Why Combinator?
How the startup landscape has changed for the “Non-Coder” since the inception of Y Combinator’s incubator program in 2005. And 9 years later what other effective options are available?
In the startup world, Y Combinator is seen as the Michael Jordan of web startup incubators. And rightfully so. Paul Graham’s successful company has helped launch major players such as Reddit, Justin.tv, Dropbox, Airbnb, Scribd, Weebly, and Loopt. Want the full list? Here you go. But how has the landscape changed over the years for the “Non-Coder”? What other options are available today, that were not just a few years ago? How has technology made the playing field more level, and created greater opportunities?
Lets take a look at what the startup world looked like for the “Non-Coder” in 2005. If you had a great idea and needed a way to build and launch it, what were your options? Hmmm……
THEN
The Not-So-Coder
What options did the Not-So Coder have for building a startup in 2005?
When I say “Not-So”, what I really mean is that you can’t code at all. You may be a business guy or gal. Or maybe you are in marketing or sales. You have great ideas, but not the know-how to actually build them out yourself. I live in this category. And trust me it is not a fun one. There are many downsides to being this person.
- Having all these ideas in your head with no way to express or build them, can drive your crazy at times. Your brain is running a-mile-a-minute, and your are always thinking. You can loose a lot of sleep this way.
- Because you don’t write code, you only have 2 options in hopes of getting your idea produced. Convence a web programmer to join you as an equity partner and help you build this new company. Or pay someone to build it for you. If you pay someone located in the U.S. you will pay an arm and a leg. In 2008 when I c0-founded a home improvement web application called bidrealm.net. It used a bidding format to bring together home improvement professionals with homeowners that needed work such as painting, electrical or plumbing done. Think of Angie’s List meets Elance. I received quotes from many firms from over the world to build the website. I narrowed it down to 2 possibilities. A firm in Cleveland, OH that charged $50,000. And a firm in Mumbai, India that charged $5000. You can guess which one I chose. I opted for the $45,000 savings. Bidrealm was built and worked well. It even grew to about 1,200 online users. But unfortunately, when you are not strapped with cash for marketing, nor to pay a full-time programmer to always be there to fix any bugs and alter the site as needed, it becomes quite difficult to maintain. As you can imagine, Bidrealm was forced to close. Not my ideal situation, but it was a great experience and accomplishment non-the-less.
- In addition, a bonafide web programmer doesn’t have time to work on your project. And frankly many programmers despise marketing guys. And its even worse if you’re like me and have an MBA. Why? I’m assuming that they have the mentality that they are the ones that know how to code and will be building the project. What do you bring to the table? Also, because they write code, they have tons of their own projects that they want to work on, and their profession is in high demand for high pay. No one wants to work with you for free (equity), when they can make $100/hr right now.
Post bidrealm.net, I begin to work on another project called mindUNsigned.com. And in doing so I experienced this first hand. I found a qualified programmer that not only was great at writing efficient code, he also knew music production. mindUNsigned was a music related website, and therefore the connection was perfect. We discussed the project in great depth, brainstormed, and agreed on what we wanted to do. He gave some great additional ideas, agreed to do the work, and we signed an agreement. But after that he was never able to be contacted. In the end, he had too many other projects that he wanted to work on more. My “brilliant” idea for a web application that allowed you to record music online and sell it directly to the consumer while also selling digital tickets to live streaming online shows, had hit a major road block. No Programmer = No Program.
My Personal Experience with Y Combinator
In the summer of 2010, after loosing my web programmer, I applied to Y Combinator with nothing more than my music application idea, MindUNsigned.com. I knew without a working prototype and no technical co-founder, it was an extreme shot in the dark. But what good is a great idea if chances are taken? I believe there are no set rules, and anything can happen. Heck, the founders of Reddit, arguably Y Combinator’s most successful and well-known incubator creation, didn’t even have the idea of Reddit when they originally applied with a Mobile Food Ordering application. And look how successful they have become.
THIS IS THE RESPONSE I GOT
SWEET REJECTION
We’re sorry to say we couldn’t accept your proposal for funding.
