YC, what is it worth to me? | Hacker News Reader

YC, what is it worth to me?

8 pointsmrkmcknz6 comments

I'm trawling through the YC application. Yeah I hate it just as much as business plans yet find it much easier to complete. It wasn't aimed to bore you but gather key information.

However it still has me thinking is YC really worth it?

We're funded through a convertible note of $100,000 from a local property investor (in the NE of the UK).

We're in the middle of an intense build and the relocation to SF will slow it down and provide some distractions. Also, we should be complete at this stage.

I'm the only co founder and have paid freelance designers, not because they don't want to join the project but because I didn't see them as a fit.

I like my idea, I don't want to pivot. Not because I think it is a billion $ idea or anything of the sort. I just really dig the idea.

All of the above seem like reasons why YC isn't a fit. However I still find myself thinking FK it I'd change every single one and I really would.

It has an special atmosphere surrounding it and I would hand that investment back, take on 2 co founders and pivot my idea to hell to be part of it.

Yet I still find myself thinking... Why?

The best way to answer this question is to ask the people (a) whose circumstances were like yours and (b) who know about YC from personal experience.

Off the top of my head the closest match in your case might be Oliver Cameron of Everyme:

http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=olivercameron

Agreed. It's surprising how nice the YC alums are actually. I've reached out to a few and very rarely have I not gotten the answer I desired. And I've never been flatly ignored. Be direct with your question though. The hustle that likely made them YC alums necessarily means they're probably super busy. I have been politely turned away. :)

I reached out to Oliver and he got back with the perfect response really.

What is the worse case scenario if I were to be accepted:

A shed load of investment on the best possible terms you could find and one of the strongest networks around.

A good point made was to remain open to finding a co founder, after all things will get done much faster.

Thanks for the connection pg.

I think quite simply in terms of the numbers. YC results in a lot of successful startups. YC won’t guarantee your success, but statistically speaking, your chances are much higher.

It's worth noting that if this is true (my gut says it is), what you're measuring is successfulness of companies that go through YC (implies that the company is good enough to be accepted), not that of companies that apply. In any case, correlation != causation. This should be based on how you think YC would benefit you and your company, not potentially misleading statistics.

Yes. It's implied that you must first be accepted before YC can benefit you in any profound way.

I'm willing to meet you half way. The stat is misleading because it implies causation. But that implication makes it no less accurate.

It could be that being accepted to YC is just a good indicator that a company already had the necessary faculties to become successful. Even if that's the case, I imagine a control group of companies who were accepted to YC but chose not to attend would have a lower probability of being successful.

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