I disagree with one part here. It's not always good to be passionate about your idea.
The Zenters happened to be working on a good idea, so we were glad they were psyched about it. When people walk in with a fully-formed idea, we just start the YC process right there-- ok, how do you make the perfect web-based Powerpoint killer? But when a group walks in with a semi-broken idea, which is much more common, the conversation becomes: what good idea can we morph this into? In that case, being passionately attached to your initial idea is not a plus.
The Zenters happened to be working on a good idea, so we were glad they were psyched about it. When people walk in with a fully-formed idea, we just start the YC process right there-- ok, how do you make the perfect web-based Powerpoint killer? But when a group walks in with a semi-broken idea, which is much more common, the conversation becomes: what good idea can we morph this into? In that case, being passionately attached to your initial idea is not a plus.