AirHelp YC Application

Winter 2014Active

AirHelp went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2014 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 2014
Industry: ConsumerTravel, Leisure and Tourism
Team size: 350
Status: Active
Launched: 2013

Founders

Henrik ZillmerFounder
Nicolas MichaelsenFounder
Greg RoodtFounder/CTO

What AirHelp does

We help get compensation for air passengers that have experienced delayed, cancelled, and overbooked flights. We make the claim process much faster, easier and less painfull because the airlines won't. We love new challenges! As a start-up, we’ve been through it all and thanks to this our AirHelpers have developed the skills to deal with it all, and more, all while remaining passionate about what we do - helping ordinary people - as flight delays can happen to anyone. What helps us continuously develop, is our combination of talent, passion and persistance. What makes us different? Every single one of our employees can make an impact on the future of AirHelp - come up with an innovative idea - and we’ll help you implement it at AirHelp. This is an experience you can gain in very few places! If you’re looking to develop new skills, make an impact on not only global business, but ordinary, everyday travellers, and take risks developing and implementing new projects - what are you waiting for? Come join us today! With a variety of departments to choose from: tech, product, legal, finance, human resources, customer service (and the list goes on!) - you don’t have to narrow your horizons, just take your pick. Pick what you’ve got a knack for, and most importantly, what you enjoy! AirHelp. We're here to help!

AirHelp's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

AirHelp, Winter 2014 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

AirHelp

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

We help passengers get flight delay compensation

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

We built a platform that helps air passengers claim compensation for delayed, cancelled, and overbooked flights. We handle the complex, slow, and frustrating claims process on behalf of travelers to get them paid faster and with less hassle than if they tried alone.

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

We all live and operate remotely now, and the company is fully remote post-YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

Flight disruptions happen worldwide, and our users are everywhere. Staying remote lets us tap into talent globally and serve customers wherever they fly.

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 AirHelp YC application?

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