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YC application video requirement is stupid

3 points by jwellington ↗ HN
What do you think about the video requirement for all startup incubators, accelerators..etc?I believe (and others)that its stupid and a waste of time to submit videos for your projects.Why can't they just select the best ideas and then take care of the other part?I worked for a couple of months for some european startups and they all said the same thing.Besides, the video can screw you up if your not from US or you're not a good speaker.

6 comments

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chrisacky
Because in 60 seconds you can provide 60 reasons why you might be totally un-investable.

Remember that your video is in addition to your application. Your application is where it all happens, and your video is giving you a chance to shine. But that's not to say just because you aren't a native English speaker that you won't get funded.

And if you think that you aren't a good speaker, then you might have missed the point on the video, you aren't suposed to speak like it's a talk, it should be a really informal introduction of what it is you are working on. You cannot stress the informality enough.

Just relax and talk into the camera like your chatting with your best friend. Being relaxed and being able to explain your idea shows that you understand your product really well, because people who have to work really hard come off as being unnatural and appear to have slower recall times as if they don't know what they are talking about. Robotics in talks is just bad.

mrkmcknz
I think the video is a good way to get the personality of the applicant prior to an interview, maybe even an indication of co founder chemistry.

Of course it can be gamed pretty easily so it isn't that much of an indicator. I wouldn't imagine PG has ever denied at least an interview on the basis of a bad video but he will have to clarify that.

I'm sure he mentioned that the video is only watched after the rest of the application has been read.

shalakhin
I think video is just another opportunity to tell why you have to be funded. Let's look at this as another tool to win.
lopatin
Just think of it as practice for your interview. You have to be master of your pitch, and if you can't informally describe what you do to a camera, how do you expect to impress big time investors and/or a large crowd when it comes to pitch your startup?
castlerobot
Places like YC are looking for great founders instead of just good ideas. Like PG says, most startups change their idea significantly while there, which is why they even accept no-idea applications now.

The video is a great place to show off your founders, your idea, and your passion for what you're doing. Having perfect English doesn't matter as much as communicating your idea and why you're a team they'd want to back.

RuggeroAltair
There is no need to be afraid of the video. I don't think YC cares at all about how good of a speaker you are, they probably have a million applications and they just want to have a first look at the team.

For example, if you live in the same area but you don't even manage to gather and shoot a one minute matter-of-fact video that explicitly asks to avoid wasting time on it, then it'll be hard to believe that that team will be able to survive the pressure of a startup in its first couple of years.

Also, I think that in a startup environment you have to be ready sometimes to just quickly do things, and the video is a way to show that you don't need to invest three days scripting it and shooting it, but just half an hour making sure your words are audible and such.

What other startups say doesn't really matter. Startups don't have to try to guess how successful 1000 teams may be. YC has to.