Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to A site for YC rejection stories
Got rejected from YC a few times, so I built a site to collect lessons, reflections, and what people would do differently next time. Thought it could be helpful since most founders apply more than once anyway :) Hope it's helpful: https://ycrejection.com/
This site collects stories and lessons from founders who have been rejected by Y Combinator. It features reflections on what applicants learned from their rejections and what they would do differently in future… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
- 1IW
2012 · guidetoyc.com · its alternatives →
- 2
- 3
- 4
YC Library▲810The new hub for YC's startup videos, essays, podcasts & more
2023 · ycombinator.com · its alternatives →
- 5
Curated collection of resources for founders applying to YC.
2017 · its alternatives →
- 6
- 7
A few days ago, I responded to a comment by bloggergirl offering to read anyone's web copy and help. I shot off an email hoping for a paragraph or two of feedback on my startup's copy. Instead I received a professional, detailed deck of tons of invaluable well thought out feedback. It must have taken her an entire afternoon. Here's a link to it: http://www.slideshare.net/shereefb/recommendations-for-bettermeans To top it off, this isn't someone with a lot of free time on her hands, she's only days away from launching her own startup (page99test) This community blows my mind!
2010 · slideshare.net · its alternatives →
- 8WD
Hey everyone! We spent the major part of the year preparing an idea we had for the YC application. At last minute, we decided not to go through with YC. I mean, we've had our fair shares of failed startups and this was one of those make it or break it scenarios. We took everything we've ever learned and strived to make an app that we were proud of. We spent so much effort into making this app that we couldn't bear stopping short and applying to Y Combinator. (Mind you, there's nothing wrong with YC.) We didn't want to apply to Y Combinator at the last minute because if we had really gone…
2012 · prsna.me · its alternatives →
- 9IM
Simulate your YC application rejection
2025 · yc-sim.vercel.app · its alternatives →
- 10
- 11RC
2017 · rejectionconditioner.com · its alternatives →
- 12PT
I made this for people like myself who keep a list of ideas for apps / startups. I also made it for people who are curious to see what projects others have "in their drawer"... and who may want to have a say in which idea should see the light of day. https://ideas.dynamate.io/ The site allows creators to anonymously showcase their idea: Title. Description text. Maybe some mockups... I've tried to make it so that it's quick and easy to just dump an idea in there that's been sitting on some list of yours for months - and hopefully get some feedback on it. If someone else on…
2022 · ideas.dynamate.io · its alternatives →
- 13
What does YC look for in prospective founders?
2016 · content.libsyn.com · its alternatives →
- 14MY
I build things, coach entrepreneurs, and share what I’ve learned along the way. I’m an entrepreneur, coach, and creator. I’ve started businesses, helped people navigate big decisions, and spent way too much time learning the hard way (getting arrested was a big mistake). This site is where I share w
2015 · shefska.com · its alternatives →
- 15MP
http://invincibilitee.com Me and my co-founder submitted an app for YC W11, with a web site that would help college graduates figure out what jobs they could get with their chosen degree. We got a rejection email, and already had this as a back-up idea in case we did get rejected. So in the month between rejection and today, we found a printer, found some graphic designers, and got enough done that we felt comfortable with it as a first iteration. I know there aren't so many non-web app startups on HN, but I thought y'all might like to see how 2 guys rebounded from YC rejection.
2010 · invincibilitee.com · its alternatives →
- 16
Prepare, practice, succeed in YC interviews
2023 · sonicbank.com · its alternatives →
- 17
- 18YR
2018 · ycreview.com · its alternatives →
- 19MY
Every batch, many founders get rejected due to basic application mistakes, missing key criteria that YC partners explicitly look for. We learned this the hard way, which is why we built YC Score. Simply upload your draft PDF or fill out our YC-mirrored form. Our AI analyzes your responses against 25 critical factors that can make or break your application, from technical credentials to market validation. For instance, when YC partner Dalton Caldwell notes that teams with technical founders have "5x better odds," you need to know before submitting. YC Score flags these deal-breakers and shows…
2025 · ycscore.com · its alternatives →
- 20
I've been blown away by speech-to-speech LLMs lately and was looking for a fun little website to build. Enter mock YC interviews. When I first applied to YC, I used iPG (https://jamescun.github.io/iPG/) to practice and get comfortable with the YC-style interview. Spoiler: I ended up getting in. This took me a few hours to go from scratch to production. Would highly suggest playing around with some of the latest products (this uses Vapi.ai/elevenlabs.io)
2024 · mock-yc.vercel.app · its alternatives →
- 21BF
Excited to announce my new project, Rally! It’s a useful community for early-stage startup founders, inspired by Y Combinator’s Bookface. Site: https://rally.socap.ai/ We think many problems that founders have can be solved 10x better through other founders, but there’s no tool/place to do that well and at scale. For example, instead of googling how to launch on PH, reading blog posts, etc., you could ask for an intro to a famous hunter who’ll explain all that and hunt your product. We're building this place + software to make it work really well. What Rally is: • A…
2024 · rally.socap.ai · its alternatives →
- 22YN
2015 · ycnext.com · its alternatives →
- 23
Hey HN, I've been working on a little side project and could really use your feedback. So, I've always been fascinated by those stories of successful startups doing crazy things in their early days - you know, like Airbnb founders personally photographing listings or DoorDash founders delivering food themselves. I started collecting these stories, and before I knew it, I had a pretty big list. So I thought, "Why not turn this into a website?" And that's how https://dothingsthatdontscale.org was born. It's super basic right now - just a simple directory with about 70 examples. But…
2024 · dothingsthatdontscale.org · its alternatives →
- 24
Hey all, We’ve applied to YC three times and got rejected each time. we’ll get there eventually! The main reasons for rejection were: being a solo founder (no co-founder), having no team, an MVP that wasn’t ready, or no traction in place. --- My expertise lies in building software products for startups, unicorn companies, and even governments. Throughout my years in software, I’ve had plenty of exposure to data products. I’ve faced recurring challenges like the lack of data, uncertainty around data handling, or even generating too much data and not knowing how to best utilize it to generate…
2025 · opendatabay.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →