YC Interview: chances to get in?
I just found out my startup will interview with YC. Does anyone know roughly what the chances are of getting into the accelerator once you’ve gotten the interview? I know about 150 companies get funded each cohort but wondering how many they interview. Also if anyone has interviewed in the past I would highly appreciate some tips. With 10 days until my interview, I am thinking of doing a sprint on one of the following: 1) data science- taking the data i already have and demonstrating its value, bringing better visualizations to the interview 2) user knowledge- doing more interviews of my users and coming to the interview with more insights into their lives and their problem we are working on solving 3) business model: doing more research and validation for monetization (we are currently pre revenue)
Congrats! Don’t overthink the interview. You can find someone to practice with (any alum will help just reach out). They now recommend against overdoing this though. You should know your basic numbers cold. Just the basic mechanics of your funnel and revenue. 2&3 seem good but don’t overdo it. You should do an answer sheet for common questions (google it), just so you’re not blindsided by anything. Everyone who interviews these days is super nice and basically wants you to succeed. So don’t sweat it. You’ll be fine!
Thanks a lot! Appreciate the tips
Interview is fast, only 10 mins. 1 in 10 startups interviewed will be accepted.
Thanks!
Spend more time on #3. I got into YC and most questions were related to #3. We were also pre-rev.
From when I previously researched, they go fast during the interview in part because they’re trying to see how well in sync the team is. Make sure everyone who is interviewing is in tune with each other on what/ how to present.
Did you get in?
Hey OP! I have an interview coming up and I would love to know how your experience was
I heard it was about 1 in 10, but not sure how reliable that is. It goes very fast, you wont have time for #1. It's Q&A format. Be as clear and as concise as you can, be direct. It's high level, they wanna know if you know whys and hows. So #2 is the valuable here. Nail what is the problem you're solving and why your approach will win in the end.
and good luck!
This is about right, but as they say, for those who are ready it’s a near 100% chance and those who are not, it’s near zero. It’s not helpful to think of this as a lottery :)