Caviar YC Application

Summer 2011Acquired

Caviar went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2011 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 2011
Industry: ConsumerFood and Beverage
Team size: 51
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2012

Founders

Jason WangFounder/Founding CEO
Richard DinFounder
Tony (Shi) LiFounder
Andy ZhangFounder

What Caviar does

Caviar delivers the best restaurants. We partner directly with restaurants to bring food to customers across the country - whether dining for one or 100. Customers can order ahead on the web, or instantly from the Caviar app for iOS and Android. Caviar is part of Square’s full suite of tools for businesses, enabling restaurants across the country to reach more customers, grow sales and expand reach. We deliver from the best restaurants in Boston, Brooklyn & Queens, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Philadelphia & Greater Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area (including East Bay, Peninsula, Marin & South Bay), and Washington D.C.

Caviar's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Caviar, Summer 2011 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Caviar

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Uber for food.

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

We built Caviar to deliver food from the best local restaurants directly to customers. Unlike other delivery services, we partner directly with restaurants to offer their full menus, letting customers order ahead on web or instantly from our iOS and Android apps. The product solves the problem of limited, low-quality delivery options and helps restaurants reach more customers.

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

We live in San Francisco, CA and would continue to base the company here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco is where the food scene is vibrant and tech talent is available. Being local allows us to build strong partnerships with restaurants and deliver the best experience.

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 Caviar YC application?

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