Carlypso YC Application

Summer 2014Acquired

Carlypso went through Y Combinator in the Summer 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: Summer 2014
Industry: ConsumerTransportation Services
Team size: 11
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2014

Founders

Nicholas HinrichsenFounder/CEO
Christopher ColemanFounder

What Carlypso does

Get your next car hassle-free. We’re here to change the used car marketplace. No more headache of combing through web listings and car lots, no more haggling with a dealership. We help you find the best car at the best price, period. Tell us what car you’re looking for, and we’ll find you the best pre-owned vehicle for the lowest possible price. Once we’ve landed your car, we’ll inspect it, detail it, and deliver it to you. We pride ourselves on the very best quality, and back it with a 7-day money-back guarantee. Let us know what you're looking for and we'll bring you a great car.

Carlypso's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Carlypso, Summer 2014 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Carlypso

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Used car marketplace

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

We built a service that lets buyers tell us what used car they want. We then find them the best pre-owned vehicles matching that request at the lowest price. After purchase, we inspect, detail, and deliver the car, backed by a 7-day money-back guarantee. Our product simplifies what is normally a frustrating, time-consuming process with no need to haggle or comb through listings.

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

We live and work in San Francisco, CA. We will remain based here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco is where our team is, and it's the center of tech and startup activity. Being here keeps us close to our customers and the resources we need to grow.

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 Carlypso YC application?

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