Headstart YC Application

Summer 2017Acquired

Headstart went through Y Combinator in the Summer 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: Summer 2017
Industry: B2BRecruiting and Talent
Team size: 44
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2017

Founders

Nicholas ShekerdemianFounder/CEO
Jeremy HindleFounder/CTO / CPO

What Headstart does

Headstart (YC S17) uses Machine Learning technology to help employers identify the best-suited talent in the shortest period of time. We provide leading organisations with a solution designed to help them transition away from experience/qualification based screening and towards a more inclusive and effective process which considers personality, behaviours, strengths and motivations. In doing so, Headstart helps companies hire people truly aligned to their values, culture and exact job requirements in a seamless, engaging way. The Headstart process is simple and effective: companies save time and money by finding candidates who meet their exact job requirements at an earlier stage, and job seekers connect directly with businesses through an engaging, reusable 15 minute application form. We ensure a transparent process and initiate productive dialogue, making candidates feel valued and helping companies hire the right people.

Headstart's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Headstart, Summer 2017 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Headstart

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Machine learning for hiring better talent faster

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

We built an ML-driven hiring platform that helps companies screen candidates beyond resumes. Rather than focusing on experience and qualifications alone, Headstart evaluates personality traits, behaviors, and motivations to find candidates aligned with company values and specific roles. Candidates fill out a 15-minute reusable assessment that drives a more inclusive and effective hiring workflow, saving companies time by surfacing better matches early.

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

We live and work in London, England, and plan to base Headstart there after YC as well.

Explain your decision regarding location.

London has a strong recruiting and tech community, which fits our customer base of employers looking for talent solutions. It's also where we started building Headstart and have local access to early users and the team.

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 Headstart YC application?

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