ACLU YC Application

Winter 2017Active

ACLU went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2017 batch as a Unspecified company. Below: what the company does, who founded it, and its application to YC, reconstructed question by question in the real YC form.

YC batch: Winter 2017
Industry: Unspecified
Team size: 501
Status: Active
Launched: 2017

Founders

Anthony RomeroFounder

What ACLU does

The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. The ACLU is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that has grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists in 1920 to an organization of more than 500,000 members and supporters today. We handle nearly 6,000 court cases annually from our offices in almost every state. The ACLU is supported by annual dues and contributions from its members, plus grants from private foundations and individuals. We do not receive any government funding. We protect: Your First Amendment rights - freedom of speech, association and assembly; freedom of the press, and freedom of religion. Your right to equal protection under the law - protection against unlawful discrimination. Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake. Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs. The ACLU also works to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color; women; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; prisoners; and people with disabilities.

ACLU's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

ACLU, Winter 2017 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

ACLU

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Defender of rights and liberties

What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.

We defend individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. We work in courts, legislatures and communities to handle legal cases involving free speech, privacy, equal protection, and due process.

Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

We are based in New York, NY, USA, and plan to remain there after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

New York is where our organization has been established and has its resources and staff. It's strategically important for legal advocacy and access to courts and policymakers.

21 more answers in the full application

Founders, Progress, Idea, Equity, Curious, Batch Preference are in the full version. Create a free account to open it in YC Insights, next to every other YC batch.

See full application

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the real ACLU YC application?

No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from ACLU's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like ACLU would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.