A great way to test if an idea is good and worth pursuing is to fill out a YC application for it. It forces you to answer the questions that need to be answered. If you can’t answer the questions or find it hard to communicate your idea, change or refine it.
We designed the YC application with this purpose in mind. We wanted it to be a useful exercise for founders, even if they weren't accepted.
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Definitely it makes think a lot about idea and especially the team
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This is a useful “test for tests”. If it is useful for those who got rejected, it is a good test, otherwise it isn’t. This is why I feel the IIT-JEE (an Indian engineering entrance test) was a good test, while applications for US business schools were awful tests.
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YC’s willingness to open source so much information says a lot about it. I’ve used everything from startup school content to the YC SAFE. Really just an astonishing amount of useful information available to the public.
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Totally agree. I’d be stumped or flying blind about the startup world in so many ways, but YC makes critical info accessible to everyone. Very much appreciated.
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It works! More effective than a business plan, too, because the questions are incisive and minimize boilerplate.
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I agree with it 100%. Our strategy became crystal clear when we applied it this June and had a great feedback. (Despite the fact, we had raised some funding - sometimes F&F/Angels don't ask you those questions)
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I totally agree and will like to specially thank the YC team for this. Going through the application process made me critically analyze what we are building. One question that stands out for me is "what do you understand about your business that other companies don't just get?"
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Curious to learn the ‘weighting’ of the video for the adjudication of
@ycombinator applications? Does it decide the ‘on the fence’ applications? Or, forms part of an aggregate ‘score’. Probably a big part of the YC secret sauce - assessing unicorn potential from an application.Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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I wished the rejection had a bit more information even if it is automated. Something which you felt was weaker in the application compared to the rest. Just a hint to nudge applicants in the right direction next time they apply.
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We got into YC because of a joke/fun activity to fill the YC application to see how much we know.
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