Focal Systems YC Application

Winter 2016Active

Focal Systems went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2016 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 2016
Industry: B2BRetail
Team size: 170
Status: Active
Launched: 2015

Founders

Michael CantalinoFounder/COO

What Focal Systems does

Focal Systems is on a mission to lower the cost of living for all mankind by automating and optimizing Brick and Mortar Retail with the latest advancements in AI. Focal Systems is the industry leader in retail automation solutions. By digitizing store shelves hourly and unleashing FocalOS, retailers unlock huge operational efficiencies, optimized merchandising, and streamlined supply chains which deliver impactful financial results. Focal is transforming retail by empowering store management to make automated, data-driven decisions. We are the operating system of retail.

Focal Systems's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

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

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Focal Systems

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Operating system for brick & mortar retail

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

We build FocalOS, a system that uses computer vision and deep learning to digitize store shelves hourly in grocery and other retail stores. Our product automates inventory tracking and optimizes merchandising so store managers can make fast, data-driven decisions without manual stock checks or guesswork.

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

We are based in San Francisco, Toronto, and London. After YC, the company would remain headquartered in San Francisco.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco is a tech hub with strong AI and retail networks, which helps us recruit top engineers and close deals. Our presence in Toronto and London keeps us close to key markets and engineering talent, but SF will remain our main base.

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 Focal Systems YC application?

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