To all the startups who just applied to Y Combinator | Hacker News Reader

To all the startups who just applied to Y Combinator

15 pointsChamberlin9 comments

You may have seen this presentation before, or not. Either way it's worth watching. The last couple minutes especially.

http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/08/startups-101-the-complete-mint-presentation/

If you have a great team behind you, going solo for the time being, concept stage or beta, demo or napkin, funded or poor, at the lowest level we are the same. As Gene Wilder once said, "We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwvB4_Te8A

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We are the music makers,

And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea-breakers,

And sitting by desolate streams;

World-losers and world-forsakers,

On whom the pale moon gleams:

Yet we are the movers and shakers

Of the world for ever, it seems.

- Arthur O'Shaughnessy

Luv It!

Umm, ok. I'm not quite sure why it's necessary to post that video again. Are you suggesting it should be reposted for inspiration every time there's a YC round closing? How did you decide on this specific video out of the hundreds of inspirational start-up videos around the web? Why is this one better? Is it due to your personal tastes, perspectives, etc, or to some objective evaluation?

Why not repost all of pg's essays too, just in case it can help some applicants? We could fill the front page with just that sort of info. Wouldn't that be cool? It would help all the start-ups, funded or poor, concept stage or beta, etc.

Maybe I'm just being a tad grumpy, but I don't see why you post this as an unlinked post, but actually have a link inside. Why not just post the link itself and let that fight to the top if it's worth seeing again?

All valid points, but why the harsh overtones?

HN is an efficient system where value to individual users is rewarded by the points. If it's not up to snuff, the points indicate that.

To use your same logic, this makes your entire rant quite redundant.

If it isn't for you can I interest you in the 30 other stories on the same page?

I don't think swombat needs an explanation of how HN works.

I have not seen this information before so it is useful to me.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I appreciate yours.

Why can't we do what you incredulously suggest?

I'm recommending an eBook created by the community of Y Combinator for those that apply to the startup school. This eBook will contain blog posts, videos, essays and presentations that the community finds to be informative or even inspirational. It will be updated for each session. Each post will also include a blurb from someone in the community and why they think the post important.

It will be 40 - 50 pages in landscape format. It will be diverse and touch on technology, marketing, finance, management and design relating to startups. We send this eBook to every founder right after the deadline. Not as a "gift" from YC, but from YC's community. We can call it "Y Combinator Home-Schooled".

How it enhances the message of learning and helping that YC already conveys is obvious. But there's also the opportunity to make the community that much stronger by working on such a project and to invite these new applicants to join the community.

It's easy to say, "no". Probably worth it to say, "yes".

After all these years of reading and watching start-up stuff, I've never seen this one. Thanks.

You're welcome.

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