Albedo YC Application

Winter 2021Active

Albedo went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2021 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: Winter 2021
Industry: IndustrialsAviation and Space
Team size: 55
Status: Active
Launched: 2021

Founders

Topher HaddadFounder
AyJay LasaterFounder

What Albedo does

Albedo builds and operates satellites in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) - a new orbital layer much closer to Earth than traditional satellites in LEO. Flying lower unlocks sharper imagery, faster communications, and real-time maneuverability with smaller, more efficient hardware. VLEO is naturally self-cleaning and resilient, offering a sustainable alternative to crowded low Earth orbit - providing diversification and redundancy for critical systems that we rely on in higher orbits. With the only flight proven VLEO system on the market, Albedo is creating a new orbital infrastructure designed for speed, precision, and resilience.

Albedo's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Albedo, Winter 2021 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Albedo

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Full-stack VLEO satellite missions

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

We build and operate satellites in Very Low Earth Orbit. Our system flies closer to Earth than traditional LEO satellites, delivering sharper imagery, faster communications, and the ability to maneuver in real time with smaller hardware. This unlocks new capabilities for aerospace and climate applications, and our flight-proven technology offers a sustainable alternative to crowded higher orbits.

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

We live and work in Denver, Colorado, and the company is based here.

Explain your decision regarding location.

Denver offers us affordable space and access to aerospace talent critical for developing and operating complex satellite systems. It's also a hub for climate and aviation tech where we have strong local connections.

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 Albedo YC application?

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