Y Combinator is reputed to be the most commercially successful seed accelerator in the world. Y Combinator selects two batches of company per year. The companies, which must be based in Silicon Valley for the 3 month program, receive seed money, advice, and connections in exchange for 7% equity.
The program focuses the founders on working intensively on further developing their product, team and market, refining their Business Model Canvas, achieving product/market fit, scaling the startup into a high growth business. A key principle is that companies make products that people want. The program culminates at Demo Day where startups present their business to a selected audience of investors.
Calendata's pick of Y-Combinator 2015:
- Final - A new type of credit card which uses disposable credit card numbers
- Chariot -Crowd funded commuter mini-buses/vans (vs state/municipal buses)
- Paperspace - A new type of computer that lives in the cloud
- Robinhood - Free stock trading (vs pay per trade)
- Seed - Easy small business banking (vs big bank hoop jumping)
- MashGin - Checkout using computer vision (no barcode or RFID needed)
- CloudStitch - Build your website using only a spreadsheet
- EquipmentShare - Contractor to contractor rental
[Y Combinator text, adapted: Wikipedia. Top image: ridechariot.com]