[pg]

"Do something weird/clever, give them something weird (snacks?), or wear something weird. I believe the AirBNB founders brought their ObamaO's."

I would not recommend gratuitous weirdness actually. The Airbnbs' cereal boxes were interesting because they were an organic part of an impressive story, not just a prop.

The best way to stick out is to seem like you deeply understand your domain and your users. That is (unfortunately) a surprisingly rare quality.

[sachinag]

I'm astonished that that's rare. Do you tend to select companies to interview who aren't developing for themselves (non-young men programmers)?

[pg]

It's rare simply because it's (nearly) identical with being good at starting a startup, and in this domain as in any other, being good is rare.

[weaksauce]

Probably not intentionally, but that is where the larger markets are. You can only sell so much to young men programmers.

[jvyduna]

Thanks. Post updated to emphasize memorable and relevant creativity. I don't want you guys inundated with the bizarre.

[citizenkeys]

Ahh, but weirdness tends to result in creativity. "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

I have added this link to my list of blog entries about the YC Interview experience, bringing the total number of entries to 8 ( http://ycuniverse.com/interviewees.php ). If you have an interview lined up, I would read all of those upfront, study all of the known companies and founders that YC has already funded ( http://ycuniverse.com/ycombinator-companies.php ) and use all that information to your advantage.