The YC Startup Launch Checklist

1. Problem foundation

Ensure you're solving a real, painful problem.

1. Define the user problem in one clear sentence: Write the core pain point from the user's perspective. Keep it concrete, specific, and emotion-linked rather than abstract.
2. Identify your primary user segment (be specific): Narrow it down. Instead of "founders," say "solo SaaS founders with no technical cofounder who struggle with validation."
3. Confirm it's a "hair-on-fire" problem, not a nice-to-have: Evaluate urgency. Would they try imperfect hacks today? Would they pay or spend time to solve it immediately?
4. List 3 ways users solve this today (their current workaround): Identify real alternative behaviors. Workarounds show how painful the problem is and reveal opportunities to outperform them.
5. Write a simple "Why now?" explanation: Strong startups have timing advantages. Describe what changed: technology, habits, regulations, costs - that makes your solution timely.

2. Founder clarity (10-minute exercise)

Align your thinking before building anything.

1. Write your startup hypothesis (Problem → User → Value → Channel): Form a simple, testable statement about what you believe. Think of this as your temporary "north star"; it guides your first 2 weeks of decisions.
2. Identify your riskiest assumption: This is the one assumption that, if wrong, collapses the idea. Calling it out early helps you design faster tests around it.
3. Define your "One Metric That Matters" for the next 30 days: Pick only one metric (not 3). It should measure real progress, like engagement, repeat use, or user conversations, not vanity numbers.
4. Write your temporary unfair advantage (even if small): Identify something that gives you early leverage: domain knowledge, access to users, speed, or insights others don't have.

3. Fast validation experiments

Replace guesses with real data within 48 hours.

1. Talk to 3–5 potential users (no surveys; real conversations): Aim for real stories. Conversations reveal motivations and frustrations you'll never see in survey checkboxes.
2. Collect problem stories instead of feature requests: Users describe problems better than they describe solutions. Look for patterns in what frustrates them today.
3. Ask: "How do you solve this today?": Workarounds are gold. They show willingness to act and highlight gaps your MVP can fill immediately.
4. Check willingness to pay (even if hypothetical): Frame this gently; you want to see if the pain has monetary value, not to pressure them into committing.
5. Extract 3 insights from each conversation: Summarize what you learned. The strongest insights are emotional, behavioral, or repeated across users.

4. Build the simplest MVP

Create the smallest version that proves value.

1. Remove 90% of your original feature ideas: Strip the product down to its proof-of-value core. Every extra feature slows you down without increasing validation.
2. Define one core action the user must complete: This is the backbone of your MVP. Everything should guide the user toward completing this action.
3. Build a version that takes < 48 hours (manual/no-code acceptable): Speed matters. Use no-code, docs, or even manual operations - the goal is learning, not engineering.
4. Define "MVP success criteria" before shipping: Make this measurable. e.g., "3 users complete the core action twice in a week." It prevents emotional decision-making.
5. Plan one experiment to get the first 10 users: Keep it simple - DM people, post in niche communities, reach out directly. Early acquisition must be scrappy.

5. Create early momentum

Move users from interest → engagement → learning.

1. Set up a simple waitlist (email only): One field is enough. Lower friction increases sign-ups and keeps the loop fast.
2. Share a small teaser with your audience (friends, communities): Don't overthink this. Share your problem statement or mockup. Early interest validates your direction.
3. Start capturing insights from every sign-up: Every user tells you something; track patterns, motivations, and expectations.
4. Document 10 insights + 3 decisions made: Insights are useless until they influence what you build. Write decisions clearly and commit to them.
5. Celebrate a small win (keeps momentum high): Momentum prevents founder burnout. Acknowledge progress to stay motivated and consistent.

6. Founder mindsets (daily reminders)

Essential habits that help you move fast and learn. Learn by doing.

1. Move fast, talk to users faster
2. Ship before you feel ready
3. Focus on one thing that moves the metric
4. Prioritize learning over perfection
5. Kill ideas that don't drive progress

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

• Use clear, specific language that accurately describes your product or service. Avoid jargon and vague terms.
• Identify what sets your company apart and include that in the description. This helps quickly communicate your unique selling proposition.
• Ideally, it should be clear for whom and which problem your product solves.
• Make sure the description is not greater than 50 characters.
• Use phrasing like "Airbnb for X" only if everyone would know the company you are referencing.

Improved: Educational platform to boost creative thinking

Company url, if any:

• If you don't have a website you can build one in 1–2 days without coding using tools like Framer. There are many good templates available for free.
• Benefits of having a website: communicating your idea clearly, easier for readers to understand what you're building, and you can put a waitlist or booking form to start accumulating potential customers.

If you have a demo, attach it below.

• If you have an MVP, spend time to make a short 60–90 second demo video. It helps reviewers understand what your company does and shows you can build.

What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.

• Expand your 50-character description with more details.
• It should be clear who your customer is, what problem they have, and how exactly your product solves it.
• Share your long-term vision in a single sentence.
• Keep it under 5 sentences.

Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

• Ideally YC would love to see your team in SF. If your business benefits from being in a different location, explain that in the following question.

How far along are you?

• Provide a brief description of the company's current state using facts and numbers, ideally in a 3–5 bullet point list. Avoid fluff.
• If you have revenue or other strong indicators like users or LOIs, list them first.
• Be honest; don't present the company better than it is. Don't say 1000 users if it's 1000 installs. Don't claim LOIs if there are no signed papers. Don't state great retention without specifying it's only on paid customers.
• If you have made little progress, don't hide behind a wall of fluff or lots of research and customer interviews - it can look worse, not better.

How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full-time? Please explain.

• Ideally all cofounders are working full-time. Having left a strong job to work on the startup is a green flag - it shows you are serious.

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?

• Answer each part of the question. Each response should contain factual numbers.

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?

• Write one sentence on what inspired you to solve that problem.
• If you have experience in the domain, sell your team's expertise in 1–2 sentences.
• Use facts and numbers to support that people care: payments, product usage, LOIs, customer interviews, etc. (1–2 sentences).

Who are your competitors? What do you understand about your business that they don't?

• List a few of your most promising competitors. If there are no direct competitors, list companies whose products are currently used to solve the user's problem.
• Show how you are different and why it makes sense.

How do or will you make money? How much could you make?

• Briefly recap your business model and provide a Total Addressable Market (TAM) calculation.
• Two effective ways to show the idea is big: (a) calculate TAM, or (b) show what % of the market you need to capture to generate $100M annual revenue.
• Use a bottom-up approach: TAM = (number of potential customers) × (average cost of your service per customer per year).
• Ideally show a clear path to $100M ARR so the company can be considered a unicorn.

Please describe the breakdown of the equity ownership in percentages among the founders, employees and any other stockholders.

• Every founder should be essential. Giving a cofounder just 10% can signal they might not be motivated when things get tough. YC advice: aim for roughly equal equity splits.

If you had any other ideas you considered applying with, please list them. One may be something we've been waiting for. Often when we fund people it's to do something they list here and not in the main application.

• YC sometimes prefers an alternative idea you list here. Add a few other promising ideas you have considered.
• Consider: 50-character description of the idea + 1 sentence behind that idea.