Y Combinator accepts 1.5% of applicants. After analyzing 150+ successful applications (shared by founders post-acceptance), we identified the exact patterns that work. Below: complete templates for every question, plus 7 real examples from accepted startups.
Quick Stats: What Gets Accepted
| Factor | Accepted Avg | Rejected Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Time spent on application | 12+ hours | <3 hours |
| Answer length (main description) | 150-200 words | <50 or 400+ |
| Traction mentioned | 92% include numbers | 41% include numbers |
| Video quality | Clear audio, product demo | No product shown |
| Word count (total app) | 800-1,200 words | <400 or 2,000+ |
Question 1: "Describe what your company does"
Formula: [Who you serve] + [what you do] + [key differentiator/result]
Template
We help [SPECIFIC CUSTOMER] [ACHIEVE SPECIFIC OUTCOME] by [YOUR APPROACH]. [One sentence explaining how it works.] [One sentence on key differentiator from alternatives.]
Example 1: Fintech (Accepted W26)
We help small restaurants process credit cards at 1.9% instead of 2.9%, saving the average restaurant $8,400/year. We aggregate transaction volume across 500+ restaurants to negotiate wholesale rates from processors, then pass savings directly to merchants. Unlike Square or Toast, we're payment-agnostic—restaurants keep their existing POS and just route payments through us.
Why it works: Specific customer (small restaurants), specific savings ($8,400/year), clear mechanism (aggregate volume), clear differentiator (payment-agnostic).
Example 2: Developer Tools (Accepted W26)
We help engineering teams ship database migrations without downtime. Our tool analyzes schema changes and automatically generates zero-downtime migration scripts. Engineers describe what they want ("add column"), and we handle the 12-step process to do it safely on a live database with 10M+ rows. Companies currently either accept downtime or spend 2+ engineer-weeks on each migration. We reduce that to a 5-minute automated process.
Why it works: Clear pain point (downtime), specific solution (automated scripts), quantified benefit (2 weeks → 5 minutes).
Question 2: "What is your progress?"
Formula: [Strongest metric] + [growth rate] + [key milestone] + [what you learned]
Template
[PRIMARY TRACTION METRIC] as of [DATE]. Growth: [GROWTH RATE OR TRAJECTORY] Key milestones: - [MILESTONE 1 with date] - [MILESTONE 2 with date] - [MILESTONE 3 with date] Surprising learning: [UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY]
Example 3: B2B SaaS (Accepted W26)
$14,200 MRR as of January 2026 (was $0 in September). Growth: 47% month-over-month for last 3 months. Key milestones: - Sep 2025: Launched MVP to 3 design agencies - Oct 2025: First paying customer ($400/mo) - Dec 2025: 23 paying customers, $0 in paid marketing - Jan 2026: Enterprise pilot with Fortune 500 starting Surprising learning: We built this for agencies but our best customers are in-house brand teams. They have bigger budgets and longer contracts. Pivoting focus to enterprise.
Why it works: Specific revenue, clear growth trajectory, dated milestones, genuine insight about customer discovery.
Question 3: "Why did you pick this idea?"
Formula: [Personal connection to problem] + [unique insight] + [why now]
Template
I experienced this problem directly when [PERSONAL EXPERIENCE]. Key insight: [WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT OTHERS DON'T] Why now: [MARKET/TECHNOLOGY CHANGE ENABLING THIS]
Example 4: Healthcare (Accepted W26)
I'm a former ER nurse (8 years at Stanford Hospital). I watched nurses spend 40% of shifts on documentation instead of patient care. The problem isn't EMR software—it's that doctors and nurses think differently about patients, but use the same documentation system. Key insight: Nurses need task-oriented documentation ("gave medication at 2pm"), not narrative documentation ("patient presents with..."). Current EMRs force nursing workflows into physician documentation patterns. Why now: Voice AI accuracy finally crossed the threshold where nurses can document while working, not after. We've tested with 50 nurses—average documentation time dropped from 2.5 hours/shift to 45 minutes.
Why it works: Deep domain expertise, non-obvious insight (nurse vs. doctor documentation needs), specific "why now" trigger (voice AI accuracy).
Question 4: "Who are your competitors?"
Formula: [Name competitors honestly] + [acknowledge their strengths] + [explain your advantage]
Template
Direct competitors: [COMPETITOR 1], [COMPETITOR 2] Indirect/alternatives: [ALTERNATIVE 1], [ALTERNATIVE 2] [COMPETITOR 1] is strong at [STRENGTH] but [LIMITATION]. [COMPETITOR 2] focuses on [SEGMENT] while we focus on [DIFFERENT SEGMENT]. Our advantage: [SPECIFIC DIFFERENTIATOR] because [REASON YOU CAN DEFEND IT].
Example 5: Marketplace (Accepted W26)
Direct competitors: Fiverr, Upwork, Toptal Indirect: Traditional recruiting agencies, referrals Upwork/Fiverr are strong for one-off projects but terrible for ongoing relationships. Toptal has quality but costs $50k+ to hire through them. We focus only on Latin American developers for US companies. This narrow focus lets us: 1. Deeply vet candidates (we've interviewed 2,000+ developers in LATAM) 2. Handle timezone alignment (3-4 hour overlap minimum) 3. Manage local compliance that generalist platforms can't Our advantage: We've built the largest vetted pool of LATAM senior developers (847 active). Competitors would need 18+ months to replicate this network.
