Real-World Scenarios & Access

How do I write an accelerator application that actually gets read, and what do I put in the video?

A starting point

Answer the exact question asked in one or two crisp sentences, lead with traction or a sharp insight, and never pad. Reviewers skim hundreds of forms, so the first line of every answer has to earn the second. The video is not a pitch deck read aloud: talk to the camera like a human, show you and your cofounder are real and fast, and keep it under the time limit. Clarity beats polish every time.

Go deeper

Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time.

3 resources 3 link-checked

Read

📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

Why we picked it This is the actual application that got Basedash into YC (S20), question by question, with the founder's own annotation on why each answer worked. You see the real thing: a one-line company description ("collaborative database interface for teams"), honest early traction (300 signups, $30/month, not inflated), and a competitor list that names real rivals instead of pretending none exist. It is the concrete model behind "answer the exact question in one or two crisp sentences."

How to write a successful YC application (with the real answers that got Basedash in)

From Basedash by Max Musing 15 min read

  • The "what will you make" answer is the whole application: 1 to 2 concrete sentences, no marketing language, because it frames how the reviewer reads everything after it
  • Show real numbers even when they are small (300 signups, $30/month reads as more credible than a rounded-up vanity figure)
  • Name your actual competitors and say what you do differently, because claiming you have none instantly reads as naive to a reviewer who knows the space
Open basedash.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it The clearest breakdown of what the founder video is actually for: not a pitch deck read aloud, but proof that you and your cofounder are real, comfortable, and fast. It gives you talking points to prepare, tells you to "show not tell," and points you at real accepted founder videos (Bulletin, Embark) to copy the register, that coffee-with-a-smart-friend tone rather than the polished pitch voice.

How to Prepare for Your YC Application Video

From Pilot by Pilot team 8 min read

  • The video exists mainly to read founder dynamics: do not interrupt each other, look comfortable, because YC fears cofounder blowups more than a weak idea
  • Prepare talking points and demo the product if you can, but keep delivery clear and straightforward over polished
  • Study a few accepted founder videos before filming so you match the honest, fast register instead of a marketing tone
Open pilot.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

Why we picked it Written by someone who volunteer-reviewed thousands of YC applications, so it tells you how a form actually gets read: fast, by a skimmer who is not from your field and does not need every detail. It is the definitive list of what quietly sinks you, jargon like "revolutionize" and "disrupt," padding words like "basically" and "super," and overthinking, which matters doubly for an Anywhere Founder in India whose domain the reviewer will not know cold.

You can't hack your YC application, but here's what to avoid

From TechCrunch by Christopher Morton 10 min read

  • Reviewers are usually outside your field and skim, so explain the basic system plainly and cut every detail that does not help them understand it
  • Corporate jargon (revolutionize, disrupt, synergy, game-changer) and filler (basically, super) are active red flags, not neutral filler
  • Your goal is to earn an interview, not to win a prize, so straightforward and clear beats clever or over-polished every time
Open techcrunch.com →

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