Rejected from YC

It’s not quite fair to write a post full of optimism and entitlement and then not follow up on it when I’m proven to be wrong. So here it goes: we didn’t get an interview with Y Combinator.

I still think we’re exactly what they’re looking for, whether our application accurately conveyed that or not, but the fact is that we got the rejection letter today. I wasn’t quite sure we’d make it past the interview round, but I never really considered that we may not get an interview.

Surprised as I am, there’s no point in dwelling on the outcome, so this is the last you’ll hear me mention YC until we become a company they wish they invested in, at which point I may or may not reserve a sentence to gloat.

That leaves us with the future. I’m a strong believer that anyone can deal with a good situation, but what defines someone is how he reacts when things don’t go his way. It’s in these situations that I pay extra attention to make sure that I’m making good decisions, and not reacting emotionally.

Our reasons for applying didn’t include the money we would have received. In fact, our plan was to reject the money and counteroffer a smaller percentage of the company. If we needed investment money, we could get it quickly and easily from people we already know.

What we lack now, and were hoping to find in YC, was some guidance from people familiar with the startup game. We know that that there’s a need for our product, and we know how to build it, but we’re inexperienced with things like scaling, funding, launching, hiring talent, etc. It would be nice to have a team of people we could consult who have dealt with these issues.

Of course, these people are out there. I should probably learn my lesson from this and not get excited about things out of my direct control, but I have some ideas on who might be interested, and have already made contact with one guy who built a far bigger business than any YC company. My next step is to figure out who the dream team is, and do my best to get them on board.

Beyond advice, I secretly liked the structure that YC would have provided. There would have been meetings every week with peer pressure keeping me accountable. There would have been a defined timeframe. As nice as these things would have been, the truth is that I only need them to compensate for a weakness I’ve developed: a lack of accountability. The proper solution isn’t to rely on others, but rather to rebuild my accountability and structure, which isn’t unfamiliar territory for me or my cofounder.

So that’s where things lie. Some people think that everything happens for a reason; I think that if you do your best with everything that happens, you never have a reason for regret.

###

In other news, four friends and I go on a cruise from Florida to Rome via the Azores, a bunch of places in southern Spain, and Monaco. Mostly looking forward to working a lot and playing poker every night!

MY BROTHER HAS LEFT AFGHANISTAN! I found out on the same day we got rejected from YC, which helped put things in perspective. Him coming home safely is a lot more important to me. I’m proud of him for going and doing what he committed to do, but mostly just happy that he’s safe.

TaskSmash codes (no, that’s not my current project. just something I made for myself and friends)

9392449E

79CEC163

77AF6277

152D0C8B

8867BA5D

0CD93BB4

22A3039D

2EF60808

AEBC144E

64EAC745

7969D186

BB429FD9

D378DBA6

0F93F955

02806947

BB44602E


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