So, our fault for not having caught it the first time. But the reason is more innocuous than you might think. On a busy day, we can get 50-100 startups showing up. That's a lot of applications to read - so we run an algorithmic filter to decide what to even look at. My guess is that your initial pitch didn't make it past the filter. The second time did, but not because you had a ton of offline traction with press and investors, but because you had a referrer who's known to the community - Joshua Baer. Yes, that's a bit of social proof (knowing an entrepreneur who's respected in the community) but not a particularly high bar. We'll try and do better in the future, and meantime, congratulations!
For the record, I have looked at our first application again and I can see how it left something to be desired. I do think AL is working great for us now and I think hustle can create enough social proof to make things happen. The bar isn't too high, even though it is a barrier. Geography is huge, probably too much. But a few flights can overcome that sometimes.
