CG

So it's Y Combinator interview time again and I've been getting a lot of requests for tips/advice (BackType was funded by YC in the summer of 2008). Firstly, congratulations! If you're reading this, you've likely been accepted to interview with Y Combinator; now your chances of getting funded are much, much higher.

In the (very short) YC interview, I recommend focusing on the following:

Get them to understand your product or idea

I don't think our idea — which differs significantly from what we're doing today — had anything to do with our acceptance. Nevertheless, it was important that we were able to come up with at least one good idea and communicate it effectively. Come prepared to repeat everything you wrote in your application, because they will not remember who you are or what your product/idea is. Finally, be stubborn about your (big) vision, but flexible with your hypotheses, ideas, etc which they will likely challenge. You should always be prepared to iterate and/or pivot, changing ideas and scrapping features and products along the way. You need to do whatever else it takes to “build something people want.”

Demo your product or prototype

Showing beats telling. You need to show that you're capable of building the product you're pitching. Mike and I came up with our idea right before the YC deadline while working on our previous start-up. We built a prototype in the week prior to the interview; I'm convinced that showing the demo and product(s) we built for our previous start-up was the main factor in our acceptance. The prototype was somewhat impressive, but more telling was our demonstration of what we spent the last year working on. If you're further into your start-up, this is when you talk about traction, revenues and all the other good stuff.

Convince them that you're entrepreneurial

If you're ready to do whatever it takes to succeed and you can communicate that effectively, you're at a huge advantage. You've proven that you can execute; now you need to convince them that you will — relentlessly. This is how you'll make a lasting impression irrespective of your idea, product, and all the other things that will change. People don't change. We had just spent the last year working on a start-up while Mike was finishing up his last year of undergrad. He had a final exam the next morning and was flying back on the evening red eye. We still fly red eyes.

You should follow me on Twitter here. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

—cg