Toko YC Application

Winter 2022Active

Toko went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2022 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 2022
Industry: Education
Team size: 5
Status: Active
Launched: 2022

Founders

Jen LiuFounder
Erica DuFounder

What Toko does

Toko helps English learners in East Asia achieve speaking fluency. Through our mobile app, learners engage in short, realistic conversations with an AI and receive feedback on their grammar. With over 500 topics, learners can practice real-world scenarios ranging from small talk to workplace discussions. Toko offers a low-pressure environment to help learners build up their confidence. We make language fluency accessible to everyone - not just those with the means to meet 1:1 with a tutor. In Taiwan (our first market), Toko is ranked top 3 in the App Store for Education!

Toko's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Toko, Winter 2022 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Toko

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Learn English by speaking with an AI

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

We built a mobile app that helps English learners in East Asia practice speaking through short conversations with an AI. The AI simulates realistic topics - from small talk to workplace scenarios - and gives feedback on grammar. It creates a low-pressure environment to build confidence and fluency without needing a live tutor.

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

We live in New York, NY and plan to base the company here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We picked New York because that's where our team is located now, and it's a good base for building the product and reaching our early East Asian users remotely.

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 Toko YC application?

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