I got rejected by Antler, Berlin, I think my chances at Y combinator is non existent

[sweetheart1]

I know Antler is not good at all as Y combinator and they rejected me. I think my chances now at Y combinator is not there.

I am a robotics engineer, left academia and I have more than 10 years experience I am working on the idea with a university but not guarantee.

I was hoping to get this opportunity to help me in pushing things forward and getting proper network and mentoring.

I am female and minority which makes things not quite easy sometimes.

 

[thuva]

@sweetheart1 I've been rejected by YC, Techstars, Sequoia, Alchemist, SPC, AI grants. It doesn't stop me from building, it can be demoralizing.

Don't give up, keep building, keep pushing. It's part of the crucible

 

[rethink88]

@thuva Well done, but I have more rejections that you ;-) Just keep going. I still keep my day job.

 

[cocozet]

@thuva Did any of them offer feedback along with their rejection?

 

[thuva]

@cocozet Nah, just generic rejection emails

 

[sweetheart1]

@thuva Thank you same to you good luck

 

[gracefulsongonfire]

@sweetheart1 I was rejected by YC, Techstars, Antler, and practically every program you can think of.

We ended up getting into an accelerator you’ve probably never heard of, and with their help we raised over $2M in Seed funding.

Frankly, the right Angel investor with strategic connections is 1000x better than any accelerator. If you care enough about the problem you’re solving, no amount of rejection should cause you to give up.

 

[clesportsfan]

@sweetheart1 I did Antler and got funded. I've also interviewed twice with YC and didn't get in. Happy to share some insights if you want to apply again to Antler or get feedback on your approach.

I recently referred two people to Antler, one got in. The other didn't and the person who got rejected was a really strong applicant. I think he just applied too late and they hit capacity.

Getting rejected by Antler doesn't mean you won't get into YC. But YC is obviously much harder to get into. For Antler (and prob YC), it's possible you need to tweak your application, the way you pitch your idea, or how you answer their questions.

With all the tech layoffs, there is an increase in applications which has made things more difficult.

 

[savedsinner777]

@clesportsfan When you say you got funded, do you mean you got in and received the money to make the program or at the end of the program they invested in your company?

 

[clesportsfan]

@savedsinner777 they invested

 

[butrflys78]

@clesportsfan Hey, I'm from SG10. Happy to connect

 

[llortretsam]

@clesportsfan Do you still have your company ? And it's going well?

 

[clesportsfan]

@llortretsam it's going well. normal issues for anyone this early stage

 

[armmot]

@clesportsfan Hi

thank you for the input. Are you able to share some tips on the 1st interview and the sort of questions asked please.

Thanks

 

[blackatheistofdeath]

@clesportsfan

Happy to share some insights if you want to apply again to Antler or get feedback on your approach.

Hey, I have an interview this week. Do you mind giving me some insights?

 

[clesportsfan]

@blackatheistofdeath sure, DM me

 

[mrssnowqueen1]

@sweetheart1 Sorry to hear you got rejected. I'm bracing myself for rejection from YC!

I've trained myself to think of getting into an accelerator as merely a bonus, and that I'm unstoppable and will make my way forward no matter what the obstacles.

Press on! Figure out what you can build that people want and will pay for, and go for it!

 

[sweetheart1]

@mrssnowqueen1 Thank you I know it is tough I choose this pathless path for a reason I hope we will not stop

 

[wetaman]

@sweetheart1 An approach that I recently discovered really helps frame rejections by investors and accelerators.

Basically, treat each meeting or application as a learning opportunity. So, the application/meeting itself is the reward because of the opportunity to learn from the process.

Ask yourself this, is your idea better now that you’ve put it through the application process? In what areas did you feel your application was weak or strong? How can you improve those areas? (Team, Opportunity, Idea) Perhaps, your market isn’t ideal for your product or service or your team needs more expertise in X? Maybe, your idea could use more refinement? Only you can answer that question.

In short, you’ve already received the reward by going through the process. Program acceptance is immaterial since you’ll eventually get the business off the ground with some amount of persistence and perseverance.

https://www.nfx.com/post/40-questions-to-ask-vcs

 

[sweetheart1]

@wetaman thank you so much, this was indeed helpful.