And on the link of general explanation "Why Not Us?" (http://www.techstars.org/whynotus/ ), they go even further: If you’ve applied and received notification of non-selection, we sincerely hope that you will go on to do great things. It will not surprise us one bit. Good luck!

It is really nice how people can reframe rejection into non-selection, and non-rejection into making great things.

Thanks all for the inspiring examples.

There are still only a finite number of YC applications selected into every cohort (and my guess is, as the brand grows, the number of teams competing grows). But, the number of potential angels and VCs for a deal is not as constrained.

Summary: Getting into YC is not the same as raising money from angels/VCs. I wouldn't equate the two.

Besides, it's not just about the money.

Further, was it typical of YC's space - web app, demo'able in weeks, two to 5 founders? If not, then its apples-oranges. Yes, you have to find your investor; YC may not be that investor.

I know another guy that was rejected from YC and just sold his company to another company all of you have heard of.

YC is great, but it's one of many paths. Every time I read, "YC rejected me but....." it sounds like "Harvard rejected me, but somehow my life didn't end."

Sometimes you wonder how a company managed to exit with their idea but people count for so much. I have friends that, if they had the dumbest idea in the world, I would put my money down because betting against them is a losing game. If it sounds ludicrous, is because you've never had friends like that.

Also, congratulations. Glad you didn't give up!

YC explicitly says they're looking for the best founders, not necessarily the best idea.

In other words they're rejecting you, not your idea.

(See also: college, job offers, consulting engagements, and -- took me decades to learn this -- dating.)

That said, I do think it's worth noting that the pleasant fiction of "it was the idea, not us" is patently false for YC.

A healthier (and more accurate) way to think of it would be to say that they're rejecting their perception of the team, rather than the team itself.

They are all in your head anyway. I've been thinking about the Harry Potter thing of how they get to the train station for wizarding school by running straight at the brick wall with confidence, which carries them through it and to a different world, where a train awaits to whisk them off to a magical place, a place to learn yet more magic. I think it's a great metaphor. The brick walls aren't really there. Just go at them head on, believing they aren't really there.

Oh, and there's no spoon either.

Best of luck.

Peace.

If you had pitched with the same co-founder and same idea and still got funded, you could have given PG a big 'told ya so', but different idea, different co-founder, is really a different sitation. Plus, I'm sure YC doesn't invest in many ideas/people that they wish they could, as they have to make selections on very little details.

Out of curiosity, what stage are you at with the new company? Did you close your round with a working prototype? moderate user traction? existing customers?

Again, congrats on the funding. Best of luck with the new biz.

And no, YC hasn't been on my mind at all, nor is this a 'told ya so' to PG. I do hang out on HN under a different name though so I thought I'd post for anyone who was feeling frustrated in their own journeys since I know that in-the-moment rejection can sting disproportionally more than during the time that it actually matters, i.e. the rest of your life.

Sheesh, did you work that into your pitch? I understand that you're feeling hot right now, but leave your unfounded technology biases out of it.

Aside from that, I'm a huge fan of abstracting commonly made and agreed upon technical decisions further down the stack, making higher level development much simpler and less technically challenging - which is from my understanding what RoR was/is largely about. That's not to say that RoR as a framework isn't in and of itself a technical achievement though.

http://www.bvp.com/Portfolio/AntiPortfolio.aspx

when YC has told us no in the past --> just sparked the fire that much more.

my personal motto: doubt me...please do ;)

I'm not convinced ability to get funded matches with likelihood of profitability.

Where did the OP say or imply this? In fact he even says this is only the beginning of the journey.

FWIW, I took his post as an inspirational thing. The demographic of YC applicants seems to skew towards younger people, sometimes with a bit too much pg-love. Getting rejected by your "idol" can be very discouraging, especially to an applicant who may not have gone through such a rejection before (eg: they've been mostly accepted to the schools and colleges of their choice) and/or has not had a lot of other career experience so their "one big dream" was just seemingly crushed.

IMO, I think it would be really cool for pg to create a roster list someplace of YC rejects that got alternate sources of funding and/or went to other ventures deemed successful. It could help some of the rejected applicants understand that YC is one option, not the option.

My personal experience has been that there's only one group you need to impress - your users/customers. If no one else believes in you so what?

Likewise, if you manage to get funding (convince one person you might have future success), but have no users/customers, it's a bit "meh".

Being rejected from X but accepted at Y still doesn't demonstrate if the idea/person behind it/etc will be successful or not.

I'm rambling now so I'll stop.

I think funding becomes the thing to do moreso than it becomes the right business decision. I'm more in the bootstrapping camp which is what I'm doing with my startup.

P.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b76VWp-voIk

Additionally, running a (venture backed) company already puts enough scrutiny on me as a person and I'm in no hurry to increase that :)

Again, well done on your recent success. Now the real work (and fun) begins :-)