Reconstructed from public data
YC application examples, one question at a time
Y Combinator does not publish most of the applications it receives. These pages show how accepted companies would answer the Company section of the form, reconstructed from each company's public data: its one-liner, description, location and batch. Pick a question, read the answers side by side, then write your own.
How to answer each question
For each question below, here is what the form asks for and what YC has said that applies. For the rest of the form, see our guide to every YC application question.
What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.
Paul Graham wrote that he read this question first, not because it mattered most, but to frame the rest of the application. Describe the product plainly, then say what exists today: built, used, paid for. His test: how close is the reader to reproducing it?
See the examplesDescribe what your company does in 50 characters or less.
Within 50 characters, say what you make and for whom: no jargon or vague words like "platform". Use an "X for Y" analogy only if X is a household name. Kat Mañalac, then at YC, had to Google "Buffer" when an application said "Buffer for Snapchat".
See the examplesWhere do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?
Use the form's format, shown in founders' published applications: City A, Country A / City B, Country B. YC's FAQ says the batch is in person in San Francisco, you can go anywhere after the three-month program, and applying takes no visa or US incorporation.
See the examplesExplain your decision regarding location.
Give the actual reason and be specific. In 2023, YC partners Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel said founders who want the best odds of success should live in the Bay Area. Their episode also concedes good reasons to build elsewhere, like health or family.
See the examples
Read the whole application, for every company
YC Insights holds the full reconstructed application of every company in the directory, filterable by batch, industry and country, next to 60,000+ investors who fund startups like yours.
About this list
This list is part of Round Funded, an investor database and outreach platform for founders. It covers 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators with verified contacts, lets you send pitches from your own Gmail, and includes a free Data Room for your raise. How this data is built.
Common questions about YC application answers
Are these the applications YC companies actually submitted?
No. Every example on these pages is a reconstruction: an answer written from the company's current public YC profile, not the text it submitted. YC does not publish most applications. For originals, read the selected answers on some YC company profiles and Dropbox's Summer 2007 application.
How long should YC application answers be?
As short as the facts allow. The one-liner's limit is in the question: 50 characters. For the rest, YC's talk on applying, by then-partner Dalton Caldwell, says: "Don't write a novel." Paul Graham's example of a good answer to "What is your company going to make?" is one sentence. GitLab's original answer, which YC publishes, runs six sentences.
What makes the Company section of a YC application strong?
Clarity. Paul Graham suspected that more than half of the teams good enough for interviews blow the application. Lead with what you make, then the evidence. If it is still an idea, say so plainly: YC's FAQ says that on average 40% of the companies it funds in each batch are just an idea.
Should I copy an example answer into my application?
No. Copy the pattern, not the words: what you make, for whom, what exists today, where you will be based. Paul Graham's rule for every question is that the best answers are the most specific, and a borrowed answer cannot be. YC's talk on applying says misleading answers get an application rejected.
What is Round Funded?
Round Funded is an investor database and outreach platform for startup founders. It lists 60,000+ active investors with verified contacts, filtered to recent investment activity, and lets founders send personalized pitches from their own Gmail, track replies, and share a free Data Room. Round+ starts at $99 per month with a 3-day trial.