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What were the ideas for the first and second application?

did PG & co. recognize your persistence? what do you think stoof out the fourth try? had the business advanced a good bit?

Sounds like between the second and third applications you found the right idea. What changed between the third and fourth, both of which had the same idea but one of which worked?

Not that anything necessarily had to change; YC has said before that because of where they have to draw the line, they almost certainly reject some good startups.