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Comment by unalone | Hacker News Reader

Yep! Rejected!

We got our beta up and running this weekend, and we're fixing up bugs so we can expand and planning our commercial launch, so it's not the worst thing in the world. Better to get rejected at 18 when you've never done anything web-related before than to get rejected for the same circumstances at an older age.

Hopefully I'll see all of you posting about your launches on HN! I'm certain I'll be posting in a month or so and I'd love to see everybody do the same.

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Why is age such a bad thing :) I'm 20 and we also got rejected, but one of us happens to be in her 50s and doesn't consider this the worst thing in the world (or even, the worst thing to happen to our startup).

Excuse me, I'm still young and arrogant and want to be rich and famous before I'm 25. Perhaps that's not the best mindset to approach this from.

I guess that depends on what you're doing. For me? Not so much as being rich and famous as it is about paying the bills while helping solve problems people have.

Also, you're making me feel older than I should. Please get off my lawn ;)

20? You're old, man. You're like leather jackets and top hats. You've seen the 80s. It's like wack.

I'm one of those annoying disciples who thinks that being rich and famous is the totally coolest part of America, and I bug everybody else trying to be it. Either 7 years from now I'll grow up, or 2 years from now I'll totally be one of those hip Hollywood cats.

You mean the Hollywood that is filled with lots of crime and prostitution and illicit drug dealing where there aren't any tourists? ;)

(Sorry, I live in LA. Can't help it.)

Psh, I dunno what you're talking about. I think Hollywood and I mean Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus and all the stars.

There's a quote often attributed (I don't know for sure if he actually said it or not) to comedian Bill Murray on the topic of being rich and famous that says something along the lines of "Try being just rich first and see if that isn't enough for you." Seems like an approach worth considering.

I think you should add 'whip smart' to that list.

I've been going through some of your writings and I'm quite impressed.

Same here. We have a team of 20-year olds an one 52 year-old. The grandpa of us bunch didn't see the same excitement in this opportunity as the young'uns did. Rejection here as well...would have been a heck of a summer in San Francisco, instead it will have to be an awesome 4 months in Bloomington, IN, home of Indiana University!

Our 3 person startup's disappointment at YC rejection is strongly correlated with age. The ancient one in our group (ha) is disappointed but thinks the challenges we've faced to even get started were more problematic than what we're going to miss out on, while I'm sad we're missing out on the connections, and the youngest seems to be most disappointed over everything YC could have given us. It's our collective first rejection, may there be many more until we just bootstrap and get this startup going anyway! :D

Age is seriously but a number. Who cares if your 18 or 52. In fact having a dynamic team with experience people and young people is great. Our company is run by a guy that is in his late 30s and the co founder is in his early 30s and I can honestly say that a young guy couldnt do half the stuff these guys can...

Sometimes age is totally a good thing :) And btw im 24 and on my second startup so I beat you 18 year old shits.

Correction: you haven't beaten the 18/19/20/whatever year-old shits...yet. Give us a few years to be 24 :)

Age does matter. People of different age have different priorities, bottom line. Our 52 year-old has children our age and is much less concerned with the exciting opportunities engendered through YC and much more focused on just getting the business off the ground with something to show for it.

No, it really doesn't. And thats not true either, ive met plenty of maried and with kids entrepreneurs that rock it! Dont hate, its totally uncool.

Maybe if we were both more clear about the point we were trying to make, we would agree :) Fact of the matter is that age isn't a sole determining factor of one's entrepreneurial mindset, but it nevertheless plays a role, albeit small or significant depending on the person. I've partnered with a mid-30's guy who in the end wasn't fulfilling his responsibilities because he was in the midst trying to get a job and feed his wife and son.

I'm now experiencing a partnership with a mid-50's guy. I'm working alongside him and several others my age. What can I say? I am experiencing exactly what I speak of right now. We have different personal goals but the beauty of it all is that no matter our personal goals we are all headed in the same direction.

So no hating here. Both young and old make for great entrepreneurs, just many times with different personal goals. What exactly are we arguing?

You can always compete with the "Cutters".

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