Ravn YC Application

Winter 2019Active

Ravn went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2019 batch as a Government 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: Government
Team size: 10
Status: Active
Launched: 2018

Founders

Jake BullockFounder

What Ravn does

Ravn is a DefenseTech company building a heads-up display for soldiers that will allow them to see around corners. In doing so, we allow them to see the enemy and react while they're still behind cover. Our lightweight heads-up display displays videos feeds from a camera on a gun, to drones, robots or other external platforms. Our heads-up display will become a soldier's most relied upon computer. We currently have four team members, all very experienced in their respective fields. Jake, the Founder, is a former Navy SEAL and understands the market and product. Our Chief Science Officer, Karl Guttag, is an industry leader in the optics and display space. Our VPs of Software and Hardware are both very experienced in their fields. Our primary technology focus is on peer-to-peer applications, near eye optics and displays, cameras/sensors/IoT, and UI/UX (hardware and software).

Ravn's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Ravn, Winter 2019 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Ravn

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Heads-up display for soldiers to see around corners

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

We are building a lightweight heads-up display that allows soldiers to see video feeds from cameras mounted on guns, drones, or robots. This lets soldiers effectively see around corners and remain behind cover while assessing threats. The display combines near-eye optics with software that integrates multiple sensor inputs into one interface.

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

We live across Boston and San Francisco. After YC, the company would be based in San Francisco.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We split time between Boston and San Francisco to access both defense technology expertise on the East Coast and startup resources on the West Coast. YC is in Silicon Valley, so basing the company in SF after batch makes sense for fundraising and recruiting.

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 Ravn YC application?

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