Faire YC Application

Winter 2017Active

Faire went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2017 batch as a B2B 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 2017
Industry: B2BRetail
Team size: 900
Status: Active
Launched: 2016

Founders

Max RhodesFounder/CEO
Marcelo CortesFounder/CTO
Daniele PeritoFounder

What Faire does

Faire is an innovative online marketplace that uses machine learning to match local retailers with the brands and products that uniquely fit their stores. We are using the power of technology to connect brands and independent retailers from all over the world, building a thriving community of hundreds of thousands of retailers, which has resulted in over 7 million new connections to date. Faire was founded on the belief that the future of retail is local. Our mission is to empower brands and retailers to strengthen the unique character of local communities. Our data-driven approach unburdens retailers from decades-old obstacles by helping find the right products for their shop. Plus, our straight-forward financial terms level the playing field by eliminating inventory risk and providing access to capital - key offerings previously only available to big box chains. For brands, our platform provides powerful sales, marketing, and analytics tools that simplify their business and allow them to focus on what they love: making great products.

Faire's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Faire, Winter 2017 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Faire

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

The global online platform empowering independent retail

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

We built an online marketplace that uses machine learning to match local retailers with unique brands and products that fit their stores. Our platform removes old obstacles retailers face by recommending products and offering financial terms that eliminate inventory risk and provide capital access.

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

We live in San Francisco, CA, and the company is based here now and would remain here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco is where we found the talent and community to build a technology-driven platform supporting independent retailers globally. Being here keeps us close to partners and retailers as we grow.

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 Faire YC application?

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