Negative milestones are still important and lessons to share and learn from. This round I was rejected without an interview from YC W20 and when you receive this email you are not given a direct reason. I think this is entirely fair, realistic, and honest. In case anyone is interested they do point people to this resource: https://www.ycombinator.com/whynot/ to help reconcile our pesky problem-solving minds.
So what does this mean for Confidist and the thousands of other rejected companies who applied? Well, not much. I'll keep bootstrapping, iterating, and growing the best I can. I definitely don't regret applying as the application process really helps founders evaluate their progress in the eyes of potential investors and craft a more concise vision. I have to admit that creating a compelling 1-minute video about my project was much more difficult than expected.
A famous quote from President Woodrow Wilson sums up the nature of the problem nicely:
A member of the Cabinet congratulated Wilson on introducing the vogue of short speeches and asked him about the time it took him to prepare his speeches. He said:
“It depends. If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.”
So congratulations to everyone who was accepted for an interview, and good luck! Everyone else, well, give yourself the benefit of the doubt and keep on, keeping on.
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