Waiting Over 5 Weeks for Y Combinator Interview Invite - Anyone Else in the Same Boat?

[ianwithers]

Hi everyone,

I applied to Y Combinator in early September (created my application in late August and applied during the first week of September) but I haven't heard back with an interview invite or rejection. To add to the confusion, I've seen a couple posts from people who applied after me and have already received responses.

I have a few questions:

1. Is anyone else experiencing a longer wait time for just the interview invitation?
2. Does a longer waiting period usually mean anything negative, or could it just be due to their internal scheduling and processing?
3. Given the delay, should I consider updating my application to possibly improve my chances?

I'm curious to hear if anyone else is in the same situation, and would appreciate any advice or experiences you can share.

Thanks!

 

[iris15]

@ianwithers From what I have read on here most people who are posting their acceptance / refusals have requested early reviews. I probably applied two weeks after you and nothing either.

I keep day dreaming about it tho And I keep working on the project even more no matter what the answer is.

Keep it up!

 

[vizzz]

@ianwithers On their page about applying they say:

https://www.ycombinator.com/apply

"Most interviews will be held by video conference from late October to early December. "

and people aren't notified too much in advance of the interview. You aren't experiencing anything like a "longer wait time", the ones who have gotten responses so far are the very rare exception. I applied too late for S23, early June, and they didn't consider it for that cohort but instead rolled it over as "promising" for full review for W24. I still haven't heard anything. Sometime this summer they extended the deadline and the expected start of interviews a month (was expecting late September) so I finally clicked to request early review a couple of weeks ago (since there is the potential for conflicting accelerators, etc).

Its likely there is no harm in updating the application. Unfortunately they give almost no clue how this process works so its unclear why some have gotten a faster response. It may be that some partners prefer some niche that not many companies address so the few that address it stand out.

 

[vizzz]

As of today btw that puts me at 17 weeks since application, and almost 2 weeks since clicked for early review.

 

[pmsh]

@ianwithers I applied 10 weeks ago. The wait is nothing new

 

[kallinyo]

@ianwithers I applied twice and both time got rejection on November 17, which is the last day you will hear from them. This time I am also applying, but probably will be right on October 13. Will be recording our founders video this week. At least there won’t be much time to worry and wait for the reply.

 

[ianwithers]

Thanks in advance to everyone who comments! We've been working hard on building our software and can't wait to see what the future holds

 

[elijah2017]

@ianwithers Don't compare yourself to those who got interviews fast or you're going to go crazy. Keep in mind that most YC applicants will be rejected.

Waiting is hard but focus on growing your startup and talking to plenty of investors.

 

[cierrahopes]

@ianwithers The longer one waits for an interview, the lower the likelihood of acceptance becomes. Their practice of notifying applicants they don't plan to accept on the final day before the decision deadline can be frustrating. In this case, no news is unfortunately bad news.

 

[icandoallthings1]

@ianwithers Hi there! Isn’t the deadline 13th of October ?