Reconstructed from public data
40 YC Application Examples: Explain your decision regarding location
Below are 40 answers to the YC form question "Explain your decision regarding location.", one per company, reconstructed from public data. YC keeps real applications private, so none of these is an original text: each shows how an accepted company describes itself in that slot, with a link to its full reconstructed application.
- 1
Airbnb (Winter 2009)San Francisco gives us access to early adopters, design and engineering talent, and the investor network we will need to scale a marketplace nationally and then internationally.
Full reconstructed application - 2
Algolia (Winter 2014)We chose San Francisco and Paris because they give us access to top tech talent and critical customer markets in both the US and Europe. It also fits our backgrounds and existing setups.
Full reconstructed application - 3
Amplitude (Winter 2012)San Francisco is where our network and potential customers are, especially startups building consumer and B2B applications needing analytics.
Full reconstructed application - 4
Bear Flag Robotics (Winter 2018)Newark is close to Silicon Valley's technical talent and venture community, which helps us recruit engineers and engage with investors. At the same time, it's close to major agricultural areas in California, letting us stay connected to users and test our product on real farms.
Full reconstructed application - 5
Bellabeat (Winter 2014)San Francisco is the hub for technology and consumer electronics; being here helps us build connections and grow Bellabeat in a competitive market focused on women's health.
Full reconstructed application - 6
Benchling (Summer 2012)San Francisco is a hub for biotech startups and software talent. Being here puts us close to many biotech innovation centers and partners we serve.
Full reconstructed application - 7
Bird (Summer 2016)We chose Amsterdam because it's where the company started and it allows us access to a diverse, global tech talent pool. Our multiple hubs reflect our global customer base and allow us to operate close to customers worldwide while embracing a "Work Anywhere" culture.
Full reconstructed application - 8
Brex (Winter 2017)San Francisco is our base because it's where our network is, customers are, and where fintech and startups thrive. This also helps us recruit and stay close to key payments partners.
Full reconstructed application - 9
Caper (Winter 2016)Our team is distributed and works remotely to stay lean and flexible. Since our product sells to retail chains nationwide, we don't rely on a single location and want to keep close to engineers and retail expertise wherever they are.
Full reconstructed application - 10
Checkr (Summer 2014)San Francisco is the hub for startups and tech talent where we have access to customers, engineers, and partners needed to grow Checkr.
Full reconstructed application - 11
Clever (Summer 2012)San Francisco is where we're located, and it has the right mix of engineering talent and access to education technology partners that we need to grow Clever.
Full reconstructed application - 12
Clipboard (Winter 2017)Being remote-first lets us reach workers and facilities nationwide. San Francisco provides access to tech talent and investors while supporting our operations.
Full reconstructed application - 13
Codecademy (Summer 2011)New York is home to a diverse talent pool and a growing tech community. We want to build our product where we have support and can recruit a strong team.
Full reconstructed application - 14
Cognito (Summer 2014)We chose Palo Alto because that's where we are founded and where the core team lives. It's close to key partners and talent for fintech and identity verification. Remote work lets us broaden reach without relocating.
Full reconstructed application - 15
Coinbase (Summer 2012)The Bay Area has the payments, security, and fintech talent we need, plus the early crypto community that will be our first users.
Full reconstructed application - 16
CoreOS (Summer 2013)San Francisco has the engineering talent and ecosystem we need to build a platform-level infrastructure company focused on open source.
Full reconstructed application - 17
Cruise (Winter 2014)San Francisco is where the tech, regulatory environment, and urban landscape align to build and test self-driving cars effectively; it's where we can recruit engineers and engage with partners needed to advance the product.
Full reconstructed application - 18
Deel (Winter 2019)San Francisco has a strong tech ecosystem and talent pool valuable for building a fintech and HR SaaS platform. Our global remote setup reflects how the product works: managing distributed teams worldwide.
Full reconstructed application - 19
DoorDash (Summer 2013)We started on the Stanford campus and in Palo Alto where we can run the operation hands-on, and the Bay Area gives us the density and talent to expand city by city.
Full reconstructed application - 20
DrChrono (Winter 2011)San Francisco is where our early team and users are. It's a hub for healthcare IT startups and remote work, which fits our distributed team and customer base.
Full reconstructed application - 21
Dropbox (Summer 2007)The Bay Area has the infrastructure engineering talent and investors who understand consumer software at scale, which is what building reliable cross-platform sync requires.
