Codecademy YC Application

Summer 2011Acquired

Codecademy went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2011 batch as a Education 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: Education
Team size: 225
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2012

Founders

Zach SimsFounder/CEO

What Codecademy does

Working professionals are experiencing their jobs changing amidst the rise of technology and automation threatens over 800 million jobs. At the same time, software is eating the world, disrupting every major industry, and creating millions of new technology jobs that companies are eager to fill. This is the skills gap. Our mission is closing it. In 2011, we changed the face of education by creating free interactive coding courses explored by over 45 million people. As we look to the future, we're focused on helping anyone get the skills they need for the jobs they want. We aim to bridge the gap: between companies and the workforce, people and their dream jobs. Join one of the most dynamic technology companies in New York that is changing the way the world learns. Headquartered in New York City, our team is filled with highly curious diverse individuals whose backgrounds span tech and education. Our team is passionate about our mission: helping people get the skills they need for the jobs they want. We seek transparency, thrive on feedback, value teamwork, love evolving and never forget it's people first. We enjoy catered lunches together, company outings, guest speakers and long walks on the beach.

Codecademy's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

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

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Codecademy

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Online learning platform for coding skills

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

We built Codecademy to teach programming skills online through interactive, hands-on coding lessons. Our product lets anyone learn to code in their browser without installing anything, making technical skills accessible at scale.

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

We live in New York City now and plan to base the company here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

New York is home to a diverse talent pool and a growing tech community. We want to build our product where we have support and can recruit a strong team.

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 Codecademy YC application?

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