YC application questions, explained

Checked October 25, 2026. Question wording is paraphrased where long, and the form changes between batches and adapts to your answers (for example, revenue questions only appear if you have revenue). Always answer what the live form at ycombinator.com/apply asks. Sources: Nick Raushenbush’s question-by-question breakdown (a YC alum, 2023), Paul Graham, “How to Apply to Y Combinator” (hosted by YC), the YC FAQ. Placet is not affiliated with Y Combinator.

CompanyFoundersProgressIdeaEquity and fundraisingCurious

Company

1. Company name

   The current name. It can change later, so don’t spend long on it.

2. Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

   One plain sentence a stranger could repeat. Spaces count. See our one-liner guide and real examples under 50 characters.

3. Company URL, a demo video and a link to the product

   Links that let a partner see the thing. A short, unpolished demo of the real product beats a slick explainer.

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

   Start with the matter-of-fact sentence, then add detail. Paul Graham says this answer is read first, to have something to hang the rest of the application on.

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

   Just the locations; one sentence.

Founders

1. Details for each founder, including whether they are technical

   Answer the technical question honestly. The form notes that founders must hold at least 10% equity, so large imbalances will be noticed.

2. Please record a one minute video introducing the founder(s).

   Who you are and how you work together, not a pitch. Every founder should speak; keep it to a minute. See our founder video guide.

3. Who writes code, or does other technical work on your product? Was any of it done by a non-founder?

   Make clear who built it. If contractors or friends did the work, say so and confirm the company owns the IP.

4. Are you looking for a cofounder?

   Usually shown to solo founders. Say what role you would add and what you have tried. YC runs a free co-founder matching platform.

5. How long have the founders known one another and how did you meet? Have any of the founders not met in person?

   Partners care about team history. Give years, the story in a sentence or two, and whether you have all met in person.

Progress

1. How far along are you?

   Facts with dates: launched, users, revenue, a technical milestone. Small honest numbers are fine; projections are not progress.

2. How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full-time?

   Per founder, with the date it became their only job. Part-time effort is a known risk, so be precise.

3. Are people using your product? How many active users or customers, and how many are paying?

   The form branches on your answers. If yes, give active users, paying customers and who pays the most. If no, give a specific date for a usable version.

4. Do you have revenue? Revenue for each of the last several months

   Monthly revenue received in US dollars, not cumulative and not gross merchandise volume. Put $0 for months with none.

5. Where does your revenue come from?

   Who pays and how (subscription, take rate, services), broken down by source if you have several.

6. If you applied before with this idea, what changed? If you pivoted, why, and what did you learn?

   Show measurable progress since the last application, or the lesson behind the pivot.

7. Have you participated in an incubator, accelerator or pre-accelerator?

   Name the program, when, what came of it, and any equity or money exchanged.

Idea

1. Why did you pick this idea to work on? Do you have domain expertise? How do you know people need what you’re making?

   Your connection to the problem, plus evidence that real people want it: usage and payment are strongest, interviews and waitlists come next.

2. Who are your competitors? What do you understand about your business that they don’t?

   Name them, including the old way people solve it today. “Easier to use” is not an insight; say what is structurally different.

3. How do or will you make money? How much could you make?

   The model in a sentence and a rough, reasoned market estimate. The reasoning matters more than the size.

4. How do users find your product? If you run paid ads, what is your cost of acquisition?

   Channels and numbers for the users you actually have, e.g. how many came from each channel.

5. If you track engagement and retention metrics, what are they?

   The few numbers that show people get value and come back.

6. If you had any other ideas you considered applying with, please list them.

   Not a loyalty test. List a few, one line each; the form says YC sometimes funds one of these instead.

Equity and fundraising

1. Have you formed any legal entity yet? List every entity and where it was formed.

   Include subsidiaries, entities from before a pivot and any set up to employ people elsewhere.

2. Equity breakdown among founders, employees and other stockholders

   A simple table: name, role, percentage. If you haven’t incorporated, give the planned split.

3. Have you taken any investment? List each one.

   Investor, amount, valuation or cap, security type (SAFE, note, stock) and date.

4. Money raised in total, monthly spend, cash in the bank and runway

   Plain numbers in US dollars. Runway is cash divided by monthly burn.

5. Are you currently fundraising?

   If you are talking to or taking money from investors, the answer is yes. Add how much, how far along, and since when.

Curious

1. What convinced you to apply? Did someone encourage you, or did you attend a YC event?

   Short and specific: the reason, the person, the event.

2. How did you hear about Y Combinator?

   The source in a sentence.

Questions from other cycles

Two questions that Paul Graham discusses in How to Apply have appeared in past applications and are still useful to prepare: something impressive each founder has built or achieved, and a time you hacked a non-computer system to your advantage. Our answer-by-answer checklist covers both.

Before you submit

• Read applications founders published, including Dropbox’s.
• Check the deadline: Winter 2027 on-time applications close November 2, 2026 at 8pm PT.
• Cut every word you don’t need, then run your answers through the free reviewer.

Common questions

Do the YC application questions change?

Yes. Wording changes between batches and the form branches on your answers, so you may not see every question here. Always answer what the live form asks.

How long should each answer be?

As short as it can be while staying complete. Most strong answers are a few plain sentences built on facts and numbers, not adjectives.

Can I apply with just an idea?

Yes. YC’s FAQ says about 40% of the companies it funds in each batch are just an idea, and recommends applying as soon as you have a founding team and an idea you are excited about.

Is a late application still read?

Yes. YC’s apply page says it still considers applications after the deadline but can’t promise exactly when it will reply.

Review my application answers