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YC Application Advice From a 6x Reject

13 points by mikeurbanski ↗ HN
The hard truth: You're not going to get into YC. You're not going to get an interview and your application isn't going to be read in full by anyone who doesn't love you.

You will be rejected.

That might sound harsh, but it's the likely outcome for the vast majority of applicants.

But don't let it phase you. Buckle down, find people that you can rely on, work hard, and you're going to do fine.

Remember, rejection from society is what created the X-Men. (http://pretendmoney.s3.amazonaws.com/x-men.jpg)

11 comments

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pg
Were your previous applications under other HN usernames? I only found one rejection for this username.
mikeurbanski
Yes, they were usually submitted under one-off accounts. I think that one was 'itemshoppe'.
guynamedloren
Unless you have a really terrible track record here on HN, that seems like a poor choice...
pg
Ok, I found 4 more by doing a text search for "Urbanski." 2 of them I'd read myself, incidentally.

Why did you ditch mcu? Did you forget the password? I can reset it for you if you like.

mikeurbanski
Ah! My first submission was for w09, I thought that I re-submitted my apps for each of the next cycles, making this my 10th. I'm at 6? Will update the title.

Should have made it: "From someone who has been applying for 5 years"

I've had a mix of of mcu/mikeurbanski accounts online for years, when I finally decided to pick one I settled on mikeurbanski. A rename would be useful, but the two accounts have diverged in the past year.

zaguios
Would you care to release any of the applications you've submitted? I would be curious to see if it's really a quality application that YC overlooked or if there are other reasons you were not accepted.
mikeurbanski
If I had to guess why they were rejected I'd say that it's because they're typically:

#1: Consumer focused

#2: Unsexy/unknown markets

Were they wrong to reject them? Probably not. Traditional gaming isn't a market that many take seriously.

I'm still implementing many of the ideas that have been submitted to YC. I'll release the apps and write retrospectives as we push out features in the future.

staunch
Well, I've been rejected 4-5 times now (various projects). I'll still keep applying but I'm certainly not relying on it by any means. My last project is still progressing and is an actual business. I can feel myself getting far better with each attempt. I've explored a lot of what not to do. At some point I'll either look good enough for YC or I'll succeed on my own. I'll keep applying so that the YC door is open, at least from my side.

Also, I have become better at dealing with professional rejection as a result of YC. It was one of the few things I've ever "applied" for, really wanted, and not gotten. So that alone was a powerful and useful learning experience.

Keep learning. Keep trying. Keep applying.

mikeurbanski
Applying to YC actually forces you to think about the things that you need to do to make a project work.

If you keep at it eventually you become more capable, start to find traction on your own, and you find that you've gained most of the skills that you thought you needed something like YC to teach you.

I spent my 20's grasping for something that was just out of reach, and I'm better for it.

[dead] OmleteDuFromage
Thats some serious willpower right there. I very much doubt I could apply 5 let alone 10 times afetr being rejected
sharemywin
My guess one of these items:

1. Market - is it large enough? What's your angle? what has everyone else missed. Do you have evidence or are you guessing? 2. Team - Why you? Experience? Previous success(Have you done something awesome?) Have you gotten any traction? Do you know they right players? 3. Product - People just love the product. Think Iphone or Ipod.