Hell Showed Up Instead Of Y Combinator: Not Really

Okay, just kidding,hell did not show up. So my team did not get picked as one of the "most promising teams" to be invited to Y Combinator, it doesn't mean we are not. It was interesting this year to find that it took me three hours longer to get over my sorrow. Last year it only took an hour. I think the reason for that is because this year I have a team, and it bothered me that I let them down.

I accept full responsibility for my team, and it hurt me to think about them not getting this opportunity. 

Sunrise On Day Of Not Making It In

The thing is, no startup needs an accelerator. No startup needs funding. Don't get me wrong, those two things could come in handy and surly bless a young startup, it's just that the finest companies in the world didn't have funding or accelerators, they did it without those things. One can say that when you run out of money your company is dead. Mostly that is true, but it's not an absolute. I would have to say the biggest thing to put a company out of business is not getting traction. If you cannot grow your users or customers, well, then you are dead. That is an absolute.

I learned a ton by applying to Y Combinator again. Not making the cut, well that hurt me the least. Two things hurt me the most. People wrinkling they're eyebrows and saying "You have no way in hell of getting into Y Combinator" that hurt. Such a harsh judgment without hope. What hurt the most is what my lawyer said. He said "recognize that it will come down to whether they want to take a chance on you given that your background is a bit different than many of the other applicants." Yeah, I don't know why that one hurt so much. I guess because I know I am way different than many of the founders of startups. It saddens me to think an accelerator would judge on that. I don't know if they do, but my lawyer seemed to think so. 

For me, I'd like to think I would never judge someone on their background, after all it shapes us as humans and we are not totally in control of it's path. Sure if your background is a serial killer, well, you should be judged, but not by me to hire you. 

The judgement business, we all have to do it. It must be exceedingly hard to not group people into your biases and toss them into the gutter based on that. My lawyer must have believed that when he read my part of the application, well, it frightened him, it appalled him, it disturbed him, who knows, but whatever it did, it made him think I was not a candidate. That saddens me. Yes, it hurt me the most.

You don't know how much I love people. Yes I have some serious wounds from the people who are closest to me, and yes, it's super hard to love them, but I do. They might not know it. I struggle with my bias "if you hurt me deeply, it's going to be hard for me to show you love" 

Whatever my sordid insane background is, it's mine, it's me. It's also my people, the people who sign up for apps and new social networks, the people who got bullied, who purchase songs, the people who's hardships were endless, who try out the products and services new startups offer,the people who never give up because they love to explore. Yes these are my people, I like to call them ~ humanity.

Gettin My Ears Cleaned In China.
Now That's Humanity In Action!

To the teams who eventually get selected for Y Combinator W15, may you bless the world with your gifts, we await them.