How do Y Combinator partners screen and interview applicant teams?

Okay, I'm familiar with this. I'll help you understand how the folks at YC pick teams, trying to explain it in simple terms.

The entire process mainly involves two hurdles: Application Material Screening and a 10-Minute Lightning Interview.

First Stage: Reviewing Application Materials

Thousands of teams apply every year, and the partners review materials very quickly, so your application must grab their attention in just a few minutes. They mainly look at these points:

1. Can you explain what you do in one sentence? This is a hard requirement. If you can't explain it yourself, or if you use a lot of high-sounding jargon, you're pretty much out. They want to see that you can clearly describe your product in terms that ordinary people can understand (e.g., "We're a WeChat mini-program for small restaurants").

2. Founder Background (The Most Important Part). YC's core philosophy is "invest in people." They will scrutinize the founding team's background.

   • Are your technical skills strong? Do you have a technical co-founder who can build the product? YC strongly favors tech-driven teams.
   • How long have you known each other? Are you long-time friends/colleagues, or did you just meet at a coffee shop last week? They prefer stable team relationships.
   • Are you "indestructible cockroaches"? Can your experiences show that you are resilient, hardworking, and relentless in pursuing your goals?

3. How much have you built? (Traction) This is proof of your execution ability.

   • Do you have a bare-bones Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
   • Do you have your first users? Even if it's just 10.
   • Do you have revenue? Even if it's just 100 yuan.
   • "Having something" is always a million times more important than "having a good idea." This proves you're not just an armchair dreamer.

4. How big is the market? Are you solving a real pain point? Does this market have the potential to become very, very large in the future? They like projects with extremely high "ceilings." Even if you're currently tackling a small niche, they need to see the big world behind that small niche.

Second Stage: 10-Minute Lightning Interview

If your application passes, you'll receive an interview invitation. YC interviews are famously "fast, precise, and ruthless," usually lasting only 10 minutes.

Don't expect time for small talk or PPT presentations. The partners will have memorized your application materials, so they'll immediately launch into a barrage of questions, cutting straight to the chase.

In these 10 minutes, they are truly assessing:

1. Clarity of thought and communication efficiency. Can you answer questions quickly, directly, and clearly under immense pressure? No beating around the bush, no excuses. If they ask for data, give data; if they ask for your thoughts, state your thoughts.

2. Grasp of the business. How well do you truly understand your users, market, and data? When they ask, "How many new users did you acquire last week?" "What's your user retention rate?" "Who are your main competitors, and how are you better than them?", you must be able to answer instantly. This shows you are constantly engaged with your business.

3. Interaction between founders. They will deliberately ask challenging or controversial questions to observe how the founders communicate, complement each other, or even respectfully disagree. They want to see a healthy, complementary team that can endure hardships together, not a one-person show or a disorganized group.

4. Balance of "coachability" and "unwavering conviction." They will challenge your ideas, even negate some of your judgments. At this point, they want to see your reaction. Can you openly listen to feedback (coachability) while also having unshakeable confidence in your core vision and judgment (unwavering conviction)? Neither stubborn nor blindly compliant.

After the interview, the partners will immediately gather to discuss and vote. Usually, that same evening, you'll receive a call or email telling you "Welcome to YC" or "Unfortunately." This process is extremely efficient and straightforward.

In summary, YC is looking for "exceptionally smart, highly executable, and resilient-as-a-cockroach" founders, and they use an efficient, even brutal, method to pluck them out of the crowd.