3 Tips to Nail the Y Combinator Interview

These were the 3 things I looked for when I was a Y Combinator partner. It's only 10 minutes, so make them count. The YC Interview is just a conversation. Take a deep breath, prepare, and practice.

I’m Garry Tan, venture capitalist and cofounder at Initialized Capital. We were earliest investors in billion dollar startups like Coinbase and Instacart, and we’re spending time with some of our best founders to learn the secrets of their success and see the future they’re building. I’m doing my own run-and-gun one man YouTube channel with no staff or crew — we're going for raw and unfiltered, not perfect.

Please like this video and subscribe to my channel if you want to see more videos like this!

[cameronyarbrough]

Garry coached me through the YC interview process. It was the most exhilarating 10 min of my professional life and it felt like 30 seconds. Garry helped me nail the most important points with a consistent drum beat. Without his guidance it would have gone by too quickly and I would have missed those important points. Thank you Garry!

[raulcame]

“It’s just a conversation” brilliant, Gary.

[artfuldoc]

Thanks Garry this is super useful. We are at MVP stage for a healthcare company in South Africa. This is gold!

[william_chidube]

There's something really calming about you Gary. Great substance in your videos too. I love them.

[supreet-singh]

Thanks for the encouraging words Gary! Love the way you alternative between those that got interviews and those that didn’t.

[towersroofinginc]

Glad YouTube’s algo finally suggested great content!

[adrianafoxxe]

I am currently a bar examinee in the Philippines and I learned how to code. My dream is to create apps that will solve people’s problems. I aim to be part of YC. Watch out for me, Garry! ❤

[hopesophie]

I just got YC interview invite! This video is very helpful. Thank you, Garry.

[Feh]

This pyramid approach to answering questions is a genius idea!

[waltondornisch]

Garry is the coolest of breezes. What a heart!

[rogerrea]

Hey Garry, a couple of questions

How do you evaluate the responses? By the clarity of thought? Perfectly planned answers? Answers with business sense relative to partner’s experience?

What aspects do you look for on the team to judge if they are the right one?

How much weight would you say impacts the decision having strong traction and what is strong traction?

[remote]

you are such an authentic soul, love your videos man been binge watching. I'm not trying to get into YC (I have a CRM with few paid customers) but def. love all your gems. thanks so much for making these videos!!!

[zeeshanzia]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have two questions.

1. If the partners ask questions on entirely different topics simultaneously, without pausing for even a second, who do we answer? Whats the right strategy there? Focus on the partner we want most to work with?

2. Must all co-founders answer some questions? or is it okay if one founder talks 100% of the time? We are all non-native English speakers, and only one of us is fluent enough to do rapid fire.

[DishDivvy]

Hey Garry, 2 questions and TIA! (1) What questions should we expect if a company in the same space has recently gone through YC? and (2) is it imperative that we have a validated number for CAC? Since we are early stage and so much of our acquisition is via organic methods, calculating a hard CAC for either side of our marketplace at this stage is challenging

[surajmullick]

Wonderful! Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Sir. Rock on !

[thierrymilard]

Thank you Garry for the nice feedback.
Thanks for the advice you gave on my application weeks ago, this was cool. ( free-visit).

[Rynofinds]

You are an absolute legend Garry! Big fan of yours and hope I'm gonna meet you someday..

[jecabreradc]

This is great, thank you. Do you have any tips on how a solo non-coder founder could succeed in one of those interviews for the “team” aspect?

[geoffl]

I'm using these questions as an employee interviewing at a startup.
- I'm potentially investing my time
- I will likely receive equity as compensation

[alisherfez]

Thank you so much Garry. This is golden.