/interview
YC Interview, Drilled.
10 minutes. 2-3 partners. Same-day decision. Here are the 10 questions you'll be asked, the trap hiding inside each, and a script for answering under pressure.
10 min
Hard cap
2-3
Partners
Same day
Decision
Q1
What does your company do?
Why asked:First question, every interview. Tests whether you can be clear under pressure.
How to answer:One sentence. No buzzwords. 'We make X for Y so they can Z.' Practice it 50 times.
Trap:If you ramble for 30 seconds, the rest of the interview is uphill.
Q2
Why is now the right time?
Why asked:Tests whether you understand market timing or are just chasing a trend.
How to answer:Pick 2–3 specific shifts (regulation, tech cost curve, consumer behavior, distribution channel) and explain why they unlock this idea now.
Trap:'AI is hot' is not an answer. Be specific about what changed in the last 18 months.
Q3
Who's your competition? Why will you win?
Why asked:Tests how seriously you take the market.
How to answer:Name 3 real competitors (not 'no one else does this'). Pick one specific wedge: distribution, price, depth in a vertical, founder background.
Trap:Saying 'we have no competition' = rejection. They will Google for 30 seconds and find 5.
Q4
Why you? Why are you the right team?
Why asked:YC bets on people more than ideas. They want a reason this team will outlast the inevitable rough patches.
How to answer:Concrete story: how you met, what you've shipped together, why you're suited for this specific market.
Trap:Don't list resumes. They want chemistry and grit, not credentials.
Q5
What's your growth?
Why asked:If you're post-launch, this is THE question. Numbers don't lie.
How to answer:Week-over-week growth %, MRR or active users, retention. Be brutally honest. If growth is bad, have a real diagnosis.
Trap:Inflating numbers is suicide. They check refs. They'll catch it.
Q6
What have you learned from your users?
Why asked:Tests whether you actually talk to them.
How to answer:Specific, recent stories. 'Last week a customer told us X, so we shipped Y on Tuesday and now Z is happening.'
Trap:Generic answers ('users love it') = you don't talk to users.
Q7
How big can this be?
Why asked:YC needs to believe at least one path exists to a multi-billion dollar outcome.
How to answer:Bottom-up TAM math. Start from 'X users × $Y price' not 'the market is $Z trillion.'
Trap:Top-down market size slides feel lazy. They want first-principles math.
Q8
What would you do with the YC money?
Why asked:Tests whether you have a clear plan for the next 6 months.
How to answer:Specifics: '2 engineers + extend runway 9 months + $20k/mo on paid acquisition tests.'
Trap:'We'd hire a marketing team' = not the answer for a YC stage company.
Q9
What's the hardest thing about this business?
Why asked:Tests self-awareness. Founders who can't answer this are founders who haven't really thought.
How to answer:Honest. Pick the real hard thing (regulation, sales cycle, GTM, technical risk). Show you have a plan.
Trap:'Nothing, we got it figured out' = arrogance flag.
Q10
If we don't fund you, what will you do?
Why asked:Tests commitment. They want founders who'll do this either way.
How to answer:'Keep building. We'll bootstrap from revenue / raise from angels / both.'
Trap:'We'd probably go back to our jobs' = instant rejection.
Drill on paper
Download the 10-Minute Interview Drill PDF →