NextDrop YC Application

Summer 2017Inactive

NextDrop went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2017 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 2017
Industry: IndustrialsEnergy
Team size: 11
Status: Inactive
Launched: 2017

Founders

Anu SridharanFounder/CEO
Devin MillerFounder/CTO

What NextDrop does

NextDrop is a for-profit enterprise with a social mission- we want to rid the world of its water problems. It’s not a big deal. We think it can be done. And what we’ve managed to achieve so far only reaffirms our belief. NextDrop was founded in 2011 with a pilot in Hubli-Dharwad district of Karnataka. Four years later, we have 70,000 users registered with us across Karnataka. Our vision is simple- we want to link the private sector, government utilities and citizens to create an endless loop of timely service provision and feedback collection, and bridge all the gaps in between. And to do this, we try to harness the latest, cutting edge technology. Water is our mission. Data is our business. NextDrop crowdsources water data and creates algorithms and visualizations to improve urban water distribution across emerging markets. Urban residents can get a text message an hour before water arrives, if water supply is cancelled, or if there is contamination or low pressure present in the pipe network. On the utility side, engineers get a live feed on problems arising in the distribution system, so they can tackle issues in real time.

NextDrop's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

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

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

NextDrop

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Water marketplace for urban India

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

We send text alerts to urban residents about their water supply schedule - when water will arrive, if it's canceled, or if there are contamination or pressure problems. On the utility side, we provide live feeds of distribution issues so engineers can fix problems in real time. Our product connects citizens, government utilities, and private sector players to improve water distribution through data and communication.

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

We live in Bengaluru, India, and the company is based there.

Explain your decision regarding location.

Bengaluru is a tech hub with access to talent and a strong ecosystem for startups. It's also close to our main user base in Karnataka, which helps us stay connected to the communities we serve.

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 NextDrop YC application?

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