Tips on Applying to YC: A Demo
Y Combinator
30 sec
The speaker emphasizes the significance of including a product demo in startup applications to demonstrate seriousness and the ability to build.
Summary
- Founders often neglect to include a product demo in their applications.
- A demo, even unpolished or in a basic form like a CSV, shows progress beyond just an idea.
- The presence of a tangible demo is highly valued and indicative of a founder's commitment.
- The leap from no product to a prototype, however rudimentary, is considered substantial.
Chapter 1
The speaker wishes more startup founders would include demos of their products in their applications.
- Founders frequently omit product demos from their applications.
- Applications often consist of ideas that have been considered for a long time without any concrete development.
Chapter 2
The speaker stresses that even basic or unfinished demos are significant in showing commitment and capability.
- The state of the demo, whether unpolished or not fully functional, is not a concern.
- Running the demo locally or presenting it in a simple format like a CSV file is acceptable.
- The key is to show some level of progress, which is considerably better than having nothing at all.
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