Our World in Data YC Application
Our World in Data went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2019 batch as a Education 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 2019
- Industry
- Education
- Team size
- 19
- Status
- Active
- Launched
- 2018
Founders
Esteban Ortiz-OspinaFounder
Hannah RitchieFounder
Max RoserFounder
What Our World in Data does
Poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, war, existential risks, and inequality: The world faces many great and terrifying problems. It is these large problems that our work at Our World in Data focuses on. Our World in Data publishes an open-access publication where users can understand the state of the world today, where we are making progress and where we are falling behind. Through interactive data visualizations we can see how the world has changed; by summarizing the scientific literature we can understand why. We cover everything from global poverty to natural disasters, education and health; we have 3405 charts across 297 topics. Our World in Data is free, open-source and provided as a public good. It has millions of users every month, and is cited in research and media across the world every day. This allows millions of people to understand the large problems the world is facing, and how we can solve them.
Our World in Data's YC application, reconstructed
Y Combinator application
Our World in Data, Winter 2019 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.
- Founders2
- Company7
- Progress7
- Idea4
- Equity3
- Curious2
- Batch Preference1
Company
Our World in Data
Research and data to make progress against the world's largest problems
We publish a free, open-access publication with interactive data visualizations and summaries of scientific research across large global problems like poverty, disease, climate change, and inequality. Our site helps millions understand where progress is being made and where it isn't, by providing clear data and explanations in one place.
We are based in Oxford, England, United Kingdom, with a fully remote team distributed globally. After YC, we plan to keep this mix of Oxford-based operations and remote work.
Oxford provides an academic environment that supports our research-driven work, while a remote setup lets us collaborate with a global team and reach diverse users worldwide.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the real Our World in Data YC application?
No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from Our World in Data's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like Our World in Data would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.
What YC batch was Our World in Data in?
Our World in Data was part of the Y Combinator Winter 2019 batch.
Who founded Our World in Data?
Our World in Data was founded by Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, Hannah Ritchie, Max Roser.
What does Our World in Data do?
Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest…
How do I read the full reconstructed application?
Create a free Round Funded account. The full 26-answer version of Our World in Data's application, and every other YC batch, is in YC Insights.
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