Iris Automation YC Application

Summer 2016Acquired

Iris Automation went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2016 batch as a Industrials 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 2016
Industry: IndustrialsDrones
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2016

Founders

Alexander HarmsenFounder/CEO
James HowardFounder/CTO

What Iris Automation does

The future for autonomous industrial drones is in sight - Enabling safer drone operation through intelligent collision avoidance. We are a Y Combinator and Silicon Valley investor company with a team from NASA, Boeing and PhDs in computer vision. Read more at: Website:

Iris Automation's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Iris Automation, Summer 2016 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Iris Automation

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

AI software enabling autonomous drone flights

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

We are building an AI-based collision avoidance system for industrial drones. Our software uses computer vision to detect and avoid obstacles, enabling drones to operate safely and autonomously in complex environments.

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 there with some remote work.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco is a center for drone startups and AI talent, making it easier to hire and connect with early customers and investors.

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 Iris Automation YC application?

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