Fridge

Fridge was a YCombinator summer 2010 company.  My co-founder and i started working together on what would become Fridge in mid February.  

Some anomalies about us:

• We were coming from the east coast
• Didn’t know much about YC before
• Applied late, got in, moved, and started YC all within 2 weeks
• Older side of typical YC founders
• Had no idea what we were getting into…

For me YC was the best thing we could have done. The usual answers are definitely true:

• PG and his team are amazing
• Great set of speakers and advisors
• Introductions to angels and VCs

But I think the most valuable thing about the time at YC were the other founders we met and interacted with week over week.  Those weekly dinners with the other companies going through exactly the same things that you were and sharing the same ups and downs were invaluable.  

YC isn’t a co-working space which is good since every team has their own rhythm but the coming together every week to interact, share, vent, help, advise each other through similar problems proved to be the best part.

Everyone comes with different experiences. If have an open mind and make the most out of every single opportunity with PG and team, advisors, and most of all the time with other founders you will be successful (in some form or another…)

As for the application process the only advice i would say is to be yourself and show passion about what you have done and are interested in.  They can weed out BS a mile away.  Here are other resources to read through from a few other founders (reduce, reuse, recycle right?)

Great resources from other founders:
Crowdbooster: http://blog.crowdbooster.com/you-shouldnt-apply-to-yc-if
Ginzametrics: http://ginzametrics.com/y-combinator-looks-for-outliers.html
ColorLovers: http://formisfunction.posterous.com/how-to-make-your-yc-application-stand-out

Also join the YC Q&A Fridge to meet, share and ask questions directly to other founders, part of YCs team, and most importantly the other YC applicants/founders to be.  As I mentioned these are the potential people who will make the YC experience the most worth while…

http://www.frid.ge/ycqa