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Will you apply to Y Combinator Winter 2025 Batch? 🚀 As Y Combinator's application deadline approaches on November 12, we know many of you are preparing to make your mark in the startup world. At Silicon Gardens we're excited to support you on this journey! Earlier this year, we hosted an exclusive 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐘𝐂 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, led by an exceptional entrepreneur (Miha Mlakar) with the unique experience of being accepted into YC not once, but twice! If you want to gain invaluable insights from this workshop, we're here to help. Simply email us at 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬@𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬.𝐜𝐨𝐦, and we'll send you the recording. Don't miss this opportunity to refine your application with tips and strategies that could make all the difference! Good luck to everyone applying! #YCombinator #FoundersForFounders

Here's the 3-minute demo video we submitted for the Y Combinator Summer 2024 Cohort. Yes, we used the Y Combinator site to demo our product, and yes, it's far from perfect 😀 . With a 1.5%-2% acceptance rate (lower than acceptance rate at Harvard University), Y Combinator is the dream accelerator for any tech startup founder. But I've spoken to many founders recently who backed out of applying, considering the slim chances of getting in. But here’s why I think they're missing the point: # Your odds of getting into YC aren't just 1 in 100. Depending on the problem or pain point you're addressing, the traction your product has (i.e. are people using it?), and your team's, your chances might be much better than you think. # In the early stages, a lot of things will likely be in our heads rather than on Confluence pages. The application process itself can offer invaluable insights. It pushes your team to refine your business pitch and strategy. Applying forces you to articulate your business plan clearly and may reveal areas for improvement that you hadn’t considered before—something that was definitely true for us. I think there's no point in me talking about the successful companies that have gone through the accelerator (household names like Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe) and the benefits if you get through (like $500K in funding and access to a billion-dollar network—seriously, this is more valuable than the investment itself), as it’s general knowledge for any tech founder. My only advice is to any founder who thinks about odds, Be like Han Solo ! Never let anyone tell you the odds of success! The last date to apply for the Summer '24 cohort is today (8 PM PT) so give it a go! #Ycombinator #HanSolo Dalton Caldwell Michael Seibel Garry TanJerome Anthony Nicolas Dessaigne Brad Flora Pete Koomen David Lieb Surbhi Sarna Harj Taggar

Didn’t get into Y Combinator ? Less than 2% of startups do. This is what happens leading up to the deadline : As a YC backed founder, and having mentored several along the way, I get a LOT of inbounds asking “would you recommend me?”… on the day of the submission… like they’re just trying to collect as many “reviews”. 1. On principle I would never recommend anyone if I couldn’t personally vouch for them. 2. Even if I know you personally, you should’ve involved me in atleast reviewing your application so I can feel part of your experience and root for your success. 3. Most importantly- You should’ve spent more time building your story, getting feedback, building product and traction rather than back door tactics. It’s perfectly innocent (and valuable) to get legit recommendations, but far more valuable than that is to actually get feedback. Feedback from a YC founder is 100% more valuable than their recommendation. That’s what helped me - Despite being a solo, female, immigrant founder! There’s no gaming the YC system. You need to earn it. PS - I built Criya AI to help founders get that early traction, quickly - especially when there isn’t a big team, and time = money! Happy to speak to anyone in the journey - so i can actually help you! #ycombinator #ycfounder #traction #criya #founderledsales #yc

Finally, I made it: Y Combinator application guide 🚀 Just 1 DAY LEFT till the Y Combinator application deadline for the W25 batch (12 November). Don't miss your chance to boost your application and get into the world's best startup accelerator! I’ve compiled a 27-slide document with YC application tips, showing you how to approach each question with examples. The guide is: - based on review of 100+ YC applications - built on my personal experience applying to YC 3 times (accepted on the 3rd try) - backed by advice from YC alumni and partners These tips helped me to get accepted at Y Combinator with Fluently: AI English coach and raise over $2.5M! The guide covers key application questions, such as: - Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less. - What is your company going to make? - How do or will you make money? - Why did you pick this idea? And many more. P.S: Download the PDF to access the links. -- Won't apply to YC? Share this doc with founders in your network!

With the Y Combinator W25 deadline less than 24 hours away—if you’re a founder on the fence, this could be the best decision you make all year It’s been 2.5 years since we did YC S22, and I still believe that the two hours we spent filling out the YC application were some of the highest ROI hours of our journey. If you’re a startup founder, I highly encourage you to spend a couple of hours today applying for YC w25. Even if you don’t get in, you will learn so much more about "what really matters" by answering the questions in the application. When we applied for YC S22 with Fini, we had $0 revenue, zero code, and no VC connections. Over 75% of companies in our batch had no revenue, so it’s never too early to take the leap. To make your application stand out, here’s what you need: 1) Founder-Product Fit: Can the founders build a MVP and get it out in the market? 2) Founder-Market Fit: What do you know about the market that others don’t? Why am I even saying all this? Did we even gain something when we did YC? Short answer- ALOT. Something that's difficult to describe in a few words. But let's try. YC founders have a disproportionate, almost unfair advantage. Almost all of it comes down to the 6000+ YC founders. The network is simply unbeatable - for sales, investors, advice, and everything inbetween. There has never been a time when I didn't have a YC friend that I could call/ email for startup advice during our early days (and ofcourse even today) “Make something people love”, and at the end of the day that’s the only thing that matters. So, what are you waiting for? Go apply. And if there’s anything I can do to help or review your application, drop me a note at yc@usefini.com—I’d be happy to help.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. And it has had a ripple effect on how I share online. Last month we applied to Y Combinator. We were working on the application for 2 weeks. The needed clarity and conciseness forced us to really go deep into research, thinking, and A LOT of writing. Uncovering learnings for our vision and planned execution. It was 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 at the same time. Exciting because getting in would mean forgetting about the pressures of self-funding our company, and going through the most coveted startup program in the world. Terrifying because somehow 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 than any other decision we could make on our own. So I chose not to share it in public like I did everything else. I was afraid of judgement if we failed. Something I thought I had moved past. And because it was occupying all of my mind space. It meant I had nothing else to share. So 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁. However, with some time and reflection, I’ve come to the natural realization that 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻: 🟡 that our product isn’t worth it 🟡 that WE aren’t worth it There could be a million reason why we get rejected. And none of them are going to make us stop working on easybranding. 𝗪𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. We believe in 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁. And we believe in 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀. YC is an amazing opportunity for growth. But it’s just one of the many paths we can take towards our ultimate goal. So by publicly stating it I’m letting go of whatever hold fear had over me. And 𝗜’𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝘀. Because honestly, we are doing great 😎 #buildinpublic #startup

I still can’t believe this:   - Y Combinator startup school is free  - Paul Graham essays are free  - Harvard coding/AI courses are free  - Cursor is free  - ProductHunt is free - Slack is free  - Figma is free - Mark Zuckerburg is free  - ADPList is free Right now, anyone can launch a startup, gain traction, secure funding, and build something extraordinary. The best tools and resources in the world are right at your fingertips, costing you nothing. Sure, we all start from different places, but the rules of the game have shifted. Success now boils down to three things: focus, discipline, and relentless effort. The path is clear. The rest is on you.

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🚨 Breaking News: If any of us have a great idea, now is the time to show it to the world. Your idea can make a significant impact on people's lives. 🌍✨ Y Combinator has just extended their deadline from April 22 to late June. If you're wondering why you need Y Combinator, here are some reasons: 💡 We put founders' interests first. 🚫 We don’t take a board seat. 📉 We don’t demand 20% of your company. ⏱️ We don’t take weeks/months to decide to invest. 💸 We don’t charge fees. 📄 We don’t require decks, business plans, or MBAs. 👥 We don't tell you what to do; we only offer advice. Apply now! 🚀 https://lnkd.in/eBkkT366