If all Rejection Letters could be so nice...

[24pfilms]

You guys are a class act..

We're sorry to say we couldn't accept your proposal for funding. Please don't take it personally. The applications we receive get better every funding cycle, and since there's a limit on the number of startups we can interview in person, we had to turn away a lot of genuinely promising groups.

Another reason you shouldn't take this personally is that we know we make lots of mistakes. It's alarming how often the last group to make it over the threshold for interviews ends up being one that we fund. That means there are surely other good groups that fall just below the threshold and that we miss even interviewing.

http://ycombinator.com/whynot.html

We're trying to get better at this, but the hard limit on the number of interviews means it's practically certain that groups we rejected will go on to create successful startups. If you do, we'd appreciate it if you'd send us an email telling us about it; we want to learn from our mistakes.

Y Combinator Team

[dmk23]

If scoring of YC applications is anything like upvoting/downvoting of HN comments I do not think anyone should link their self-worth to getting rejected.

My impression from talking with various YC partners at the Open House / Startup School was that the ones most qualified to evaluate my application have not seen it. But at the scale YC is operating now this sort of thing seems inevitable.

Moral of the story: never put all eggs in one basket, have Plan B, C, D, E ... ZZZ, preferably around being able to fund yourself with revenue, while still scaling your product business.

Just like us :)

[onwardly]

Having plans B, D, E ... ZZZ around is an incredible piece of advice from one who has experienced it. Stay alive, brother.

[allanscu]

If you're hungry enough, being rejected may be the best thing that will ever happen to you. Don't let a YC Reject letter stop you from continuing your dream.

[wuster]

I'm possibly rationalizing here, but some of the NOs I've received in my life have led to decisions and outcomes that I know ended up being the better path. So, definitely not something to feel down about, it's a tough YC class to get into.

Anyone who think they got jibbed because of supposedly amazing creds should congratulate YC that the applicant pool is so strong that so many other applicants are at least equal in ability.

Anyway, like Zuck said at Startup School - just go F'ing build it and prove them wrong if you can - it's so damn cheap to put out an MVP these days. I know we will continue our experiments and move methodically through our own process of trying to build a viable business, regardless of YC's opinion. I am pretty sure this is what pg would encourage as well.

[larrys]

"it's practically certain that groups we rejected will go on to create successful startups. If you do, we'd appreciate it if you'd send us an email telling us about it;"

A little like writing to the girl/guy that rejected you with great news that you've landed in Hollywood. By the time you get there they will know it.

Anyway, by "successful" what do they mean anyway?

Someone else funded you? (go to crunchbase).

Or you've gone public?

Or you've sold the business?

Or you're on the front of the WSJ?

Isn't the info they are looking for in all the obvious places? Patronizing to suggest "tell us about your success" as if they can't go to the trouble to uncover it themselves somehow.

[earbitscom]

Do you know how many of the startups change dramatically or, at minimum, change names (or don't even have one yet)?

After reviewing 2000+ applications, do you really expect them, upon seeing a TechCrunch post 2 years later to remember that was one of their applicants?

You can trust that they really do mean they'd like to know about it, and if I know them, they'd actually go look up the application to see if there is any way they can avoid missing that opportunity in the future.

[24pfilms]

Well, I had applied to StartupChile and got accepted, but wanted to see how my luck would turn if I applied the same startup to YC. I would of prefered to be in SF with the great mentors and angels, but hey StartupChile give you $40k with no take of equity.

[rdl]

I'm curious what the acceptance rates are for StartupChile.

My impression was that if you were "good", and jumped through all the hoops in filling out the app (which are substantial), you're likely to get in.

With YC, it's probably an easier application, but you're not as likely to get in even if you're good. Good team AND existing traction AND communicate well is about as likely to get into YC as good team alone is to get into something like Startup Chile?

[Achshar]

you applied this session? are the results out? i applied too but didn't receive any email..

[betterlabs]

Couldn't agree more. Having said that I feel these are taken way too seriously/emotionally and it is important to understand that you can build your own startup to product/market fit, revenue and profitability whether or not you get into YCombinator or other incubators. YC and other incubators are a great help, but should not be considered a ticket to (possible) success.

[taariqlewis]

We need to find our own patterns of success and think outside the YC box.

[allanscu]

YC should never be the end of your dream. They're not always right (and they admit it). Keep on trucking along!

[dotmatrix]

A friend of mine who completed YC told me that there was a guy who got rejected 4 or 5 times before getting accepted. Just remember always be positive and keep working hard :)

Cheers!

[earbitscom]

We got rejected the first time. Same idea, 2nd time, accepted.

[RussRomStanBety]

Did he submit a new project each time?

[Alexbtlv]

One of the best rejection I've ever gotten.

Since I applying for this round YC, we came up with new amazing idea. I agree that our first time application was poor, it was just an idea without working beta. I'm sure that we should increase our efficiency, it doesn't mean that should work harder. Just more efficiency!

[shawnc]

While its a bummer to get this sort of rejection letter, I somehow think that if one of the ones that didn't get in didn't keep moving forward after this - deserve to had not gotten in anyway. This absolutely shouldnt stop you.

[ctide]

How old is that why not link? If they're interviewing 70-80 groups, doesn't that mean that nearly everyone who interviews gets in? I mean, last group was over 60, wasn't it?

[cdeonier]

During a previous Q&A session the day before Startup School '11, I believe pg mentioned they interviewed ~170 groups the last batch.

[par]

The best thing about applying to YC is getting to really think about a lot of great questions in the app, it is win/win regardless of the outcome.

[gbsi]

True. Just got mine and just want to work harder.

[yonasb]

Totally agree, very classy. And that Why Not link is great. Best rejection I've ever gotten

[maeon3]

I'm not sure why people beat themselves up so much for not passing a candidate filter where teams of people select a candidate from a list based on various criteria and instinct. It has been mathematically demonstrated that these processes fail at doing a better job than throwing a dart at a wall containing a list of all the candidates.

When I get a rejection letter for anything, I shrug and treat it like losing a raffle. I don't sweat it, the ticket candidate selection process is not based on merit, it's based on randomness.

[DanielRibeiro]

Just to remind some people:

- Damien Katz (creator of CouchDB) was also rejected[1]. He went on and got $2 million from Redpoint Ventures [2]

- On this video[3], Jessica Livingston interviews Drew. It shows that he was also rejected the first time he tried out YC.

- The oscar of rejected but finally accepted: I got into YC after applying six times [4]

- Peteris Krumins also got rejected with his browserling idea, got rejected[5], and went on to raise his own seed funding[6].

[1] http://damienkatz.net/2006/11/how_not_to_pitc.html

[2] http://damienkatz.net/2009/12/relaxed_inc.html

[3] http://ycombinator.posterous.com/dropbox-interview-now-onlin...

[4] http://iamwil.posterous.com/i-got-into-yc-after-applying-six...

[5] http://www.catonmat.net/blog/launching-browserling/

[6] http://www.catonmat.net/blog/how-i-raised-money-for-browserl...

[yummyfajitas]

...a filter which has been mathematically demonstrated to fail at doing better than random chance at picking good candidates

Where could I read more about this?

[nhangen]

Same reason people get frustrated for not getting into the college they wanted to attend. Sometimes, it's nice to win.

[cgag]

Can you post a link or something about the not being able to beat random chance thing?

[wavephorm]

In previous YC rejections I've thought to myself "wow if they rejected me they must have recieved some pretty spectacular applications". And then months later when I see the list of companies that did get in I was like "wtf did they really fund a location-based social network for cat fanatics?".

[tamle]

i like your style good sir/maam