Y Combinator is not for the little guy anymore. (Or never been?)

[zedrick]

This batch was our first time applying to YC, obviously no interview. We have a profitable product but being from Asia we don't have an interesting background.

I never thought that Y Combinator is something I could be part of, but I remember my co-founder sent me a video that really made me feel like Y Combinator is something for "anyone" to apply to.

We lost nothing by applying, but I would be a liar if I said I didn't catch myself daydreaming about being part of YC.

Although YC is no different than other parts of life. Prestige is important.

8/9 of the currently accepted startups are from California, and the remaining one is from New York.

The founders that were accepted are mostly from impressive schools or held impressive jobs in the US.

And honestly? Some of the people accepted have some really impressive portfolios... I don't even know why they would need YC.

https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/every-inc

"Rajeev was the co-founder and CEO of Reflektive, where he raised $100 million in venture capital and built the organization to 250 employees"

https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/artie

"Co-founder and CEO at Artie. Jacqueline was previously a software investor and was responsible for a ~$300MM software book within a larger TMT portfolio"

https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/andromeda-surgical

"Nick Damiano Founder & CEO at Andromeda Surgical W23; Former Co-Founder & CEO at Zenflow W15; Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund; Former Co-Founder & CEO at Avail MedSystems (f.k.a. Nurep); Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellow; Former biomedical/software engineer; Stanford MS/BS;"

https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/sante

"Antoine Balaresque • Currently Co-Founder/CTO at Santé • Previously Co-Founder/CEO at Lily Robotics ($34M in pre-sales, $20M raised) • UC Berkeley undergrad (2013)"

...

I wish the best of luck to those teams and I'm sure they will deliver amazing products.

I hope my post isn't taken the wrong way. But I just feel insignificant and unimpressive and wanted to share.

 

[mc25]

@zedrick YC is wonderful, but they are not perfect.

I think their criteria does put a huge plus on previous successful founders, maybe that criteria needs some review. I also see them as a VC firm at times - limit risk and invest in the folks who are likely to do well…

This is at odds with their public persona- and what they say they care about. Their senior staff have said many times that they don’t care where you went to school or who you worked for—but just look at the stats of who gets in - the vast majority are former FANG workers and US “elite university” grads.

It comes back to the belief that the folks who went to elite schools and took jobs at top tech companies are the best folks to start a company. Which is a prevailing opinion in the US, as problematic and false at that may be… thats just the reality.

 

[aoleon27]

@mc25 New slogan:

Ycombinator - average ideas by non-average people

 

[calmnow]

@mc25 Right, the reality that the system is rigged.

If you did not attend world top 10 universities, or did not work at FANG, or is 40+, or is female, there is a high chance you will not get accepted to YC.

 

[mc25]

@calmnow No… that’s not it. Without those elite university and FANG credentials, it is unlikely to get accepted to YC with just an idea

If you’ve managed to start a business and are doing well and it fits their criteria for tech and/or wonky SF things then you have a good chance no matter your background.

 

[calmnow]

@mc25 well, that's the thing isn't it...different countries have different economies...so the definition of "doing well" is different. Just being able to be IN SF is considered elite compared to the rest of the world.

 

[mc25]

@calmnow I’m 100% certain that the folks at YC can do the math to accommodate for different global economies.

 

[tenderloin]

@zedrick I 100% Agree, it's just false advertising they have internal filters. Don't get disheartened, apply to other VCs in Asia.

 

[zedrick]

@tenderloin This is the plan!

 

[johnhus1966]

@zedrick The other way to think about this is they are looking for impressive people. Those people tend to do impressive things. This applies before, during and after yc.

 

[nikamelodia]

@johnhus1966 Their criteria for impressiveness seems biased though.

If you’re born in the US in a stable family, then going to an elite college and / or getting a job at FAANGis impressive.

If you’re like OP and were born in asia, learnt English yourself, learnt to code on your own, built a small product and got some measure of profitability on your own, I’d consider that pretty impressive - but YC doesn’t seem to see it that way.

 

[jr620]

@nikamelodia YC is concerned with making investments they project will have a positive ROI, not objectively evaluating the skill or grit of applicants.

 

[calmnow]

@jr620 Your explanation is the definition of biased.

 

[calmnow]

@johnhus1966 no, they are not. They are not looking for impressive people.

If they have to choose between impressive person with no elite background vs elite background (ivy league, 30s, male), the elite background gets chosen.

 

[johnhus1966]

@calmnow i dont think youre comprehending my comment...

 

[aog17]

@johnhus1966 Impressive meaning coming from the right school the right family and the right amount of dollars/connections?

 

[johnhus1966]

@aog17 yea some of those are impressive things, there are plenty of other impressive things people can do too though that are way more impressive... just going to an ivy league school isn't going to get you into yc. need to do a lot more than that, but its a good signal.

 

[mak123]

@johnhus1966 If you come from a privileged background, it‘s not that impressive to go to a good school or land a good job. The yard stick should be your peers - your siblings, school mates, people from your neighborhood. You can‘t compare someone from Cambodia or someone from a single parent working class family to someone from a first world, stable, college educated family. It‘s not that impressive going to an elite school if your father is a lawyer, doctor, senior manager etc.

 

[johnhus1966]

@mak123 There are plenty of Cambodian people at Ivy League schools and big tech and yc

 

[mak123]

@johnhus1966 Yes, and that’s more impressive to me than someone who grew up privileged in a „first world“. country achieving the same.