Deako YC Application

Winter 2016Active

Deako went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2016 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 2016
Industry: ConsumerHome and Personal
Team size: 11
Status: Active
Launched: 2015

Founders

Derek RichardsonFounder/CEO

What Deako does

Deako believes that everyone should be able to enjoy the wonderful experiences of smart lighting, regardless of their budget. We invented the modular light switch, giving homeowners maximum flexibility to customize and upgrade their systems, at any time, in minutes and without turning off the power. Deako’s beautiful designer switches are like nothing else on the market today. Deako Smart Lighting has been named the #1 Smart Lighting Control System by TecHome Builder, Top 25 Innovative IOT Companies by Entrepreneur, featured in “I Want That!” episode on DIY Network, Top 50 most promising Startups by Bloomberg, and “Changing The Way Builders Spec Light Switches” - Builder Magazine.

Deako's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Deako, Winter 2016 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Deako

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Connected modular light switches for smart homes

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

We make modular light switches that let homeowners customize and upgrade their lighting controls easily without shutting off power. Our switches connect to Wi-Fi and allow control from phones or voice assistants, designed to be beautiful and flexible for builders and consumers.

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

We live and work in Seattle, WA, and would base the company here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

Seattle has the talent we need for hardware and software and is where we have built our network and early customers.

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 Deako YC application?

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