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by chenxi9649 793 days ago
I think one thing that people don't realize is that the YC application process is really one of the best tools for "sharpening" your idea/business.

The written applications forces you to articulate your ideas in a concise yet easy to understand way.

And as much as YC doesn't recommend this, the mock YC interviews we did with alums was one of those most beneficial things that happened to us. Because so rarely will you get the opportunity to ask dozens of other YC founders to grill your business, and have 80%+ of them say yes.

We did about 30 at the time, which is a lot of time to be taken off product/building, hence probably why they don't recommend it, but looking back it *really helped us understand our own business. Given how young/naive/early we were.
2 comments
s1k3s 793 days ago
> I think one thing that people don't realize is that the YC application process is really one of the best tools for "sharpening" your idea/business.

I'm seeing this a lot through the comments but I have to ask, why is it? Do people just not think about how their product will make money, who the competition is or how are they going to get customers?

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anamax 793 days ago
> Do people just not think about how their product will make money, who the competition is or how are they going to get customers?

The short answer is "yes, people don't think about those things."

The longer answer is that they think that they've thought about those things, but in reality, they put more thought into what they had for dinner last night than they did into those things.

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chenxi9649 792 days ago
At least for me at the time, I knew nothing about start ups. Didn't come from a prestigious school. Nor the bay or even US. Didn't work in big tech. The closest thing was that I was studying EE.

Honest it was quite inspiring to chat with these founders who were in a different world, and realizing that they're not all that different from myself.

So yea, maybe I was young dumb n broke.

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nubela 793 days ago
> I think one thing that people don't realize is that the YC application process is really one of the best tools for "sharpening" your idea/business.

Meh. Sharping your concept, yes. It is a snapshot of your concept.

The best way to sharpen your idea/business is to sell. That way, the "sharpening" process is iterative instead of a once-off event.

Honestly, YC isn't what you think it is. PS: I have a few YC customers and their founders aren't what the media make them out to be.

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