Treehouse YC Application

Summer 2008Inactive

Treehouse went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2008 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 2008
Industry: ConsumerSocial
Team size: 101
Status: Inactive
Launched: 2012

Founders

Daniel RhodesFounder

What Treehouse does

Treehouse is an online technology school that offers beginner to advanced courses in web design, web development, mobile development and game development taught by a team of expert teachers. Its courses are aimed at beginners looking to learn coding skills and embark on a career in the tech industry. In May 2016, Treehouse launched the Techdegree program, a comprehensive learning program focused on helping people learn the skills they need to start a tech career. Through earning a Techdegree certification, a student will challenge themselves, deepen their skills, and prove their knowledge to potential employers. All in 6-12 months, on their own schedule. Treehouse believes that understanding, communicating with and controlling technology is a fundamental skill that everyone should have the opportunity to learn. Through learning with Treehouse, each student is given the opportunity to learn the valuable skills they need - whether they have existing, little or no previous experience - to confidently take control of their future.

Treehouse's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Treehouse, Summer 2008 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Treehouse

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Online tech school for beginner to advanced coders

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

We are building Treehouse, an online platform that teaches coding and development skills through structured courses. Our product guides beginners through web design, web development, mobile development, and game development. We also offer the Techdegree, a program designed to deepen skills and certify knowledge over 6-12 months on the learner's own schedule.

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

We live and work in San Francisco, CA, and Portland, OR. After YC, the company would be based primarily in San Francisco.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We chose these locations because San Francisco is the center of the tech industry and YC ecosystem, which will give us access to resources and potential partners. Portland is a good place for our content development and team culture.

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 Treehouse YC application?

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