dNovo YC Application
dNovo went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2018 batch as a Healthcare 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 2018
- Industry
- HealthcareTherapeutics
- Team size
- 4
- Status
- Inactive
- Launched
- 2021
Founders
Ernesto LujanFounder
What dNovo does
At dNovo, we are curing hair loss by creating new hair, de novo. We are doing this with cellular reprogramming technology that we pioneered at Stanford and Harvard. With this technology, we can take any patient derived cell, whether it be blood, skin or fat and reprogram (convert) them into medically relevant cell types. Our first objective is to cure hair loss by using our reprogramming technology to make new hair (patent pending). This is different from everything currently available on the market because the hair loss industry is focused on maintaining the hair that you already have, but no one is trying to produce NEW hair, de novo. After hair, we envision using our cellular reprogramming technique to make any cell, any tissue or any organ on demand to replace what is lost as we age.
dNovo's YC application, reconstructed
Y Combinator application
dNovo, Summer 2018 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.
- Founders2
- Company7
- Progress7
- Idea4
- Equity3
- Curious2
- Batch Preference1
Company
dNovo
The cure for hair loss.
We are building a therapy that creates new hair entirely from patient-derived cells using cellular reprogramming. Unlike treatments that only preserve existing hair, we generate new hair follicles from blood, skin, or fat cells to cure hair loss. This same technology could later make any cell or tissue on demand to address aging.
We live and are based in San Jose, CA, and the company would remain headquartered here after YC.
San Jose has a strong biotech and medical research ecosystem, plus proximity to Stanford where the technology originated. Staying here keeps us close to key resources and collaborators.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the real dNovo YC application?
No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from dNovo's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like dNovo would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.
What YC batch was dNovo in?
dNovo was part of the Y Combinator Summer 2018 batch.
Who founded dNovo?
dNovo was founded by Ernesto Lujan.
What does dNovo do?
The cure for hair loss.
How do I read the full reconstructed application?
Create a free Round Funded account. The full 26-answer version of dNovo's application, and every other YC batch, is in YC Insights.
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