KeyDB YC Application

Summer 2020Acquired

KeyDB went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2020 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 2020
Industry: B2BInfrastructure
Team size: 2
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2020

Founders

John SullyFounder
Ben SchermelFounder

What KeyDB does

KeyDB is a fast key value database that combines in memory caching and FLASH persistence in a single package.

KeyDB's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

KeyDB, Summer 2020 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

KeyDB

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

The only database you'll ever need

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

We built KeyDB, a key-value database that integrates in-memory caching with FLASH persistence in a single system. It's designed to be fast and simple, replacing setups that require separate caching and database layers.

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

We live in Toronto, ON, Canada, and our company is currently based here. If accepted to YC, we would base the company in the Bay Area to take advantage of the community and network.

Explain your decision regarding location.

Toronto has been convenient to start but moving to the Bay Area after YC would help us connect to users, investors, and partners more easily.

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 KeyDB YC application?

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