It's reasonable to want more feedback, but given YC's model and applicant volume, it's also reasonable for them to give most applicants a generic decline, as well.
I'd say your reward for the effort was the chance at acceptance, plus the benefits of the exercise – having necessary pitching discussions with your cofounders.
Why focus specifically on why the YC process passed on you? Lots of other people can give feedback that will reasonably approximate YC's – and perhaps more importantly, will let you know what other funders/mentors/customers would think.
The keen desire for a YC-specific-explanation is itself a potential reason they might avoid giving detailed feedback... even a few words might encourage some teams to obsess over YC's estimation (and perhaps keep trying to 'clarify'/'explain' their application) rather than moving forward on other opportunities. Sometimes, a simple 'no' is a favor, too.
Comments
It's reasonable to want more feedback, but given YC's model and applicant volume, it's also reasonable for them to give most applicants a generic decline, as well.
I'd say your reward for the effort was the chance at acceptance, plus the benefits of the exercise – having necessary pitching discussions with your cofounders.
Why focus specifically on why the YC process passed on you? Lots of other people can give feedback that will reasonably approximate YC's – and perhaps more importantly, will let you know what other funders/mentors/customers would think.
The keen desire for a YC-specific-explanation is itself a potential reason they might avoid giving detailed feedback... even a few words might encourage some teams to obsess over YC's estimation (and perhaps keep trying to 'clarify'/'explain' their application) rather than moving forward on other opportunities. Sometimes, a simple 'no' is a favor, too.