castlerobot

I would try to figure out what's stopping him from getting help; it could be that he's avoiding the issue because deep down he's ashamed of his appearance/health/etc and feels like he's letting everyone/himself down.

If that's the case, some of your ideas might cause even more shame and push him in the opposite direction you're intending.

Instead of just singling him out and isolating him as an object of shame, make healthy living an activity the whole family's involved in. Track everyone's weight loss in percentages like Biggest Loser, get everyone in the family committed to trying healthy recipes, center your get-togethers around healthy eating and family activities that everyone can enjoy. If everyone else is committed to it, he won't feel so alone and like you're trying to punish him.

I would encourage anyone who feels like they're getting sick to stay at home. If it's a really small space, it only takes one person to infect everybody. Keeping things around like keyboard wipes and hand sanitizer could help encourage everyone to stay vigilant.

Maybe you're just burnt out from all the time you spent working on it last year. Since it seems pretty low maintenance right now, try taking an extended break from it totally. When you go back to it, you may feel differently and more motivated to work.

Sometimes procrastination is a sign that you're unhappy with how things are going. Maybe you miss the thrill of creating something new and challenging yourself. Maybe try recapturing some of that excitement by pushing yourself and your startup further. Try growing it more, make it better, try out a new crazy idea. It could help you ignite that passion again.

Places like YC are looking for great founders instead of just good ideas. Like PG says, most startups change their idea significantly while there, which is why they even accept no-idea applications now.

The video is a great place to show off your founders, your idea, and your passion for what you're doing. Having perfect English doesn't matter as much as communicating your idea and why you're a team they'd want to back.

Another aspect could be that founders from the Ivy League schools have a better chance of meeting co-founders at school who are similar in terms of being technically capable, high-achieving, interested in creating startups, etc.

Being from an oil and gas town, I didn't meet anyone in my university classes who dreamed of anything besides a corporate job. I'm very lucky that I had friends with similar goals, or I'd never be able to create a startup.

Besides that, while you're still an unproven entrepreneur, people can only judge you on your resume, portfolio, background, etc. Fair or not, graduating from an Ivy League school does provide you with some credibility.

However, once you have an actual product and traction, where you go to school doesn't matter at all. Just focus on your product and you'll be fine.

I think this is a great idea! This will only increase the amount of applications YC will get, which is great for the investors but more competition for the people applying. I expect that the quality of startups next round will be even higher than usual.

I hope YC is fair in their judging. I'd hate for them to accept a non-idea applicant over a more capable team who applied with a mediocre idea, just for the sake of seeing if the non-idea experiment works out.

They're pros though, so I'm sure that whatever format they come up with will be fair for everyone who applies.