Show HN: My post-YC-rejection start-up

11 pointsgreglockwood15y ago15 comments

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.

15 comments

talbina15y ago

You should design some shirts and submit them. Don't wait for users.

http://www.invincibilitee.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=88

Empty page.

When Reddit was starting out, one of the founders was submitting stories all day for a couple of months, under different usernames. Just saying.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

We have, but they are under the Limited Production page: http://www.invincibilitee.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=101

The link you posted is for legacy shirts, that have proven to sell well and will be available permanently.

I know the 3-tier system might be a little confusing, and we are trying to make it as intuitive as possible. That's why I posted this, so thank you for the suggestions!

kertap15y ago

I don't think it's that intuitive. After see the awesome shark picture I went looking for more and clicked the T-Shirts link under invincibilitee.

If you're not going to put something under the first link in your side bar maybe you should have a message on that page directing the user to the non immortal tees.

1 more reply

talbina15y ago

The stock photo with the Live Chat button. Please get rid of it, thanks.

SupremumLimit15y ago

Yeah, that corporate happy face clashes with the rest of the design.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

Point taken. I'll see about getting it changed.

vabmit15y ago

http://www.zazzle.com/ is already very dominant and vertically integrated in that space. Did you knowingly launch a clone? Or, think that this was an original idea? How do you hope to compete with them and the others doing the same thing? What's your value add?

To me, this space seems too cots, low margin, and crowded, to even build a lifestyle business in. But, good luck!

greglockwoodOP15y ago

Zazzle is a large custom t-shirt company. We do not make custom tees for people, we are our own brand that offers select designs created by artists around the world.

If I was to compare us to an already established company, it would be much closer to Threadless, Design by Humans, or Uneetee than Zazzle. We are aware that we are not the first to create a shirt company in this manner, but we believe that there is plenty of room in the market, and that our original and exclusive designs will help us cave out our own niche in the market.

swanson15y ago

I checked the FAQ briefly and didn't see this mentioned -- what happens in regards to the design rights of something I submit? I see that I get a royalty payment and a one-time lump sum, but do I retain the rights to my own design? Can I post it on your site and then sell it on my own site or another (Cafepress, etc). Or is part of the agreement that I am transferring ownership over to you guys?

greglockwoodOP15y ago

On the submission page, there is a large font link to the Submission Release form which answers any questions like that. (http://www.invincibilitee.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=125) As long as it's just a submitted design (as in we have not accepted to use the design), you give us a 60 day window of not offering it to other sites or vendors. If we don't ask to use it within that 60 days, you can do whatever you'd like with it again. If we reach an agreement with you to use the design, you retain ownership of the design, but transfer exclusive rights to use it to us. So, basically, you can't let anyone else use it, but we can't take it and sell it either.

The Submission Release form explains it in a more "legalese" way. We use LegalZoom for our legal documents such as the Submission Release form.

netmau515y ago

Nice to see you're back at it again and weren't afraid to publish your first iteration. I prepared some feedback for you at http://www.sparkmuse.com/feedback/Invincibilitee, I hope you find it helpful.

JPK515y ago

Did you give up on your 1st idea just because YC rejected you?

I've had a similar idea in the past, and I think there is a market for a such a site. I think it's a shame you gave up on something because of one rejection.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

We have not given up on the college degree idea yet, but we see it as a longer-term project in terms of setup, so we put it on the shelf while we were able to get this setup in a relatively quick order (a month).

So no, we haven't given up, and we too think there is a market for the site.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

Clickable link: http://invincibilitee.com

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

15 comments

talbina15y ago

You should design some shirts and submit them. Don't wait for users.

http://www.invincibilitee.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=88

Empty page.

When Reddit was starting out, one of the founders was submitting stories all day for a couple of months, under different usernames. Just saying.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

We have, but they are under the Limited Production page: http://www.invincibilitee.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=101

The link you posted is for legacy shirts, that have proven to sell well and will be available permanently.

I know the 3-tier system might be a little confusing, and we are trying to make it as intuitive as possible. That's why I posted this, so thank you for the suggestions!

kertap15y ago

I don't think it's that intuitive. After see the awesome shark picture I went looking for more and clicked the T-Shirts link under invincibilitee.

If you're not going to put something under the first link in your side bar maybe you should have a message on that page directing the user to the non immortal tees.

1 more reply

talbina15y ago

The stock photo with the Live Chat button. Please get rid of it, thanks.

SupremumLimit15y ago

Yeah, that corporate happy face clashes with the rest of the design.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

Point taken. I'll see about getting it changed.

vabmit15y ago

To me, this space seems too cots, low margin, and crowded, to even build a lifestyle business in. But, good luck!

greglockwoodOP15y ago

Zazzle is a large custom t-shirt company. We do not make custom tees for people, we are our own brand that offers select designs created by artists around the world.

swanson15y ago

greglockwoodOP15y ago

The Submission Release form explains it in a more "legalese" way. We use LegalZoom for our legal documents such as the Submission Release form.

netmau515y ago

JPK515y ago

Did you give up on your 1st idea just because YC rejected you?

I've had a similar idea in the past, and I think there is a market for a such a site. I think it's a shame you gave up on something because of one rejection.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

So no, we haven't given up, and we too think there is a market for the site.

greglockwoodOP15y ago

Clickable link: http://invincibilitee.com

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse