Ask HN: What does it take to be a YC single founder?
I'm strongly considering applying to YC's summer funding cycle, and I was wondering what the HN community could tell me about what "makes" a Y Combinator application. What are Paul Graham and the other investors at YC looking for in people?
I'm a 17-year old college student (graduated high school in 2011), and I've been programming since I was very young. I've always been interested in computers, and I released an iPhone when I was 15, which was a great experience. My job at another startup (which I joined in September of this year) has also gone very well.
I'm just wondering if my age, and/or lack of experience, would disqualify me for consideration as a YC applicant. My hope is that my passion for software engineering and technology will make me a more attractive candidate.
Thank you very much for any input you can offer me.
11 comments
[ 0.24 ms ] story [ 31.8 ms ] threadIf you want to talk, feel free to send me an email (the address is in my profile).
As far as experience level... In my experience with startups, there is a need to have people fill spots as investors are paraded through, and in this case, the younger the better. I say this kind of tongue-in-cheek, but if you enroll in some math classes and play into the prodigy role you will be doing yourself a service if you want to go this route.
If you're a single founder focused on building a product, why not build the product then use that a nucleus to build a team. I get the impression that incubators are for people who want to build a team and then build a product.
I'd even advocate for you to work for a start-up as an early employee. That way you can watch, learn and observe and pick up some experience because there's a lot to learn.
The key to being successful, let alone a successful single founder is having a solid understanding of who you are, what you are or aren't capable of, how you see the world, and how you want to make an impact. Some people call it mettle. You might think that you have it all down, unless it's been tested, you just don't know and you'll be always be second guessing yourself. I just don't think you get that unless you've fully entered the "real life".
This all goes back to my first point. If you had belief, you would already be doing it instead of searching for validation here. It sounds harsh but I understand your angst. Trust me it becomes managable with time.
However, I'm not "searching for validation" here, I was asking specific questions the Y Combinator funding cycle.
I'm also unsure of what you describe as my "angst"- I am not anxious or fearful of this process. Just merely inquisitive as to the nature of how it works.