| OP: One thing is for sure if you don't try you won't have the chance to find out. Actually, I am going to apply for the new YC round. Think about it, if you are in the same round as I, then we can be the guys with no college degree. The worst thing they can say is "No." The word "no" should not scare you much. To make you feel better, I was homeless and hitchhiked to San Francisco, I had a rap sheet (that has since been expunged), I dropped out of high school in 9th grade, went to college but never finished and my father was dead and I hardly knew him. Does any of this stuff make me special? Nope. Not at all. But if I am going to try, with all of that stuff behind me, you better damn try. If you feel you are a misfit. Join the club. Sometimes life is a bit different for others. Yes, you have a chance. You won't have one if you sit here and ask about your chances though. That is my "feel good" inspirational for the day. |
Extensive networking. Learning things. Acquiring new skills. And making stuff.
That's it. Even if you do make it to YC, there is no guarantee that you'll succeed. In fact, it's more likely that your startup will fail than not. Start a startup if you truly have to (just want to is not enough). And go start working.
It may seem like a paradox but your chances of getting into YC are higher if you don't need them as bad (ie you already have a product that people love). In plain english, be successful to be successful. Think it through, get a good friend along, brainstorm and make something. Figure out how you'll get past the inertia involved in making things. Talk to people. Network. Iterate.
To be very honest it does help if you are from MIT/Harvard. But, you can always substitute that with a strong portfolio. To re-iterate ewokhead's point: yes, you do have a chance if you create it yourself.