Airbnb succeeded despite maxing out their credit cards
But they're the exception, not the rule
Only invest capital into your own startup that you can afford to lose
But if you have no plans to reach venture scale, you can bootstrap indefinitely
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Y Combinator has launched startups worth over $600 billion
But they only have a 1.5% acceptance rate
That's 2x harder than Harvard
Here are 11 application videos from successful startups that got in:
A startup's video is one of the most important parts of their YC application
And you only have a minute to make an impression
Focus on:
- Early traction
- Your credentials
- How your solution compares to existing ones
- That you're resourceful
These 11 startups nailed it:
GitLab was in YC's Winter 2015 batch
They went on to IPO in 2021
Their YC video is good because:
- They've built a successful business before
- GitLab has attracted users even without funding
- They've been able to hire a small team