Since the deadline to apply for YC W26 was yesterday, here is the survival guide I wish I had going through the batch.
Going through YC is a whirlwind.
You're building product, talking to customers, fundraising, and trying to figure out if you're even working on the right idea.
Here's what I wish I knew beforehand:
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(1) Group partners are only as useful as the context you give them.
Be brutally honest about where you actually are.
The more context you give them, the better advice they can give back.
And don't just talk to your assigned partner, other group partners bring completely different perspectives that are just as valuable.
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(2) Getting your first customers requires doing things that don't scale.
Once someone shows interest, show up at their office, buy them coffee, demo in person.
YC's right about flights being like taxis.
If your customer is in New York and you're in SF, get on a plane.
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(3) Pivots are inevitable. Here's how to navigate them.
YC will tell you to pivot early and often, and they're right.
But each pivot takes time to re-validate with unbiased people who haven't heard your previous pitch 50 times.
Focus on problems, not solutions.
Validate with people in the mud facing the actual problem, not just whoever will take your meeting.
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(4) Most founders skew towards building when they should be selling.
It's natural. Most of the batch are builders at heart.
But unless you're working on something incredibly complex that requires months just to meet a minimum market standard, you should prioritize sales.
Building the perfect product means nothing if you can't sell it.
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(5) Fundraising requires working backwards from your timeline.
Figure out when you want to fundraise and what metrics you need to hit.
Then work backwards to figure out what you need to be doing week over week.
Before your week of fundraising, do pitch reviews with founders that have previously raised.
Don't wait for YC's official pitch reviews, start prepping in advance.
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(6) The momentum doesn't have to die after Demo Day.
Stay in SF if you can.
You'll run into incredible people just by being in the right place.
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The advice above would have saved us months of trial and error at Delve.
If you've applied or got accepted to YC W26, feel free to DM me.
Always happy to help founder-to-founder.