Share your YC rejection stories!
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What was the reason for any YC rejection you faced in the past? And what would you suggest future founders do differently with their profile/ idea/ application to minimize downside?
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What was the reason for any YC rejection you faced in the past? And what would you suggest future founders do differently with their profile/ idea/ application to minimize downside?
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We had a cool idea, but no real users weak prrof of demand, and our answers sounded theoretical. Big takeaway for future founders:
Show real traction (even tiny but real)
Be pain-first, not tech-first
Clearly explain why you are the right team
Don’t overpolish be honest and specific YC seems to optimize for momentum more than perfection.
Hatable
I made it to the interview once and @mwseibel roasted us for 10 mins straight. In hindsight, we were not concise in communicating. They are trying to see if you can make it big, among a pool of companies. Time matters. Speak less and to the point.
In our case, it was a weak connection to the market. We were in love with our technology and could talk for hours about features, but we couldn't clearly explain in 30 seconds whose specific pain point we were solving and why people would pay for it. Advice: fall in love with the problem, not your solution.
In my case, I was a solo-founder. I think part of their culture is build with a co-founder