SpaceRyde YC Application

Winter 2019Inactive

SpaceRyde went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2019 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: Winter 2019
Industry: IndustrialsAviation and Space
Team size: 33
Status: Inactive
Launched: 2020

Founders

Sohrab HaghighatFounder

What SpaceRyde does

SpaceRyde is building the future of space cargo transportation to facilitate and encourage necessary in-space developments, innovations and economy. SpaceRyde is the only sustainable mode of space transportation. Its innovative system utilizes a stratospheric balloon to bypass the atmosphere without emissions nor depositing black particles into the ozone layer and is the world’s first and only multi-functional rocket. After completing its initial mission, the vehicle will remain powered in orbit and joins its rocket network until assigned its next in-space mission, including tasks such as; refuelling, deep space missions, space junk removal and de-orbiting. SpaceRyde’s story began in 2018 with husband-wife founders Saharnaz Safari and Sohrab Haghighat and the dream of eliminating the barriers to innovation in space. The company is now a rapidly growing team of over 30 employees with a 25,000-square-foot rocket factory and state-of-the-art engine groundworks facility.

SpaceRyde's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

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

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

SpaceRyde

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

The Rocket Network: Sustainable & On-Demand Delivery

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

We build a multi-functional rocket system launched by stratospheric balloons to transport cargo anywhere in space sustainably. Our rocket avoids atmospheric pollution by skipping emissions-heavy phases. After each mission, vehicles join our orbiting network, ready to refuel, remove debris, or support further space tasks on demand.

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

We live and work in San Francisco, CA, and Toronto, ON. After YC, we plan to base the company primarily in San Francisco.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We chose San Francisco for access to aerospace talent, investors, and partnerships, while Toronto supports engineering and manufacturing operations. This split lets us build hardware and software efficiently.

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 SpaceRyde YC application?

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