FlightCar YC Application

Winter 2013Inactive

FlightCar went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2013 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 2013
Industry: ConsumerTravel, Leisure and Tourism
Team size: 51
Status: Inactive
Launched: 2012

Founders

Rujul ZapardeFounder/CEO
Shri GaneshramFounder/CTO
Kevin PetrovicFounder/President

What FlightCar does

Launched in early 2013 and based in San Francisco, California, FlightCar inspires and enables local owners and visitors to come together to list and rent each other’s unique vehicles. We make it convenient and enjoyable for anyone to experience traveling in an original way at a great value. By connecting visitors who need cars at the airport with locals looking to park them, FlightCar saves travelers money, creates a more interesting experience, and offers a practical and novel new option for a collaborative community of travelers. The company has raised a total of $40.41 million from prominent investors including GGV Capital, General Catalyst Partners, First Round Capital, Softbank Capital, The Priceline Group, Tencent Holdings, and Brian Chesky, CEO and Co-Founder of Airbnb. Currently operating in 12 airports nationwide: AUS, BOS, DEN, DFW, EWR, IAD, LAX, OAK, SAN, SEA, SJC, SFO

FlightCar's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

FlightCar, Winter 2013 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

FlightCar

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

The Airbnb of Car Rentals at Airports

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

We built a marketplace that connects travelers flying into an airport with local car owners who want to rent out their cars and park them safely. Our product handles listings, bookings, insurance, and logistics around airport rentals, making it easy and cost-effective for both owners and renters to share vehicles at airports.

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

We live in San Francisco, CA and plan to base the company here after YC as well.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco is where we both live and where most travelers and innovative startups are. It's also close to major airports and a natural place to pilot our airport-specific marketplace.

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 FlightCar YC application?

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