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A list of the '10 minute interview' questions that may be asked of your if your invited to interview for entry into one of yCombinators batches
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">ycombinator(YC) interview questions</h1> <h2>[WHAT]</h2> <ol> <li>] this is a listing of the actual questions asked of startup founders in ycombinators interview process</li> <li>] the questions were sourced from a number of articles where interviewees reported on their ycombinator interview experience</li> <li>] I prefaced each question, with a category heading for the type of question,</li> <ol> <li>x] example - [PRODUCT] What are you building?</li> </ol> <li>] there are currently only 4 categories/types of questions </li> <ol> <li>] FOUNDER/TEAM, PRODUCT/IDEA, MARKET, BUSINESS</li> </ol></ol> <h2>[WHY]</h2> <ol> <li><strong>] practice for your combinator interview</strong></li> <ol> <li>] chances are your not going to get a ycombinator interview</li> </ol> <li><span style="background-color: #ffff00;"><strong>] MORE IMPORTANTLY if your going to do a startup, you NEED to be able to answer everyone of these questions</strong></span></li> <ol> <li>] quickly -</li> <li>] concisely -</li> <li>] honestly -</li> </ol></ol> <h2>[WHERE]</h2> <ol> <li><strong>] <a href="/view/steps?id=129" target="_blank">accelorator-applicaton/ycombinator-interview-questions</a></strong></li> <ol> <li>] each question in an individual record -</li> </ol></ol> <h2>[WHEN]</h2> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <h2>[EXAMPLE - list 1 - YC - interview questions]</h2> <ol> <li><strong>PRODUCT]</strong> <strong>So you guys are making a ____?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> <li>] What are going to do?</li> </ol> <li><strong>PRODUCT</strong><strong>] Like ___ </strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> <li><strong>] YC Partner q1 re: product </strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] YC Partner q2 re: product </strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol></ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS] Do you have customers? </strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>PRODUCT</strong><strong>] How far along are you?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>PRODUCT</strong><strong>] YC So what would be an example use case?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>PRODUCT BUSINESS] </strong><strong>Who’s the biggest user?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>PRODUCT] have they been successfull with it? </strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>PRODUCT] Let’s check it out, see what it looks like.</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re: demo use case of project</li> <li>] <strong>Where have they been showing the links</strong></li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong><strong>] That’s pretty good. So what’s the plan for this?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong><strong>] Is this a durable business? </strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong><strong>] Do you think it’ll be easy for someone to clone what you’ve done?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong><strong>] But if [COMPETITOR] added this tomorrow…</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong><strong>] Why is it difficult for new comers?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong>] <strong>What’s the revenue model?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS] </strong><strong>Do you think the sites will mind that you’re doing this?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>TEAM] </strong><strong>How excited are you about working on ____ for a significant chunk of your life?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong><strong>] Is this growing virally?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS</strong><strong>] How many users did you say?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>BUSINESS] </strong><strong>And how fast are you growing?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>TEAM] </strong><strong>How long have you all worked together?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>TEAM] Who does what in the team?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol> <li><strong>TEAM] Is it an equal split among the 3 of you?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] re:</li> </ol></ol> <p> </p> <h2>[WHAT - list 2 - YC - interview questions]</h2> <ol> <li><strong>] What are going to do?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] CR# 1</li> </ol> <li><strong>] Potential Users?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] Obstacles in your path?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What’s wrong with existing options?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] How you’ll overcame the barriers that allow existing options to stay bad?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] Who needs what you’re making?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] How do you know they need it?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] CR# #</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What are they doing now?</strong></li> <ol> <li>] CR# #</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What makes you different from existing options?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] Why isn’t someone already doing this?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What obstacles will you face and how will you overcame them?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] How will customers/users find out about you?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What resistance will they have to trying you?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] How will you overcome that resistance?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What are the key things about your field that outsiders don’t understand?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What part of your project are you going to build first?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] Who is going to be your first paying customers?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] If your startup succeeds, what additional areas might you be able to expand into?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] Why did you choose this idea?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] What have you learned so far from working on it?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <li><strong>] Six months from now, what’s going to be your biggest problem?</strong></li> <ol> <li>]</li> </ol></ol> <h2>[HOW-TO]</h2> <ol> <li>] <a href="http://old.ycombinator.com/howtoprepare.html" target="_blank">how to prepare for the interview</a></li> <ol> <li>] by Paul Graham - founder @ycombinator.com -</li> </ol></ol> <h2>[REFERENCE]</h2> <ol> <li>2014-04-24] EXAMPLE - <a href="https://medium.com/p/187312cd2cf5" target="_blank">https://medium.com/p/187312cd2cf5</a> </li> <ol> <li>2014-04-30] EXAMPLE - <a href="http://alchemist.svbtle.com/our-yc-interviews">http://alchemist.svbtle.com/our-yc-interviews</a> - src=hn <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7677773" target="_blank">comments</a></li> </ol> <li>[2015-03-dd] <strong>SOURCE LIST 2= </strong><a href="/view/article?id=4394" target="_blank"><strong>my yc experience by creos</strong></a><strong> </strong></li> <ol> <li><strong>CC</strong>] #3027 our yc interview experience - </li> </ol> <li>]</li> </ol> <h1 style="text-align: center;"> </h1>