. (This is coming from someone who was once denied
a TN Visa at the US border.)

I think a B2 is good for six months; that's what I was planning to seek if our
team was ever accepted, and I haven't had a problem getting them in the past
whenever I traveled south on business. Of course, I would still be very
interested to hear from any successful YC teams from Canada.

~~~
levesque
How long in advance should someone start to look for their visa? Before
applying for YC funding?

~~~
wolfrom
From Canada and for a B2, it's more of a wait until you've bought your
tickets. Even with a TN (which I don't believe you can get with YC Funding),
you just show up and hope for the best.

Of course, your mileage may vary, but this is what I've read from other
people.

------
gdltec
I am still in the customer discovery/ideation phase... am I a good candidate
for your program? Also, I'm going to be in Mountain View for the Founders
Conference on 8/17 coming from Austin, TX... is it possible to tour the
YCombinator offices?

Let me know and thanks.

~~~
pg
As long as you're ready to work fulltime on the startup it's not too early for
us.

We can't do tours, unfortunately; we're just not set up for it.

~~~
gdltec
Sounds good. Thank you for the prompt reply.

------
RaySharma
Hi, I wanted to know what the procedure was for bringing on potential team-
members during the three month funding period? In other words, if they are not
the founders then how will they be incorporated during our time with YC?
Thanks in advance.

~~~
pg
If they have cofounder equity we treat them as de facto cofounders.

~~~
RaySharma
Appreciate the prompt reply.

------
sushrutbidwai
Do we _have_ to travel for interview if selected? I am thinking of applying
for Summer 2011 and if me/co-founder have to travel then it completely changes
cash management as we are currently based in India. Also does it make sense to
apply to YC if the product we are building in very India centric and solves a
local problem? I mean I would definitely like to get some advice from pg/rest
of YC but for a India centric product will we get relevant advice?

~~~
pg
You have to meet us if you want to get funded. We might be able to reimburse
you more if you're coming from somewhere from which plane tickets are very
expensive.

------
akashpatel
Hi, I was interested in knowing how the 3month funding period is structured?
Since, each group might be at a different level of startup cycle (fresh
epiphany for an idea, idea->bplan, idea->bplan->dev, etc), will each group be
assigned a mentor or scheduled topics are discussed on tues. meetups? Thanks!

~~~
pg
The only rigid structure is demo day at about week 11. Otherwise it's mostly
one on one at office hours with individual YC people.

~~~
RaySharma
Great. Is there anywhere on HN or YC that elaborates on the general day-to-day
activities? I did a fairly thorough search and was unable to find anything.

Is it correct to assume "one on one" means that there will be someone from YC
that will be helping each start-up with their respective issues on a day-to-
day basis? Thanks in advance, pg.

~~~
pg
Harj and Jessica and I schedule blocks of office hours for individual startups
to talk to us about whatever problems are most urgent for them. There hasn't
yet been one that needed to talk to us _every day_ , but they can talk to us
as much as they want.

~~~
akashpatel
Sounds great.

------
kenzan100
In any way, would YC consider the language barrier if the applicants were
outside the English-Speaking countries?

~~~
pg
We don't worry about language barriers except to the extent they make founders
incomprehensible in the application or interview.

~~~
kenzan100
Thanks for that comment, I'm relieved a bit.

------
AndyKelley
Is there a way to get to the previous application form? I had an unsubmitted
application that I'd like to copy-paste from.

------
lukehasnoname
Why is California such a big place for startups? Is it "just the way it is"
since Silicon Valley started?

There are other places in the United States that are much cheaper to operate
(live), and in a much less aggrivating political climate, than California.

~~~
johns
On my phone so its easier to paste this than the three essays:
<http://www.google.com/search?q=paul+graham+silicon+valley>

~~~
lukehasnoname
Rich people and nerds. Makes sense. Well, hopefully somewhere in Texas will
catch on: Cheap living, plenty of space, cheap housing, cheap power, has
coastal area...

Then again, I think video conferencing, VoIP and presentations, etc., could
substitute for this rich man mandating people move to work on the Internet.
Why should programmers have to relocate?

~~~
aquateen
I like how you accuse him of being rich. In the future, make your posts
relevant to the thread.

~~~
lukehasnoname
I was quoting the essay when I referred to rich people. Also, my original post
was relevant to the article posted.

Looks like a lot of karma-flaming on my posts. Awesome, guys.