Please don’t take it personally. The quality of the applications
continues to increase with each cycle, and since there’s a limit
on the number of interviews we can do, we had to turn away a lot
of genuinely promising groups.Another reason you shouldn’t take this personally is that we know
we make lots of mistakes. It’s alarming how often the last group
to make it over the threshold for interviews ends up being one that
we fund. That means there are surely other good groups that fall
just below the threshold and that we miss even interviewing.We’re trying to get better at this, but it’s practically certain
that groups we rejected will go on to create successful startups.
If you do, we’d appreciate it if you’d send us an email telling us
about it; we want to learn from our mistakes.Y Combinator Staff
AFTER REPLYING WITH ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, I RECEIVED THIS RESPONSE
Hi Lorenzo,
Thanks for writing. I’m very sorry, but we don’t provide feedback on applications. This should help explain why:http://ycombinator.com/whynot.html
You may also realize that giving feedback just doesn’t scale with the number of requests that we receive— many hundreds! We encourage you to keep working on your startup and apply again in the spring after having made more progress. We would also encourage you to have a programmer as a 3rd co-founder. Although we know that 3rd party development is possible it does not allow you to be nimble and react to your users as your idea and site evolve.
Thanks for applying and for your interest in our program.
Kate Courteau, Y Combinator
In September of 2010, I attended Startup Bootcamp at M.I.T., and while there I witnesses a presentation by Alexis Ohanian that blew my mind. I had never heard of him before. But what was so intriguing, was that he was a “Non-Coder” like me, and still able to build something great. It was also pretty cool that he was a University of Virginia Alum. I am a Charlottesville, VA native, and the house I grew up in is walking distance to campus. My wife also graduated from this fine institution. After his amazing talk, I chatted him up on Twitter, and we discussed startups and UVA. After I was rejected by Y Combinator, and because he is their Ambassador To The East, I emailed him for further feedback.
Here’s The Great Advice He Gave Me
Hi Lorenzo,
Glad you liked the talk! Sorry for the delayed reply.
Unfortunately, you’ve got a problem so many nontechnical cofounders like myself have — we need programmers — more than they need us — to start a web startup.
I’ve been meaning to poll and publish successful YC founder teams to find out how they met, but I suspect college is the place for most (like how I met Steve). All the places you’ve listed are good starts. There’s no shortage of meetups/sites trying to solve this problem, but none have really nailed it. Unfortunately, YC also really wants to see that the founding team can work (or ideally has worked) well together.
Wish I could be more help. StartupSchool will be a good place to meet the right kinds of people, though most of them will already have startup ideas you’ll need to compete with. But after all, your idea/pitch has to be compelling enough to get someone on board to work with you if it’s gonna be compelling enough for people to fund it (and probably use it).
best
Alexis
NOW
The Not-So Coder
What additional options does the “Non-Coder “ now have in 2014, post Y Combinator?
- CrowdFunding: VC’s and Angel Investors are no longer the only games in town. With the emergence of Indiegogo, Fundable, CrowdFunder, CrowdTilt and others, you can now finance your next project yourself, with the help of others who believe in you.
- Web Programming Bootcamps: You can now much more easily learn code for yourself, and then go and build your own web application. Its more effective than a CS degree, its quicker, and cheaper. And as a plan “B”, if your startup doesn’t work out, you will always have a sustainable skill set in a field that you can find a job in and get paid very well. Here’s a TIP: If you can’t attend a full-time program, be sure to check out Thinkful, Bloc.io, or Tealeaf Academy for web-based options. And don’t forget Code Academy (FREE), Code School and Treehouse. Want to learn more and compare them all? Check out BootCamper or the Thinkful’s Bootcamp Finder for more info.
- CoFoundersLab & FounderDating: Still struggling to find that key strategic partner? Maybe you need a web programmer, a marketing guru, or a sales manager. Try out these options to connect with others who are looking to join your project.
I’m an outsider looking in. A thinker, IdeaMan, and Visionary. Someone whom is looking to build new things that are fun, useful, and that make the world better. I believe Alexis Ohanian is the same type of guy, and I appreciate his honest feedback and wisdom.
Whether you apply to Y Combinator or one of the many other startup incubators, or go with one of these other options, just continue to MAKE SOMETHING PEOPLE WANT. The startup game isn’t perfect. But it is improving.
I hope my experience thus far can be of some small inspiration and help to you in your startup journey.
