Getting into YC after being rejected 4 times
Four times! I got rejected by YC four times before finally being accepted into the YCS21 batch.
Rewind four years ago when I first started Quillo (my first startup), I spent half my day coding and half my day watching YC’s “How to Start a Startup” on youtube. This 20 video playlist taught me everything I know about startups, and while watching it, I had the outrageous thought that one day I’ll be a part of the same program that funded world-changing companies like Stripe, Airbnb and Dropbox.
I applied three times with Quillo, all rejected; I started another startup called Insupply during the COVID-19 pandemic. I applied once with Insupply and got denied.
I started my 3rd startup Strive in 2020 and I applied for the 5th time thinking I would get rejected again.
However, this time we get the interview! The most intense 10-minute call I have ever had in my life followed. 4 YC partners, including Michael Seibel (President of YC), systematically dismantled every aspect of the company. To say it was brutal would be an understatement. By the end of it, I was convinced we stuffed up the interview and would be rejected again.
I still remember the day; A few days later, I was with friends at a shopping centre when I get a call from a strange +1 number (US country-code extension), and my heart dropped. This was either some random with the wrong number or someone to tell me we got into YC. (YC just sends a rejection email if you don’t get accepted)
I answered the phone with a trembling voice: “Hello?” And I hear: “Hi Tamir, this is Tim [Brady] from YC; I’ve got good news Strive has been accepted into the YC S21 batch.” In the middle of a crowded shopping centre, with my confused friends standing around me, I drop to my knees and start crying. I was simply in disbelief; a dream I worked towards for the past five years had just come true. I eventually composed myself and trying my best not to start crying again, respond to Tim as professionally as possible, to say: “Oh, that’s fantastic, Tim thank you for the opportunity”, Whereas all I wanted to say was OH MY F**** WTF YC REALLY! ME? NO WAY!
