YC S26 · Applications open

Only 1% get into YC.
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AI coaching built on how real YC partners think, applied to your actual application, section by section, before you hit submit.

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Evaluate your application with AI coaches trained on real YC partner insights.

Why this matters
~1%
acceptance rate, the most selective accelerator on earth
17
AI partner personas trained on real talks, essays & interviews
7
evaluation areas using the same rubric YC partners use
9
data sources analyzed before your evaluation runs
Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox. All started with an imperfect application. The difference was iteration. This tool gives you that loop.
Under the hood
Not generic AI: a trained evaluation engine
Every review draws from real partner content, live startup research, and a structured rubric.
The real YC form
7 sections, exact questions YC uses for S26. Auto-saved. Fill once, improve as many times as you want.
Startup research
We analyze 9 data sources before evaluating: website, GitHub, LinkedIn, pitch deck, video, traffic, and more.
websitegithubvideodeck
7-area rubric
Founders, Idea, Traction, Pitch & Video, Technical Execution, Coachability, and Market Ambition, scored independently.
17 partner personas
Each trained on real talks and essays via RAG, so feedback reflects how that partner actually thinks, not a generic output.
RAG-powered5 per review
Live example
See exactly what you'd get, at every step
A simulated run through our system, from filling the form to your partner panel verdict.
YC S26 application
Your startup
7 sections total
2 of 7 sections
Founders
Founder Video
Company
Progress
Idea
Equity
Batch Preference
Curious
Founders section
Founders
Tell us who's building this and how you work together.
YC funds people as much as ideas. This section tells partners if they'd want to work with you for 3 months, and beyond.
Who writes code, or does other technical work on your product? Was any of it done by a non-founder? Please explain.Needs depth
142 / 3000
How long have the founders known one another and how did you meet? Have any of the founders not met in person?
84 / 1500
AI Coach · Founders section
auto-saved · just now
Get full evaluation →

Every section has its own AI Coach — instant feedback and a suggested rewrite as you fill.

Evaluation v1
Your startup
All 7 sections scored
2 areas need work
Founders
Founder Video
Company
Progress
Idea
Equity
Batch Preference
Curious
Evaluation v1
Fix first
Two areas before applying.
1
Traction: no numbers yet
No users, revenue, or pilots shown. Even 10 beta users with feedback changes the story. Prioritize this week.
→ Progress section
2
Market Ambition: TAM unquantified
The market is described qualitatively. Partners need numbers. TAM, GTM, LTV/CAC assumptions.
→ Idea section
All 7 areas
Founders & Team
Strong
Technical solo founder with clear domain knowledge. Surface your shipping track record explicitly.
Idea & Domain
YC-ready
Clear problem, real insight. Strong founder-market fit signal.
Traction
Not ready
No users, revenue, or pilots mentioned. This is the most urgent gap.
Pitch & Video
Strong
Narrative is clear and personal. Record a 2-min product demo video.
Technical Execution
Strong
Shipping velocity is evident. Add a public GitHub profile or demo link.
Coachability & Grit
Strong
Resourcefulness and iteration mindset comes through. Document past pivots.
Market Ambition
Basic
Market potential is real but not quantified. Add TAM, GTM plan, and monetization model.
v1 · saved automatically
Partner panel
Your startup
After coaching rounds
Panel unlocked
Fill application
Get evaluation
Coaching rounds
Partner panel
Partner panel · 5 independent reviews
Panel consensus
Maybe
2 Yes · 2 Maybe · 1 No
Avg score
2.4/4.0
GT
Garry Tan
CEO of YC
Maybe
JF
Jared Friedman
Group Partner
Yes
HT
Harj Taggar
Group Partner
Maybe
GA
Gustaf Alströmer
Growth expert
No
TB
Tom Blomfield
Monzo founder
Yes
GT
Garry Tan
CEO & President of Y Combinator
Maybe
Strengths
    Concerns
      Question they'd open with
      Click any partner card to see their feedback
      Frequently asked questions
      Good questions deserve honest answers
      Is this affiliated with Y Combinator?
      No. This is an independent, community-driven project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Y Combinator in any way. We use publicly available information about the YC application process to help founders prepare.
      How does the AI feedback work?
      We research your startup using 9 data sources: website scraping, GitHub, LinkedIn, traffic data, pitch deck analysis, video review, and more. The AI then evaluates your application against the same rubric criteria YC partners use, and asks follow-up questions to help you strengthen weak areas.
      What are the 17 AI partner personas?
      We've built AI simulations of YC partner evaluation styles based on publicly available talks, essays, and interview patterns. Each persona brings a different perspective. Some focus on technical depth, others on market size, growth metrics, or founder-market fit. Five are selected per review and run in parallel.
      Is my application data secure?
      Your data is stored securely and is never shared with third parties. We use it solely to generate your evaluation. You can delete your data at any time.
      Can I submit multiple times?
      Yes. You can iterate on your application and resubmit to get fresh feedback as you improve it. Each submission is saved as a new version so you can track your progress over time.

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