How to get into Y Combinator  —  the no BS approach

(Disclosure: Tech in Asia is also a Y Combinator startup. See our ethics page for details.)

We applied to Y Combinator (YC) twice, and got in the second time. If you’re interested in the full story of our startup journey, you can check out this Forbes article.

Since Strikingly graduated from YC in 2013, I’ve frequently been asked by our users and friends on how to get into YC. And I’ve been fortunate enough to have helped a few amazing teams with their successful applications.

So as YC opens up applications for the Summer 2016 funding cycle, I’ve summarized my recommendations and included excerpts from our application to help other great teams get in as well.

Before you apply

Answer this first: If YC rejects you, will you continue to work on your startup full time?

We didn’t have a clear answer to this question the first time we applied, and I believe that’s why we were rejected. Back then, since all three of us had high paying jobs at investment banks, the perceived opportunity cost of running a startup was very high. We were afraid to quit our jobs and work on Strikingly full time, and we were counting on getting into YC first before going all in. We lacked the necessary determination to make this startup work, and we were rejected because of it.

Paul Graham, the founder of YC, wrote an article on what YC looks for in founders. The first quality is determination.

At YC, he talked about story of Airbnb a lot: the founders of Airbnb completely ran out of money, so they created and sold cereal boxes to continue working on Airbnb. They wouldn’t let anything stop them from making it happen. Only founders with this level of determination can make a startup work, and those are the people YC or any investors want to fund.

So ask yourself that question. If your answer is a no, don’t apply. If your answer is a firm yes, then working on the application should be straightforward — you just need to convince YC the same way you convinced yourself.

The YC application

YC receives thousands of applications every year, and they review all of them in 10 days. This means each partner reviews 100+ applications a day. To win their attention and stand out, here’s what you need to do.

1. Write with clarity

2. Show what you have done, more than what you want to do

3. Show strong friendship and teamwork between founders

The YC interview

Conclusion