Airthium YC Application

Summer 2017Active

Airthium went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2017 batch as a Industrials 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: Summer 2017
Industry: IndustrialsClimate
Team size: 18
Status: Active
Launched: 2017

Founders

Andrei KlochkoFounder/CEO
Franck LahayeCo-Founder

What Airthium does

We build engines that have the potential to slash 33% or worldwide CO2 emissions - cost-effectively. First, we help food and mining companies cut both their heat costs *and* CO2 emissions by replacing gas-fired steam boilers with our proprietary high temperature heat pumps. Our heat pumps make up to 3x more heat with the same amount of electricity, even at up to 1000°F. Once the heat pump market is mature, we will address the seasonal energy storage market. Our storage units are based on the exact same proprietary engine we use for our heat pumps. They work with solar and wind, and replace lithium-ion batteries, fossil-fired power plants, CO2 capture and storage, and fuel procurement, with a cheaper, sustainable and more reliable alternative, which can be sited anywhere. The first opportunity is a high-margin market worth 3% of worldwide CO2. The second is a much bigger market worth 30% of worldwide CO2. By the time all cars become electric, it will be even more. Our key is we are building the first Stirling engine to reach 86% of the Carnot efficiency, compared to 64% for the state of the art. We do all that while significantly decreasing costs, and increasing reliability. Please see Airthium's website for more information.

Airthium's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Airthium, Summer 2017 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Airthium

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Decarbonized heat and power cheaper than fossil fuels

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

We build advanced Stirling engines that power high temperature heat pumps, cutting fuel costs and CO2 emissions for industrial users like food and mining companies. Our engines reach 86% of Carnot efficiency, outperforming current tech, and work up to 1000°F. Later, we will adapt this tech for large-scale seasonal energy storage, replacing lithium-ion batteries and fossil plants with a cheaper, sustainable alternative.

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

We are based in Paris, Île-de-France, France, and plan to remain here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

Paris has a strong engineering talent pool and access to industrial customers in Europe. Staying in Paris allows us to leverage local manufacturing and industrial ecosystems critical for hardware and climate tech.

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 Airthium YC application?

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