Prophecy Sciences YC Application

Winter 2013Inactive

Prophecy Sciences went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2013 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: Winter 2013
Industry: B2BRecruiting and Talent
Team size: 2
Status: Inactive
Launched: 2013

Founders

Bob SchaferFounder/CEO
John StanleyFounder

What Prophecy Sciences does

Prophecy is quantifying the cognitive factors that determine workplace performance -- from mental aptitude, to personality traits, to decision-making styles and interpersonal dynamics. Drawing from research across many subfields of neuroscience, we have created a suite of cognitive tests that integrate behavioral measures with sensors for collecting biosignals. The data we collect is unlike that of any existing personality or aptitude test, and gives us the unique ability to predict a tremendous number of traits, characteristics, and job performance measures. We help employers find the ideal person for a job, and we help managers optimize and motivate their teams.

Prophecy Sciences's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Prophecy Sciences, Winter 2013 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Prophecy Sciences

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Predicting workplace performance through neuroscience

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

We have built a platform that combines cognitive tests with biosignal sensors to measure mental aptitude, personality traits, decision-making styles, and interpersonal dynamics. Our product analyzes this data to predict workplace performance and help employers find the right candidates and managers optimize their teams.

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

We live and work in San Francisco, CA, and the company will be based here after YC as well.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We're based in San Francisco because it's where we both live and the center of early adopters and tech talent interested in recruiting tech. This location gives us access to customers and talent we need.

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 Prophecy Sciences YC application?

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