Envelope YC Application

Summer 2023Active

Envelope went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2023 batch as a Fintech 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 2023
Industry: FintechConsumer Finance
Team size: 2
Status: Active
Launched: 2023

Founders

Katelyn StrobelFounder
Josh StrobelFounder

What Envelope does

Envelope is a banking app with built-in budgeting. It's similar to Mint, Copilot, or Rocket Money, but our app issues you a checking account during onboarding so there's no syncing or flaky bank connections. We are structured to be the primary checking and savings account for our users. We (Josh and Katelyn) are married cofounders who previously worked on Apple Card and the Robinhood iOS app. We started Envelope because we were using clunky tools like the Chase app, spreadsheets, and Mint to run our family finances and realized we could build something better. In the future, you could go set up a Chase account for checking, E-Trade for investing, SoFi for savings, Ally for money market, Greenlight for kid cards, PLUS the Mint/YNAB/Rocket Money to glue it all together + budgeting, or you could just use Envelope. _Envelope is a financial technology company and is not a bank. Banking services provided by Pacific West Bank, Member FDIC. Your funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through Pacific West Bank, Member FDIC. The Envelope Visa® Debit Card is issued by Pacific West Bank, N.A. pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used anywhere Visa cards are accepted._

Envelope's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Envelope, Summer 2023 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Envelope

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Banking with built-in budgeting

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

We built Envelope, a banking app that includes built-in budgeting. Unlike Mint or Copilot, we issue you a checking account during onboarding so you never have to sync or connect flaky bank APIs. It's designed to be your primary checking and savings account, replacing the need to juggle multiple financial apps and spreadsheets.

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

We live in San Francisco, CA, and the company will be based here after YC as well.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We're based here because it's where we live and where the fintech ecosystem is strong. Both founders are settled in SF, which keeps us close to potential users and partners.

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 Envelope YC application?

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