"I've talked with a lot of startups who got in YC in the past several years, and none of them got a call or an interview without having connection inside or using some kind of a hack."
I'm not sure that is a correct conclusion, at least the first part. The applications are screened by multiple people before it gets to the "interview" stage.
My List of likely factors;
* Team (do they work well together and have long friendship?)
* Tenacity (Can they make it from concept to launch to growth?)
* Technical skills (Do they have what it takes to execute the plan, without outsourcing the core development)
* Growth potential
The "Please tell us something that you (name) most successfully hacked some (non-computer) system to your advantage?" question is in there for a reason. IMO The partners want to see that you can come up with new and different ways of solving problems.
I'm not sure that is a correct conclusion, at least the first part. The applications are screened by multiple people before it gets to the "interview" stage.
My List of likely factors;
* Team (do they work well together and have long friendship?)
* Tenacity (Can they make it from concept to launch to growth?)
* Technical skills (Do they have what it takes to execute the plan, without outsourcing the core development)
* Growth potential
The "Please tell us something that you (name) most successfully hacked some (non-computer) system to your advantage?" question is in there for a reason. IMO The partners want to see that you can come up with new and different ways of solving problems.