Airbnb YC Application
Airbnb went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2009 batch as a Consumer 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 2009
- Industry
- ConsumerTravel, Leisure and Tourism
- Team size
- 6132
- Status
- Public
- Launched
- 2012
Founders
Brian CheskyFounder/CEO
Nathan BlecharczykFounder/CTO
Joe GebbiaFounder/CPO
What Airbnb does
Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world - online or from a mobile phone. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 33,000 cities and 192 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions. No global movement springs from individuals. It takes an entire team united behind something big. Together, we work hard, we laugh a lot, we brainstorm nonstop, we use hundreds of Post-Its a week, and we give the best high-fives in town. Headquartered in San Francisco, we have satellite offices in Dublin, London, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, Copenhagen, Berlin, Moscow, São Paolo, Sydney, and Singapore.
Airbnb's YC application, reconstructed
Y Combinator application
Airbnb, Winter 2009 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.
- Founders2
- Company7
- Progress7
- Idea4
- Equity3
- Curious2
- Batch Preference1
Company
Airbnb (AirBed & Breakfast)
Book accommodations around the world.
A trusted marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations anywhere, from an apartment for a night to a castle for a week. Hosts monetize their extra space; travelers get a more personal, affordable alternative to hotels. We handle search, booking, payments, and trust/reputation between strangers.
San Francisco, USA / San Francisco, USA.
San Francisco gives us access to early adopters, design and engineering talent, and the investor network we will need to scale a marketplace nationally and then internationally.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the real Airbnb YC application?
No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from Airbnb's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like Airbnb would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.
What YC batch was Airbnb in?
Airbnb was part of the Y Combinator Winter 2009 batch.
Who founded Airbnb?
Airbnb was founded by Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, Joe Gebbia.
What does Airbnb do?
Book accommodations around the world.
How do I read the full reconstructed application?
Create a free Round Funded account. The full 26-answer version of Airbnb's application, and every other YC batch, is in YC Insights.
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