ZeroDown YC Application

Winter 2019Acquired

ZeroDown went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2019 batch as a Real Estate and Construction 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: Real Estate and ConstructionHousing and Real Estate
Team size: 13
Status: Acquired
Launched: 2019

Founders

Abhijeet DwivediFounder

What ZeroDown does

What used to be an integral part of the American Dream, or at least a check mark on the way to adulthood, is now well beyond reach for many of us. And nobody bears the brunt of the current housing crisis more than young folks, who, compared to their parents and grandparents, find themselves saddled with more debt and in possession of fewer assets. But it doesn't have to be this way. At ZeroDown, we're driven by the radical idea that professionals with steady jobs and healthy finances should be able to afford homes - even in San Francisco. That's why we've come up with an alternative to the rent-or-own dilemma, offering the benefits of homeownership with the flexibility of renting. Here's how it works: 1. ZeroDown buys your home Choose any home on the market. We'll make an all cash offer on your behalf. 2. Build towards ownership A portion of your payment goes toward building ownership in your home. 3.You control when you buy Put the purchase-credits that you've built up towards buying your home from ZeroDown.

ZeroDown's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

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

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

ZeroDown

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Find beautiful homes

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

We built a service that helps professionals with steady jobs buy homes they can't afford traditionally, especially in markets like San Francisco. We buy the home upfront with all cash, then let the user rent with a portion of their payments building toward ownership. They control when to complete the purchase, combining flexibility and ownership.

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

We're based in San Francisco, CA, with a remote team spread elsewhere. After YC, we'll keep SF as the main base.

Explain your decision regarding location.

San Francisco is the center of the housing crisis we're solving. Being here keeps us close to our customers, real estate markets, and early partners. The remote team supports scale beyond SF.

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 ZeroDown YC application?

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