Full reconstructed application - 22
EquipmentShare (Winter 2015)Columbia is our home and where our team and early customers are. Staying here keeps us close to the construction community we serve and lets us build sustainably.
Full reconstructed application - 23
Faire (Winter 2017)San Francisco is where we found the talent and community to build a technology-driven platform supporting independent retailers globally. Being here keeps us close to partners and retailers as we grow.
Full reconstructed application - 24
Fivestars (Winter 2011)San Francisco is where the small business market and tech talent intersect. Being close to our customers and the startup ecosystem is vital to iterate fast and grow.
Full reconstructed application - 25
Fivetran (Winter 2013)Oakland has allowed us to build strong engineering and go-to-market teams. Staying local keeps our team stable and aligned.
Full reconstructed application - 26
Flexport (Winter 2014)San Francisco is where we live and have access to a deep pool of engineering talent and early customers in tech and manufacturing sectors, which helps us iterate quickly and build the network effects necessary for a logistics platform.
Full reconstructed application - 27
Flock Safety (Summer 2017)Atlanta lets us tap into a growing tech community and operate nationwide from a central location familiar to us.
Full reconstructed application - 28
FutureAdvisor (Summer 2010)San Francisco puts us close to tech talent, financial hubs, and investors interested in fintech. It also lets us stay connected to users and industry trends in one of the biggest financial markets.
Full reconstructed application - 29
Ginkgo Bioworks (Summer 2014)Boston has a strong biotech ecosystem and access to synthetic biology talent, which is crucial for our organism engineering and automation work.
Full reconstructed application - 30
GitLab (Winter 2015)We chose San Francisco because it's where we find the best engineering talent and customers who deeply understand DevOps. Remote work lets us tap global talent, but HQ is in SF to stay close to the startup ecosystem and market feedback.
Full reconstructed application - 31
GitPrime (Winter 2016)We chose Durango because it's where we live and where we can focus without distractions. We'll leverage YC's network to expand beyond our location after the program.
Full reconstructed application - 32
Go1 (Summer 2015)San Francisco is where we all live and where our initial customers and partners are based. Being here keeps us close to a large base of potential enterprise users and top engineering talent.
Full reconstructed application - 33
GOAT Group (Winter 2011)Los Angeles is where our community and market are strongest. Being in LA lets us stay close to sneaker culture hubs and the apparel industry, which helps us engage our customers and partners directly.
Full reconstructed application - 34
Groww (Winter 2018)Bengaluru combines strong engineering talent and proximity to India's financial markets and customers, making it the right place to build a fintech startup serving Indian investors.
Full reconstructed application - 35
GrubMarket (Winter 2015)San Francisco is a major tech hub and central for logistics and supply chain innovation. Being here gives us access to engineers and business partners critical to building and scaling our platform.
Full reconstructed application - 36
Gusto (Winter 2012)San Francisco is where our team lives, and it's the best place to recruit talent and connect with early customers in tech and small business sectors.
Full reconstructed application - 37
Heap (Winter 2013)San Francisco is where the majority of our potential customers and investor community are based. Being in SF allows us to build better relationships and raise capital more effectively while keeping a presence in Seattle.
Full reconstructed application - 38
HelloSign (Winter 2011)San Francisco is where the product and early users are. Being here keeps us close to customers, investors, and the startup ecosystem we need to grow.
Full reconstructed application - 39
Heroku (Winter 2008)San Francisco is where we are already based and it's a key hub for developers and startups, which matches our early customers and network.
Full reconstructed application - 40
Honeylove (Summer 2018)LA is where our creative and product development roots are, plus the founder lives there. SF connects us to tech talent and YC community resources, making both essential for growth.
Full reconstructed application
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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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these real YC applications?
No. YC keeps submitted applications private. Every answer on this page is a reconstruction: the real form question, answered from the company's public data (one-liner, description, location, batch). It shows the standard accepted companies meet, not their original wording.
How should I use these examples?
Read ten answers from companies closest to yours and note the pattern: a concrete product, a named customer, a number where one exists, no adjectives. Then write your answer to that shape. Copying an answer is pointless; the reviewers know the companies.
Where do the answers come from?
From Round Funded's YC startup directory, which holds every YC company with a reconstructed application. The Company section shown here is the free part of each company page; the other sections open in YC Insights after sign-up.