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Show HN: Make your YC application stand out (Spring 2025 edition) (ycscore.com)
13 points by dshayan 7 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 12 comments
Every batch, many founders get rejected due to basic application mistakes, missing key criteria that YC partners explicitly look for. We learned this the hard way, which is why we built YC Score.

Simply upload your draft PDF or fill out our YC-mirrored form. Our AI analyzes your responses against 25 critical factors that can make or break your application, from technical credentials to market validation. For instance, when YC partner Dalton Caldwell notes that teams with technical founders have "5x better odds," you need to know before submitting. YC Score flags these deal-breakers and shows you how to fix them, drawing from YC partners' insights, successful founders' experiences, and official YC guidance.

We initially built YC Score for ourselves. While it's still evolving, it helps teams avoid costly mistakes. Help us make it better by sharing your feedback :)

Oh, and we made a video for it: Surviving YC 25... Squid Game Style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dw_-wZOcUU



TBH your example seems to me exactly what is wrong with these "study for the test" type of tools:

> For instance, when YC partner Dalton Caldwell notes that teams with technical founders have "5x better odds," you need to know before submitting. YC Score flags these deal-breakers and shows you how to fix them

There is no "fixing" that issue. My guess is that teams with technical cofounders do 5x better because they have the tools they need to succeed and the drive and passion to do so. If your tool said "Sorry, you've got 3 non-technical cofounders", and you think your solution is "oh, quick let's go get a technical cofounder", you're probably extremely unlikely to go up to that 5x success rate because you didn't have the "organic coming together" of technical cofounders in the first place.

This is classic Goodhart's Law.


The first quote was from a “chief disruption officer” at a blockchain AI company.

There is no faster way to get me off a page than to read that.


You should've read on. The site is satire. The "quote" from the Truthfully AI "founder" is hilarious.


It’s in the uncanny valley of satire. I know enough people who would take this seriously.


Oh thank god.

I 100% ate that onion.


The name is John McStartup… it’s meant to be funny


I’m reminded of Peter Thiel’s critique of how the “lean startup” model precludes truly generational companies from being built.

What is YC now? Ever more it seems like an alternative to college so you can tell your parents you’re doing something respectable, and they give you $500k on the side.

If you gamify the admissions process to this extent, it’s hard to imagine you’ll attract people who are truly passionate about what their company does over those who are trying to meet the “YC investment thesis” criteria. I know so many people who outright lied on YC apps and got in.


I'm not trying to be glib, but why? As in, why invest the energy here, with YC, given how much the program has changed and how much less intimate new founders have indicated its become?

A different reading of the question: your service seems specific to YC. Any plans to broaden the offering for other accelerators?


What are the terms of use here? Does yscore agree to an NDA when I upload my business idea to you?


Early commenters, the site is satire. Pls don't read a snippit and rush back here to vent.


This is really fun! Who says startups have to be serious all the time?


Nicely executed joke! :D




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