[_sentient]

A number of comments seem to be wondering why YC doesn't provide detailed feedback to each rejected party. Some are assuming it's due to fear of discrimination claims, but I doubt that's the case. I would guess YC doesn't provide detailed feedback for three primary reasons:

1) They interview over 300 companies in a batch, and detailed feedback for each rejection would simply be time prohibitive.

2) They admit to being wrong occasionally, and will often fund companies on subsequent applications. Providing a laundry list of "things they dislike about you" would diminish that probability.

3) In most cases, it's probably less about your deficiencies, and more about the companies ahead of you. There may not be anything inherently wrong with the founders or company, you just got beat out by seemingly better alternatives (see point #2).

In any case, hustle on.

[robg]

I'd add a fourth:

4) We didn't like you.

Of course that statement can come across in many different ways, so saying that and bluntly is not going to happen.

The rest of the feedback is mere rationalization after the fact. Some may be right, some wrong, it doesn't matter. They choose based on the people.

Always tough to realize that some people don't like you. Our goal is to find the people (customers, friends, spouses) that love us and really treat them well. Some of us are just a bit less loveable.

[colmvp]

They provided pretty detailed feedback to us one year and quite frankly they were right.

[twelvedigits]

We interviewed during this recent S14 cycle. We were not funded, but I was very satisfied with the rejection email that we received. It contained personalized feedback and showed that the partner in question gave our team and business a lot of meaningful thought. I thought it was very professional.