Joining Y Combinator turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made, especially as we faced severe financial challenges before receiving their support. Starting and running a company as a founder can be a very lonely experience, where you often feel responsible for everyone's future and only you know the reality of the low times.

After being encouraged by founders like Drew Houston and Sam Altman, I applied to Y Combinator, despite my initial hesitation about giving up equity.

When we decided to join Y Combinator, we were already profitable and saw it as an opportunity to scale our team and improve our fundraising efforts.

I didn't do Y Combinator at the beginning of Gobble; I did it three and a half years into the struggle when I was running out of money and had only $8,000 in the bank.

We were initially hesitant to apply to Y Combinator, but an advisor encouraged us to go for it, leading to an unexpected interview and acceptance.

I applied to Y Combinator on a long shot, not expecting to get in, but after interviewing in Palo Alto, I was accepted and dropped out of graduate school to pursue my startup.

After Y Combinator, we struggled financially for about a year, living off savings and working out of a friend's living room, which was made possible by the generosity of his parents.

The Y Combinator experience was invaluable; the community of motivated individuals and guidance from partners like Paul Graham helped us stay on course and saved us years of effort.

The economic downturn has prompted Y Combinator founders to take a sober look at their situations, assessing whether their strategies are beneficial for their businesses rather than just for investors.