[jedwhite]

PS there is a section in this talk by Dalton Caldwell from YC on 'how to create luck' (in the context of applying to YC). It's really great on just this topic:

https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6t-how-to-apply-and-succ...

There's also a separate short talk on creating luck that has an interesting story about how Brex started, and also about how sometimes you need an "outsider's philosophy":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmEyx9TEkRw

These helped my thinking. The application is a helpful way to think about your startup even if you don't submit it. And once it's done, you might as well submit anyway :)

Good luck!

[gunapologist99]

This is awesome -- thank you Jed! Now I'm really seriously considering it!

[jedwhite]

Yeah, just do it! Good luck with applying, and with building your startup. If I can ever help with feedback, or anything else, just reach out (details on my profile here).

Also, check out YC Startup School. That's where the video was from. It really helped our startup, it has great resources, and a really friendly and encouraging community to get feedback on what you're building.

https://www.startupschool.org/