Would love some feedback on applying to the YC 2011 Summer Funding Cycle. I am an entrepreneur but not a programmer. I was a CS major, but didn’t want to write code and transferred to Liberal Arts. I was lazy and partied, I admit it. I’ve worked for a tech company, a fortune 100 and over the past 8 years have started 2 separate companies – one in financial services and one in professional services. I’m not some 18 year old kid with an idea and no idea how to launch it. Still, from a start-up perspective in a tech environment I can see the advantages to a program like YC. I’m about to submit the application. Any comments, thoughts or words of wisdom are greatly appreciated.
Even if you're a solid single candidate, evidence seems to suggest that YC strongly disapproves of single founders. Consider finding a technical co-founder before applying. If you won't be writing code you'll need someone to do it anyway and only a moron would build a startup without equity ;)
"I was lazy and partied, I admit it."
Don't know that I would mention that in the application. Or post it on the site of the org you're applying to.<p>"I’m not some 18 year old kid with an idea and no idea how to launch it."
As someone in-between non-programmer and programmer, I want to push you on this a bit more. What is involved in your "idea of how to launch it"? Assuming it's a website - because you can't code it yourself, you're going to need to hire someone to code it, yes? That's expensive. Probably fairly difficult to bootstrap, or make happen off of the ~$15k YC would give you. If you get a reliable web developer to build it out for you, it will be pricey. If you go the odesk route, it will be cheaper, but probably not as good of a product. That's the main reason for getting a technical co-founder. Probably worth your time, for these reasons and because YC has a history of not taking singles.
You were a former CS major that got lazy, changed majors, and partied...<p>Why not prove your work ethic by teaching yourself how to code a basic prototype? It's a much better way to gain some traction and attract a technical cofounder. It will take time, but it doesn't look like YC is going anywhere.<p>Putting the time in and grinding out your own prototype could look good on you as a non-lazy founder... it's all about the founders.