hey guys, chill out. Is the application the same as YC? (It is not currently posted on YC, so I don't know).
Other than the unattributed copying of the YC application... This seems like a totally different deal. He's not just giving a tiny bit of money to fresh college grads and making you move to San Jose for 3 months, it looks like it is going to be an actual co-op where each group accepted gets part of the pie from everyone else, and its not only limited to 10k. I live in Seattle and have 2 little kids, so I can't exactly do the YC thing, so I'm actually kind of fired up about this idea. I've read about the two founders of this group so it seems legit.
Well, since I didn't apply to YC, I didn't know the application... and the current app is gone from the YC site. But, here's a previous YC app:
http://ycombinator.com/s7app.txt
It is a bit disturbing that he took everything exactly... even the parenthetic remarks which make him sound like PG.
But, other than that glaring trust-killer, it does seem pretty cool to have an alternative to YC, which is just not feasible for me.
Well, his linkedin.com profile has about 400 connections, and I've got about 5 or 6 people linking us, so I know he is a real person who has real connections and real startups. Judy's Book had a huge following, and I have seen him in the local paper here and there.
But, it is definitely concerning. I wrote him an email just now and gave him the link to this thread. If he writes me back I'll let you all know.
Other than the unattributed copying of the YC application... This seems like a totally different deal. He's not just giving a tiny bit of money to fresh college grads and making you move to San Jose for 3 months, it looks like it is going to be an actual co-op where each group accepted gets part of the pie from everyone else, and its not only limited to 10k. I live in Seattle and have 2 little kids, so I can't exactly do the YC thing, so I'm actually kind of fired up about this idea. I've read about the two founders of this group so it seems legit.