Thought about applying to YCombinator? Founder of SigmaOS (YC S21) here, AMA! 👇
Mahyad
12 replies
Getting into YC could be trajectory changing for your startup. But I’m aware the process might seem daunting! AMA about the application process, going through it, or what happens after.
Replies
Syed Arsalan Amin@arslandevs
How many users you had when you applied?
What you recommend what are the top metrics to identify we are good to apply?🚀
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@arslanaut we applied with a small number of early adopters (<100). You don’t necessarily need to have a full product with loads users when you’re applying, but proving early signs of traction is useful for sure :)
Thinksy
Best resources for preparing for the interview?
@entreeden If you can, get in touch with someone that has been through the process in a previous batch. I believe Pioneer fund have a link somewhere to book in a session with a YC alum.
There’s lots of great resources online, but one tip I’d give is prep really really well for their usual first question: 'what are you building?’
Sounds obvious, but you need to have this nailed.
Thinksy
@arslanaut A browser designed to make organising work and life easier for young professionals
Thinksy
How did YC suggest you leverage ProductHunt for your release?
@entreeden They want you to launch during the batch, and keep launching as many times as possible
I am thinking of applying to YC at some point in the future.
I imagine SigmaOS is built towards consumers. How did you get your first 100 users and how long it took?
@claudiu_cogalniceanu heyo! we launched SigmaOS straight out of our YC batch into the public (ie, we never had a closed-beta really). At the beginning, we were growing slowly through word-of-mouth and a bit of our own social media (all 3 founders on twitter/linkedin). We were heads down and focused on product.
Then we launched on PH for the first time in 2021, and that brought in our earliest adopters!
What idea/product are you looking to apply with?
@mahyad that’s awesome! I was thinking about the same thing - get early users through word of mouth, and when I would have a bigger-ish following, I would have an “official” launch on PH.
Did YC help you in any way in the early stages in terms of acquiring users?
Well, I built a web app for Gmail users to help them get rid of spam and useless junk, and I was thinking of applying to YC with it. I know I missed the deadline for the winter batch, but I didn’t feel comfortable enough to apply without users :)