Proxy YC Application

Summer 2016Acquired

Proxy went through Y Combinator in the Summer 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: Summer 2016
Industry: ConsumerConsumer Electronics
Team size: 20
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2016

Founders

Denis MarsFounder/CEO
Simon RatnerFounder/CTO

What Proxy does

We're building a mobile and wearable digital wallet that makes interacting with payments, identity, and authentication seamless, fun, and empowering. Acquired by OURA in 2023

Proxy's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Proxy, Summer 2016 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Proxy

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Smart ring digital wallet

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

We are building a mobile and wearable digital wallet focused on a smart ring that lets people interact with payments, identity, and authentication without pulling out their phones or cards. The product replaces keys, cards, and phone-based authentication with a ring that acts as a secure, always-on digital wallet.

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

We live in San Francisco, CA, and the company is based there with remote team members.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco gives us access to hardware engineers and early adopters in consumer electronics, which is critical as we combine wearables and secure identity tech.

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 Proxy YC application?

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