I find making videos brutal! We get so focused on not screwing it up that we screw it up!

did you watch the samples? They seemed pretty low key

Yeah, I would say our vid is low key :)

Just decided to apply 40 minutes ago. Submitted with 2 minutes to spare. Liberating to not over think it. Good practice in any case.

Done with the app with 2 minutes to spare. Vid is not optional; had one in the vault :)

This was great, btw. No over-thinking, just busting out the responses as they came to me. Maybe simple is better sometimes.

Those accepted for interviews are unlikely to announce it.

Why not? Do they have to sign some confidentiality agreement?

The most likely reason is their desire to keep their acceptance quiet until they're actually prepared for the press that the announcement would receive.

My experience with other startup folks I know is that the accelerator is not designed to be a launchpad for the company's own PR purposes. Show some restraint, built your product, gain some organic and home-grown traction and then at, or near, the conclusion of the accelerator, launch your product (demo day, for example). It is to be about the product/service, not the brand of the accelerator that earns street cred.

I really look back on the experience as a stepping stone. We really got our sh*t together after the interview. In fact we left the interview, went to a nearby University commons and reworked our product on the spot. We learned so much in that 20 minute interview that has helped us to make a better product. Of course, hard evidence is required so we will have our proto up in a month or so. Then we can begin the heavy lifting. Thanks for your response and good luck moving forward!

For now I am going to keep the name anon. We surely did not have our ducks in a row as we were very young in our partnership and product dev (1.5 months). Now several months later, we feel we are on the right track and should be well prepared for the next time. No sweat about your comments; I appreciate them.

Thx. I did shoot you an email.

Good point. My intention is not to solicit their contacts but to have a dialogue about the best way to secure a developer. I'll take your feedback and that of other HN'ers and rethink how I am approaching people with my inquiry. Thanks everyone.

I am asking for direction on finding a front end developer to add to my team. I offer equity but cannot offer compensation at this time. Do you think I should approach this differently and present it as a job opening or contract to hire type of position? We can pay (not a lot) but we were taking the approach that we wanted to add a founding member to the team. We just need someone to build a user interface without bankrupting us. Suggestions on this? Thanks for reply by the way.

Having done quite a bit of freelancing, I can tell you that the offer of equity is not very enticing. Regardless of how brilliant any idea might sound on paper, when it comes to execution, start-ups generally take a long long time before (if at all) that promised equity is realized.

If you are looking to add a founding member in return for equity, you are better off having that conversation face to face.

Just offering a show of support for this Philadelphia startup. Congrats to Gabe and team.