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We got into YC only the 3rd time in summer 2011; applied for the two earlier batches. Both of our earlier applications had bad ideas and very little traction.

So, don't give up.

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Out of curiosity, the 3rd time you applied (and got accepted), did you have traction?

I'm also curious to hear the answer to this question. Last time I applied, it was only with an idea that had not yet been implemented. Now, I am waiting to see if my current idea has traction before applying to YC. I think they see traction as a very important factor in accepting you into YC. I might be wrong though.

I have no experience with HN personally but I remember pg saying they tried to ignore early signs of traction, as there's no correlation between how far a company is when it's accepted, and how well it ends up doing.

I can't find the comment now, but here's at least half of it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6897904

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