I'm Daniel, a Y Combinator S21 founder. AMA about YC!
Daniel Baum
12 replies
I'll try to answer as much as I can about the YC process, our journey, and what it's all about!
Replies
Adam Andrascik@adam_andrascik
Hi Daniel, congrats on Sleek and YC!
Wanted to ask where you were with Sleek on your YC application? Pre-user / revenue etc? Thinking of applying but we don't launch beta til end of Sept but have MVP + 100 organic signups and deadline is 12th. Happy to wait and get traction but wanted to see what you thought.
Many thanks! - Adam
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@adam_andrascik Hi Adam. Generally, there's no harm in applying! Most YC companies apply more than once. So even if you think you might be a bit early, I'd say go for it! There really is no stage you have to be in to be ready for YC. What really counts is solving a real problem and having unique insights into a solution.
@daniel_baum Thank you for the insightful feedback Daniel, will absolutely take it on board, and looking forward to seeing Sleek grow going forward!
1. Why did you decide to apply to YC instead of going to other accelerators/bootstrapping?
2. What's your USP vs other competitors in the space?
@mjackowski 1. Imo, YC represented the best accelerator. Their track record speaks for itself. For accelerator vs bootstrapping, I think it depends on the business and your personal situation. Our business makes more sense as a venture-backed, high-growth business. And personally, I wanted to learn from the YC partners and community.
2. Our USP is that we're B2C, so the user comes first. This creates 2 unique value props:
i) Sleek works EVERYWHERE, including major retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy. Other checkout solutions work at only a handful of stores.
ii) we offer seamless checkout AND rewards. Other solutions offer one or the other.
Presumably you watched, read and otherwise researched a ton before applying. What surprised you the most during the process that your research did not hint at?
Hi Daniel! Thanks for doing this. What's the biggest learning that you got from YC that you could not anticipate getting anywhere else? In other words, what differentiates YC from other incubators/accelerators? I understand they have a solid track record — what makes it happen?
@arunachawla I think what really differentiates YC is the knowledge and experience of every partner and the operators as a whole. They read and review every application they get, so they're reviewing tens of thousands of applications a year! This collective knowledge powers their recommendations. When it comes to actually guiding ideation and avoiding certain mistakes, their ability to pattern-match is second to none.
