Magic Instruments YC Application

Winter 2016Inactive

Magic Instruments went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2016 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 2016
Industry: ConsumerConsumer Electronics
Team size: 2
Status: Inactive
Launched: 2015

Founders

Brian FanFounder/CEO
Andrew SongFounder
Mark LiebmanFounder/CTO

What Magic Instruments does

Musical instruments that enable anyone to play instantly, and make it easier and more inspiring to learn. Magic Instruments (YC W2016 and Highway1 F2015) is the maker of the MI Guitar. We design the tools that allow anyone to express themselves by making music. Our mission is to create a world that inspires human connection through music playing. We give people all the joy of playing music. We’re developing a new class of music instruments and the ecosystem around them, starting with our first product, a new type of guitar that anyone can play using an intuitive UI on the fretboard and a mobile app to play your favorite songs, instantly. We also make it technically easier and more inspiring to learn traditional guitar technique. Can't play a guitar? We guarantee you can play this one. The MI Guitar is a new type of guitar that you can pick up and play, instantly. By reinventing the fretboard of a traditional guitar, it simplifies playing so anyone can play their favorite songs at first sight, or create their own original music. You can also play this like the traditional guitar and it gives you a fun and easy way to learn the guitar. Pre-order now at Facebook: Twitter: YouTube:

Magic Instruments's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Magic Instruments, Winter 2016 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Magic Instruments

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

High-tech guitar that anyone can play

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

We're making the MI Guitar, a new type of guitar with an intuitive fretboard and mobile app. It lets anyone pick it up and play songs instantly, while still teaching traditional guitar techniques. The goal is to make music accessible and inspiring for everyone, whether they've played before or not.

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

We live and work in Los Angeles, CA, and plan to keep the company based here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We're in Los Angeles because it's a good place for hardware and music innovation. Being close to music communities helps us understand players and test our product.

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 Magic Instruments YC application?

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