Article · 8 min read

How to Prepare for Your YC Application Video

Pilot team · Pilot Free Beginner

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.

  • 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
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The question it answers

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

Read with it

  1. This is the actual application that got Basedash into YC (S20), question by question, with the founder's own annotation on why... Basedash Article · 15 min read How to write a successful YC application (with the real answers that got Basedash in) Max Musing
  2. Written by someone who volunteer-reviewed thousands of YC applications, so it tells you how a form actually gets read: fast, by... TechCrunch Article · 10 min read You can't hack your YC application, but here's what to avoid Christopher Morton
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