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Comment by freax | Hacker News Reader

As a side note, this article made me check out the resume of the author of that essay it references. Started college at 12? Graduated at 17 with a double BS in CoSci and Physics? University Medal in CoSci? All sorts of scholarships and awards. And yet rejected by YC.

That's a pretty glaring big data point that says YC's claim about choosing people, not ideas is junk. They probably didn't even read her resume because they don't spend enough time on the applications, which is still an indictment of their selection process. If you habitually make decisions in the absence of vital information you end up screwing the pooch.

If I were an investor I'd bet on that one for sure. Not even an interview?!?

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Being a child prodigy, and excelling in school, doesn't necessarily make her a good bet as an entrepreneur, however amazingly talented she might be. Or, YC might have missed the boat big-time on this one, and she's going to go off and found the next Google. No selection process is perfect, people make mistakes, and one data point does not a trend make.

> doesn't necessarily make her a good bet as an entrepreneur, however amazingly talented she might be.

Yes, yes it does make her a good bet. If you are betting, bet on people with immense talent and drive.

Who else are you going to bet on, people with far less talent and drive? I think you're confusing "good bet" with "guaranteed to be more successful".

> No selection process is perfect

Yes, but there's a huge gulf between "almost perfect" and "woefully inadequate" when it comes to not being perfect. YC is closer to the latter just due to the lack of time they spend on the process.

> and one data point does not a trend make.

Correct -- but it's one more data point. There are multiple others from reports here. For example, YC not looking at demos; or asking questions that indicate they didn't bother to read or understand the application. Plus when you see some of the schlock they've funded it's clear something's broken.

shrug So, YC didn't pick her. It's their loss, because if she's going to succeed, she'll do it even without YC's help. If you have the means, which I certainly don't at present, contact her and offer her funding.

I'm in the same boat! If I were an investor I certainly would invest in people of that caliber.

No it doesn't. It makes her a good bet to go get another masters or PHD, but being an entrepreneur is a completely different skill set. While her accomplishments are grand in their own right, they're also rather focused.

There's nothing in and of itself on the resume that shows that she's had to work to overcome a default, or has experience building a company, or that she can think on her feet, for example. Although she may in fact possess these skills, I wouldn't take them as a given simply because she has a lot of book smarts.

> but being an entrepreneur

Means you need people who can actually do shit. If you need people with business experience then a program that connects you with investors makes perfect sense. Investors need people like her. Thus the rejection was a mistake.

> or has experienced building a company

Neither did Google! That's why you partner with investors who have experience. Duh!

> or that she can think on her feet, for example.

Really bad example in this case.

> I wouldn't take them as a given

A given?!? What is a "given" in a venture?!?

You're making the same mistake with "good bet" when you really mean "guarantee".

freax, I don't know you, but given your responses to this and that other thread, I would highly suggest that if you're looking to be successful, you should put some of that emotional response that you're directing towards me into positive action for your venture.

There are many people on this forum that will be there to help you in the future, but if you catch a name as a person who is a little to sharp to quip with pure emotion, they will have second thoughts.

It's not a big deal, and it's not personal - don't make it so.

Cheers.

run4yourlives - I agree with you. Everyone has a plan until they get into the ring. It is always best to preserve dry powder for the real fight. Being constructive and making allowance for other people's opinion go a long way in this business.

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