YC Application Questions: The Full List, Video Rules and Tips (Winter 2027)

Updated November 2026. Y Combinator does not publish its full question list: the form sits behind a login at apply.ycombinator.com and changes slightly from batch to batch. The questions below come from founders who published their applications, checked against each other. The deadlines, video rules and deal terms come from YC's own pages.

Y Combinator's application is short compared with most accelerators, but every answer is read by people who see thousands of them. This guide lists the questions you can expect, what YC says it wants, and how to write answers that get you an interview.

The quick facts:

• Next deadline: Winter 2027 on-time applications close November 2 at 8pm PT. On-time applicants get a decision by December 11, and the batch starts in January in San Francisco.
• Late applications: accepted after the deadline. YC says most get a decision within a month.
• Batches: four a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). Later batches are open through Early Decision.
• The deal: $500,000 per company, $125,000 for 7% plus $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE with an MFN provision.

What YC asks: the full question list

The form is split into sections. Expect these questions, grouped the way founders report them.

Founders

• Details for each cofounder: name, email, LinkedIn, whether you are a technical founder.
• A one-minute founder video (see the rules below).
• Who writes code, or does other technical work on your product? Was any of it done by a non-founder? Please explain.
• Are you looking for a cofounder? (shown to solo founders)
• How long have the founders known one another and how did you meet? Have any of the founders not met in person?

Company

• Company name.
• Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less. This is the one hard character limit founders consistently report.
• Company URL, if any.
• If you have a demo, attach it below. Please provide a link to the product, if relevant.
• What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.
• Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

Progress

• How far along are you?
• How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full-time? Please explain.
• Are people using your product? How many active users or customers do you have? How many are paying? Who is paying you the most, and how much do they pay you?
• When will you have a version people can use? (if you have no users yet)
• Do you have revenue? YC asks for monthly revenue in US dollars over the last several months, not cumulative and not GMV.
• Where does your revenue come from?
• If you are applying with the same idea as a previous batch, did anything change?
• Have you already participated in, or committed to, another incubator or accelerator?

Idea

• Why did you pick this idea to work on? Do you have domain expertise in this area? How do you know people need what you're making?
• Who are your competitors? What do you understand about your business that they don't?
• How do or will you make money? How much could you make?
• How do users find your product? How did you get the users you have now? If you run paid ads, what is your cost of acquisition?
• Where will most of your initial users be located, and which category best applies to your company?

Equity and legal

• Have you formed any legal entity yet? List each entity and the state or country where it was formed.
• The equity breakdown between founders, in percentages.
• Have you taken any investment yet? List each investment, and how much you have raised in total.
• How much do you spend per month, how much is in the bank, and how long is your runway?
• Are you currently fundraising?

Others and curious

• If you had any other ideas you considered applying with, please list them (each named in 50 characters or less).
• What convinced you to apply to Y Combinator? How did you hear about it?

The founder video: YC's rules

YC publishes clear instructions for the video:

• One minute long, and nothing except the founders talking.
• All founders should be in it. If you can't be in one room, screen-record a video call.
• Content: introduce yourselves, explain what you're doing and why, and add anything else about the founders or the project.
• Delivery: use bullet points and talk spontaneously, as you would to a friend.
• It is not a demo. Product demos go in a separate part of the form.

Practical tips: record it more than once, keep the first sentence about what you are building, and make sure every founder speaks. A phone camera and a quiet room are enough.

How to write answers YC wants to read

Paul Graham's guide to applying, published on YC's site, is still the best advice:

• Lead with the point. "Whatever you have to say, give it to us right in the first sentence, in the simplest possible terms."
• Be plain. "The best answers are the most matter of fact."
• Be specific. "As with all questions on the application, the best answers are the most specific."
• Show the flaws. It is "better to disclose all the flaws in your idea than to try to conceal them."
• Cut. Print your answers, "take a red pen and cross out every word you don't need."

In practice that means:

• The 50-character answer names what you make and for whom: "Payroll for restaurants in Brazil", not "Revolutionizing workforce management."
• Progress answers use numbers. "12 paying customers, $1,800 monthly revenue, 20% month-over-month growth" beats a paragraph about momentum.
• The competitor answer names real competitors and one insight they miss. "We have no competitors" is the weakest possible answer.
• The "how do you know people need it" answer cites what users did, not what they said: paid, signed up, asked for a feature, used it daily.

Common mistakes

• Writing marketing copy. Partners read hundreds of applications a day. Buzzwords make yours blend in.
• Leaving out the numbers. If you have users or revenue, put the exact figures in the first line of the answer.
• A demo instead of a founder video. YC asks for founders talking, not a product tour.
• Hiding weaknesses. A missing technical cofounder or a slow month is better explained than hidden.
• Waiting until the idea is perfect. YC recommends applying as soon as you have a founding team and an idea you are excited about.

After you apply: interviews and decisions

Most interviews happen by video in November and December, and on-time applicants hear back by December 11. YC's interview guide says interviews are 10-minute Zoom conversations, all founders should be on the call, and 2 to 3 YC partners usually attend. Only teams that are interviewed get feedback.

The YC deal

YC invests $500,000 in every company, committed on the day of acceptance:

• $125,000 on a post-money SAFE for 7% of your company.
• $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE with an MFN provision, which converts on the terms of the lowest-cap SAFE you issue before your priced round.

YC takes no fees and gets a pro rata right. Accepted companies also get access to YC's own credits and deals.

Draft your YC application faster

The SaaSOffers Application Kit turns one founder profile into a first draft of every answer on YC's form, cut to the limits, using only the facts you give it. Missing facts become placeholders like [monthly revenue], never invented numbers. You edit, paste and submit yourself.

Not sure YC is the right program? The Accelerator Finder matches you to programs by stage, location and industry, and the Y Combinator profile has the deal terms and deadlines at a glance. While you build, startups can claim $500,000+ in software credits on SaaSOffers.

Frequently Asked Questions