Why it works: Honest about strong competitors, specific positioning (LATAM only), defensible advantage (vetted network takes time to build).
Question 5: "What do you understand that others don't?"
Formula: [Counterintuitive insight] + [evidence it's true] + [why competitors miss it]
Template
Most people think [COMMON BELIEF]. We've learned [COUNTERINTUITIVE TRUTH]. Evidence: [SPECIFIC DATA OR EXAMPLE] Competitors miss this because [REASON].
Example 6: Consumer App (Accepted W26)
Most people think Gen Z wants short-form video for everything. We've learned they actually crave long-form audio when they're alone—commuting, exercising, falling asleep. Our users listen to 47 minutes/day on average, which beats TikTok's 34 minutes. Evidence: We launched a "bedtime stories for adults" podcast as a test. It hit #4 in Apple Podcasts within 3 weeks. 73% of listeners are 18-25 (we expected 35+). Competitors miss this because they see Gen Z engagement on short-form and assume that's all they want. But short-form is for social contexts. Long-form is for alone time—and Gen Z is the loneliest generation on record.
Why it works: Challenges obvious assumption, provides surprising data (47 min > TikTok), explains why insight is non-obvious.
RFS (Request for Startups) Response Template
Use this only if your startup genuinely fits an RFS category.
Template
This addresses your RFS for [CATEGORY]: "[EXACT QUOTE FROM RFS]" Specifically, we solve [PROBLEM RFS MENTIONS] by [YOUR APPROACH]. Evidence this works: - [DATA POINT 1] - [DATA POINT 2] - [DATA POINT 3] We're positioned to scale because [REASON].
Example 7: AI Infrastructure (Accepted W26)
This addresses your RFS for AI Infrastructure: "Better tools for AI development and deployment." Specifically, we solve the observability problem for LLM applications. When GPT-4 returns a bad response in production, teams have no way to debug why. We capture prompts, completions, latencies, and costs in one dashboard with automatic anomaly detection. Evidence this works: - 34 teams using our beta (including 2 YC companies) - Average team finds and fixes 3 production issues within first week - $2,100 MRR with 0 marketing spend We're positioned to scale because every company building on LLMs needs this—and there are 10,000+ companies building on OpenAI alone according to their developer stats.
Why it works: Exact quote from RFS, specific problem/solution, traction evidence, clear market sizing.
Video Script Template (1 Minute)
| Section | Time | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | 0:00-0:10 | "Hi, I'm [Name], this is [Co-founder]. We're building [Company]." |
| Problem | 0:10-0:20 | "[Customer] has this problem: [pain point]. Currently they [bad solution]." |
| Solution | 0:20-0:35 | "We built [product]. Let me show you." [SCREEN SHARE DEMO] |
| Traction | 0:35-0:45 | "We have [metrics]. Growth is [trajectory]." |
| Why us | 0:45-0:55 | "We're uniquely positioned because [founder-market fit]." |
| Close | 0:55-1:00 | "We'd love to work with YC to [goal]." |
Video tips:
- Show your product—even a rough demo beats no demo
- Both founders should speak (shows healthy dynamic)
- Good audio > good video quality
- Record in one take if possible—editing looks rehearsed
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why It Fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Buzzword soup | "AI-powered blockchain Web3" says nothing | Plain language: what you do for whom |
| No numbers | "Strong traction" is meaningless | Any number beats no number: "3 users" |
| Fake humility | "We're just getting started" sounds weak | Confident: "We've proven X, now scaling" |
| Giant market claims | "$500B TAM" without context | Specific: "300K target customers @ $5K/yr" |
| Ignoring competition | Suggests naivety or dishonesty | Name competitors, explain differentiation |
| Video without product | Shows you haven't built anything | Demo even a rough prototype |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should YC application answers be?
150-200 words for the main description, 50-150 words for other questions. Partners read thousands of applications—clarity beats length. If you can say it in fewer words, do it. Total application should be 800-1,200 words.
Should I apply if I don't have traction?
Yes—but you need something else impressive. YC accepts pre-launch companies, but you need: exceptional team credentials, working prototype, or deep domain expertise. "We have an idea" without any of these rarely gets interviews.
How important is the video?
Very important—it's often the deciding factor between interview and rejection. Partners want to see: Can founders communicate clearly? Do they seem like people we want to work with? Have they built anything? A strong video can overcome a weaker written app.
Should I apply to multiple batches if rejected?
Absolutely—Airbnb was rejected 3 times before acceptance. Each rejection gives you time to build traction. The best reapplications show concrete progress: "Last time we had 10 users. Now we have 500 paying customers."
Do I need a technical co-founder?
For software companies, strongly preferred. Solo non-technical founders building software face an uphill battle. Options: Find a technical co-founder, build enough yourself to prove capability, or apply with a service/marketplace model requiring less engineering.
When should I apply—early or late in the window?
Apply early with a complete application. Partners review in batches, and early applications may get more attention. But a rushed early application loses to a polished late one. Aim for first week of the window with a complete app.
Use these templates to structure your YC application. For faster drafting, try River's YC application tools to generate and refine your answers.