What would you do? Acceptance decision by April 16th to Techstars or wait for YComb decision and risk losing the given opportunity?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7829

by ginn • 19 years ago

7 16 19 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

ginn• 19 years ago

Reading the forum, I noticed a lot of you are applying to Techstars and Y. If you were accepted to Techstars, you will have to give an acceptance decision by April 16th. However, lets say you were given an interview to Y but acceptance is not offered until April 29th. So what would you do?

Take a leap of faith and wait for Y, knowing that you just given up a sure opportunity to be mentored or go for Techstars?

Of course both are great programs

pg4• 19 years ago

We tell people finally on the 22nd, not the 29th. Which is still after the 16th, but only 6 days after.

pg4• 19 years ago

I'm sure techstars would take anyone who made it to the interview stage at YC, regardless of deadlines.

dfranke• 19 years ago

But how many of them would take Techstars? Giving away 5% of my equity for $10000 is a pretty marginal decision without the advice and connections that come with it, and I've yet to see that TechStars has any advice that isn't plaigarized from your essays. Being forced to be based in Boulder pretty much puts me under the bottom.

ced• 19 years ago

I don't get it. If you (YC) choose not to fund a startup after the interview, it's because you think that you will not make money out of it. Why would TechStar fund them? They already tacitly acknowledge that they cannot do any better than you.

pg4• 19 years ago

The seed business is national. Almost everyone who applies to Techstars will apply to YC as well. Since I honestly can't see any reason anyone would prefer them to us, that means their destiny is to fund people we reject. The best startups we reject are the ones that make it to the interview stage.

ewheeler• 19 years ago

haven't heard of Techstars before. Any alums I'd know of?

Elfan• 19 years ago

This is their first batch.

zaidf• 19 years ago

Y acceptance isn't announced till 29th? I thought it was till 22nd?

"# We'll review applications by April 10 and invite the groups that seem most promising to meet us in Mountain View on the weekend of April 21-22. We'll reimburse up to $500 per group for travel expenses.

# We'll decide who to fund that weekend, and tell you by phone on Sunday evening."

mattculbreth• 19 years ago

Aren't these the dudes that plagiarized YC's application (and maybe entire business model)? Sure you want to do business with them?

herdrick• 19 years ago

Are you kidding? The whole reason to go with YC is all the advice and help they give you. What kind of advice, connections, and overall support can these Techstars people give you?

Folks, this is a local Economic Development Committee quasi-government operation. They are there for the good of Colorado, only secondarily to make money by funding successful startups. This is bad because their interests are less aligned with you than the YCs', because they aren't (apparently) putting much of their own money in this, because it's more important for them to make Colorado look good than to actually succeed, and because those picked to run this thing are politically connected first, competent second if at all. One of the main four people is a politician for Pete's sake: http://jaredpolis.com/ . Run don't walk.

What would you do? Acceptance decision by April 16th to Techstars or wait for YComb decision and risk losing the given opportunity?

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