Bluesmart YC Application

Winter 2015Acquired

Bluesmart went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2015 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 2015
Industry: ConsumerConsumer Electronics
Team size: 51
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2014

Founders

Alejo VerliniFounder/CPO

What Bluesmart does

Bluesmart is a global travel company that became famous for creating the world's first smart connected luggage. Its first product, the Bluesmart Carry-on, launched in October 2014 through Indiegogo and raised more than $2M in pre-orders from more than 10,000 backers in 120 countries worldwide. It was named "Top Innovative Product and Service" by Forbes Magazine, awarded "Best Travel Gear" by Fast Company and “Best of the Best" Red Dot Design Award. The company is backed by Y Combinator and other top Silicon Valley venture investors. Bluesmart is headquartered in New York with offices in Hong Kong, China and Argentina.

Bluesmart's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Bluesmart, Winter 2015 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Bluesmart

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Smart luggage controlled via a mobile app

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

We make smart connected luggage with an embedded scale, GPS, and remote locking features controlled through an app. Our first product, the Bluesmart Carry-on, solves common travel problems like overweight bags, lost luggage, and inconvenient locks.

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

We live in New York, NY, and plan to keep the company headquartered there after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

New York is where our team is based and where we built the initial product; it's a major travel hub which helps us stay close to our customers and distribution.

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 Bluesmart YC application?

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