When I see some people getting rejected I wonder if YC is still worth it. Giving away %7 of your stake to YC when you already have a solid team, a usable product (already live), some active users and money invested in your business ($1 million seed??). I think it's almost odd now...
Here's %7 of our company. Take it. Networking? Anyone can send an email to VC's with a link to a product and some stats highlighting its potential.
YC is arguably the best accelerator in the world. Maybe you don't need an accelerator at all, for those who are interested, applying to YC is definitively worth it.
Do you need to be "accelerated" when you already have all of the above? It could be a lazy way to move forward. Which costs you %7 of the company. I believe you can do it yourself if you made it that far already.
Yes. "Some active users" needs to be millions (unless you are b2b)
We have access to 400k candidates, a real product, and real clients (Pizza Hut, 7-Eleven, just to name some) and we got rejected.
Edit: and I'm OK with it, we just need to work harder. We do not depend of YC to be successful, but I see all the advantages of being part of the YC club.
It's not about the money. It's the access to some of the smartest people on the planet. I think (from what I can tell) that YC is invaluable to any stage startup.
Here's %7 of our company. Take it. Networking? Anyone can send an email to VC's with a link to a product and some stats highlighting its potential.