Ask YC: Single founder company with prototype, how do I improve my odds of being accepted.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=292086

by mcotton • 18 years ago

24 31 18 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I am getting ready to submit my application to YC and I am interested in the advice of others. I already have a working prototype but the people who were going to develop the company with me aren't ready to commit 100%. In your opinion, what can I do to improve my odds?

thanks

furiouslol3• 18 years ago

i'm curious to know too

mixmax5• 18 years ago

I applied as a single founder last time, and nobody checked the working prototype I linked to. So it appears that you shouldn't spend your time working on that.

Edit: Or maybe I just didn't make the first cut as webwright suggests below.

mcotton2• 18 years ago

If you don't mind, what did you do? Did you go after other sources of funding? What are you doing with your prototype now?

mixmax5• 18 years ago

I don't mind at all. I simply continued working on it - the good thing about creating software is that it doesn't cost money, it just takes time - especially when you have to earn a living on the side. It has taken me a bit longer than it would for a seasoned programmer, since I had to learn to code first. Particularly since I use quite a bit of javascript and CSS, which I find to be tricky to get right in all major browsers. I currently have all functionality nailed down, and spending time going through the UI (which I think is the most important part of development for most web-based startups) and checking up on security issues.

Probably ready to launch in two or three months time.

maxklein2• 18 years ago

What's the deal with this 'funding' talk? Why can't you let your customers 'fund' your product?

webwright5• 18 years ago

No offense, but I think it's a safer assumption that your application didn't make the "first cut".

I imagine they do a first pass over the apps to get to a "short list" and then dig a touch deeper, discuss it, etc. Given that YC has said over and over again that a working prototype is helpful, I think it's a pretty terrible suggestion to NOT spend time on it.

mixmax5• 18 years ago

None taken. And I suspect you might be right, so maybe OP should disregard my parent comment. I have problems explaining the concept in simple terms, and this has probably not helped me. Particularly since I relied on the prototype to do the explaining visually. I remember reading a comment PG made about why some teams were chosen and some rejected where he wrote that some applications they simply didn't understand. I might fall in that category. Or maybe my idea just sucks ;-) Also, it probably doesn't help that I'm not a programmer.

johnrob2• 18 years ago

Find a co-founder. If you think you can successfully run the company alone, then don't worry about it. Otherwise, you will need to find more people at some point, so you may as well address that now.

wheels2• 18 years ago

If you think you can do it alone you vastly underestimate how much work is involved in running a company. We've got two people and even working 16 hour days we're still swamped. Coding is like maybe 20-40% of the total work, depending on what sort of product you've got.

Start frequenting the OpenCoffee or similar in your area and start talking to people about what you're doing. There's a reasonable chance that in a couple of months you could fish up a nice co-founder.

johnrob2• 18 years ago

I think you can be a one man band if you make iPhone apps (or something equivalent).

webwright5• 18 years ago

Single founders get accepted all the time.

IMO, it's a pretty simple formula.

1) Build something people want-- ideally, prove it. Have users. Show that they log in every day and would sooner gnaw off their own arm than lose your app. There are other ways to prove market demand other than loyal users. Find them. Leave no question that people desperately want what you're building.

2) Prove that you can build stuff. Have an impressive and interesting resume for getting stuff launched/shipped-- ideally, you can show that you've build/shipped stuff under great adversity. Show determination.

3) Show that it's a big opportunity. I remember there was a team talking about building a tool to manage D&D campaigns online. That's not a big opportunity. YC only makes "keep the lights on" money with the 10-20m exits. You should hopefully be playing in a space where there is a ghosts chance of a 9-figure exit. They're pretty lenient on this one, I think-- ya never know what can get big.

(IMO) The biggest risk YC is taking on is that no one will want what you're building. The second biggest risk is that you aren't capable enough or determined enough to get it built. Your adding the risk that you can't find a decent co-founder-- which doesn't help.

mcotton2• 18 years ago

thanks

maxklein2• 18 years ago

If a startup already gets significant press, does that lower or improve its chances of entering the YC program?

webwright5• 18 years ago

I'd say improves, assuming the press seems to indicate that people want it (which I'd guess it usually does). It also indicates that you successfully handled a little attention (successfully dealt with reporters/bloggers and your servers didn't 'splode).

CaptainMorgan• 18 years ago

webwright offers some great insight here. mcotton, just wanted to say best of luck to you. And if the others aren't willing to commit, give them an ultimatum and then part ways if things don't work out. Definitely go it alone though if you've got the drive.

trapper2• 18 years ago

Out of all the ycombinator apps so far, which would you say satisfy number 1? The only one that falls into that category for me, amusingly, is this site.

furiouslol3• 18 years ago

Even youtube doesn't satisfy No. 1 in the early years when there weren't much interesting videos in their database.

webwright5• 18 years ago

There are lots of ways to prove that people want something. The best is (obviously) to launch something lovable. ;-) We proved it by launching a "coming soon" page with a form to submit your email addy to hear about the launch. We had a 25%+ conversion rate on that form and got thousands of email addys.

Another way to prove it is to show 3 or 4 apps that do something similar that SUCK, but people use them/pay for them anyway.

And there's plain ol' market research.

volida• 18 years ago

get a co-founder, really.

pg• 18 years ago

It's not the end of the world if your cofounders aren't ready to work full-time. It depends why. If they're in grad school, for example, and only willing to work on the startup on the side, that could be ok, so long as one of you will work full-time. (That's how it was with Viaweb.)

It would not be so good if they merely had jobs they weren't willing to quit to work for the new co. Then it's kind of a vote of no confidence in the new co. And since they'd be the new co, that means a vote of no confidence in themselves. If that's the situation, I'd try to find at least one new cofounder who was more enthusiastic.

dhouston• 18 years ago

make a (short -- 3-4 min) screencast. pg et al are probably not going to have time to play with your app to the extent that you'd like (or perhaps at all), plus you get to show your idea/prototype in the best possible light.

if you're feeling lucky, submitting it to news.yc can get some additional attention.

i was a single founder, did this and it helped me 1) bring on a great cofounder and 2) get accepted into yc.

furiouslol3• 18 years ago

i recommend using jing video for the screencast.

amrithk• 18 years ago

Interesting to see the comments. We are in the same boat as well. We are a team of three people but two are on H1-B visas and cannot quit their jobs (otherwise they'll have to leave within 2 weeks). Anyone in a similar boat?

Ask YC: Single founder company with prototype, how do I improve my odds of being accepted.

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