GitHub - iCarossio/y-combinator: Y Combinator — The Brutally Honest Application Guide · GitHub
/" data-turbo-transient="true" />
Skip to content
Search or jump to...
Search code, repositories, users, issues, pull requests...
-->
Search
Clear
Search syntax tips
Provide feedback
--><br>We read every piece of feedback, and take your input very seriously.
Include my email address so I can be contacted
Cancel
Submit feedback
Saved searches
Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly
-->
Name
Query
To see all available qualifiers, see our documentation.
Cancel
Create saved search
Sign in
/;ref_cta:Sign up;ref_loc:header logged out"}"<br>Sign up
Appearance settings
Resetting focus
You signed in with another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.<br>You signed out in another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.<br>You switched accounts on another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.
Dismiss alert
{{ message }}
iCarossio
y-combinator
Public
Notifications<br>You must be signed in to change notification settings
Fork
Star
main
BranchesTags
Go to file
CodeOpen more actions menu
Folders and files<br>NameNameLast commit message<br>Last commit date<br>Latest commit
History<br>2 Commits<br>2 Commits
assets
assets
README.md
README.md
View all files
Repository files navigation
How to Get Into Y Combinator
Introduction
Who am I?
Antoine Carossio, YC W23. Since then, I've mentored quite a few of startups that got into the batch. This guide is constantly evolving: I'm writing it as the most recent and accurate compilation of the remarks, patterns, and lessons I've noticed about getting admitted. It's a rigorous, methodical approach.
I also treat YC the way I've treated every other competitive selection process I've been through. I'm used to high-stakes entrance exams, having passed some of the most selective ones in France. YC is just another one: a process you can reverse-engineer and prepare for.
Context for non-French readers. France selects its top students through concours: brutal, standardized entrance exams that gate admission to its elite grandes écoles. The two I went through are among the most competitive in the world: École Polytechnique (the country's foremost engineering school, founded 1794, historically run by the Ministry of Defence) and HEC Paris (its leading business school). The relevant point isn't the prestige, it's that these are exams with discernible patterns, and YC's selection is no different.
Why go to YC?
Every young entrepreneur tells me about "their idea" and asks whether I "can give feedback on their solution." They've been building it for weeks or months and they're looking for "people to test it and give feedback." I genuinely tell them I can't help with that: that helping would be dishonest and could even kill their project. The reason is that I am not their persona (except, obviously, when I am, which is a completely different situation).
That's the default framing of almost everyone junior starting a company. It's the framing you must avoid: in my experience, it gets applications rejected almost every time.
Product-market fit: the only goal of an entrepreneur is to solve a problem (or create value) for a specific category of person (the "persona") inside a specific category of company (the "ICP"). To that end, they offer a solution (the product or service) that the customer is willing to pay for (the ACV). This is the "business model." You must ensure that the number of personas within your ICP, multiplied by the ACV, is large enough to make a lot of money (the market size).
The execution plan (how you conquer the market) implies some investment (costs) and growth (new revenue). This is the "business plan." In the short term, you must ensure your solution is better than the competition (differentiation); in the long term, you must ensure it stays that way (defensibility). This is what YC summarizes in its motto: "Build something people want."
The YC batch is three months:
The first two months are dedicated to changing your mindset by forcing you to expose yourself to customers and iterate fast toward product-market fit.
The last month is dedicated to the roadshow: putting you in front of the top-tier investors in the world.
YC will do nothing in your place. They will simply move you from being a student with an idea to being an entrepreneur singularly focused on finding PMF.
Do I need revenue to apply?
No. You need to show that you understand and are actively working with your persona. It doesn't have to be the top-tier persona in the Bay Area; it can be a handful of personas in companies similar to the ones you'd find in the Bay. What matters more is demonstrating your methodology for building a startup and finding PMF: showing that you already have the right mindset (see above) and that you're ready to apply it in the Bay.
Written Application
Apply now, and at every batch until you get admitted
This is anecdotal...