Pitching
How to Prepare a YC Founder Video with Finta
Prepare natural speaking notes for a YC founder video, keep it separate from the product demo, and review the actual recording before submission.
What you will learn
- Distinguish the founder introduction from a product demonstration.
- Prepare short speaking notes that preserve each founder’s natural voice.
- Run a one-minute rehearsal and check the final video before submission.
Prepare your YC founder video as a short conversation with the founders, not a promotional film. Use a few factual speaking notes, practise within the current time instruction, and check that each founder can be understood. Keep the product demonstration in its separate application slot.
Source check: October 22, 2026. YC’s official video instructions ask for a one-minute video of the founders talking, include all founders, and advise using bullet points rather than reciting a written script. The current application page lists Winter 2027 and an on-time deadline of November 2, 2026 at 8 p.m. Pacific Time. Recheck the form and video instructions before submitting.
This is an independent preparation guide from Finta. It is not an official application, endorsement, or partnership with Y Combinator. The founder remains responsible for the facts and submits through the program’s own channel.
What you will be able to do
- Distinguish the founder introduction from a product demonstration.
- Prepare short speaking notes that preserve each founder’s natural voice.
- Run a one-minute rehearsal and check the final video before submission.
Start from YC’s actual video instruction
YC’s video page asks founders to introduce themselves, explain what they are doing and why, and communicate naturally. It distinguishes the founder introduction from a demo or promotional video. Where co-founders are in different places, the instructions permit a recorded video call. Use the current form’s upload or link requirements rather than a hosting rule copied from an old application.
A useful preparation document is therefore a speaking-note sheet, not a screenplay. You do not need a fictional product interface, a soundtrack or a montage to complete this task. The objective is to make the people and their company understandable within the stated format.
For the application’s current intake, use the official YC application page. A deadline affects when the application is submitted; it does not change the distinction between a founder video and a product demo.
Build speaking notes with one purpose per point
Begin with what a viewer needs to understand: who is speaking, what the company does, and why this team is working on it. Choose concrete facts you can discuss without memorizing someone else’s wording. If a phrase sounds impressive but you cannot explain it in ordinary language, simplify the thought before recording.
| Purpose | Founder’s own notes | Evidence or boundary | Rehearsal check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identify the founders | [Names and actual roles] | [Who does what today] | [Can a viewer distinguish the speakers?] |
| Explain the company | [User, problem and product in plain language] | [Built today versus planned] | [Does the explanation work without a screen recording?] |
| Explain why this team | [Relevant experience or a problem personally understood] | [A specific contribution, not a credential list] | [Does it sound like the founders speaking naturally?] |
| Add one useful fact | [Progress or observation, if relevant] | [Metric definition and source] | [Is it accurate and necessary?] |
Do not squeeze every application answer into the video. Keep detailed market sizing, financing history and technical evidence in their appropriate places. The video can be concise without pretending the company is further along than it is.
Use a rehearsal log, not a memorized script
Choose a speaking order so founders do not interrupt or repeat one another. Then record a practice take from bullet points. Watch it once for understanding and once for format. Shorten repeated concepts before speeding up your speech. If a founder gets stuck, clarify the thought rather than replacing it with a line they cannot say naturally.
| Take | Duration | What a new viewer understood | Repeated or unclear point | One change for the next take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Actual measured time] | [Ask a listener to summarize] | [Exact place they became confused] | [Remove or clarify one point] |
| 2 | [Actual measured time] | [Check the company and founders are clear] | [Any remaining issue] | [Keep the natural wording that works] |
Use a simple recording setup that makes speech clear. Listen to the actual exported file rather than assuming a successful recording indicator proves good audio. If you use a recorded call, check that each founder remains intelligible and the chosen view does not hide a speaker. Rehearsal is for clarity and timing, not manufacturing a different personality.
For a separate demonstration of how the product works, use the product-demo lesson. Do not paste that lesson’s demo structure into a founder introduction.
Worked example: one minute with two real roles and no invented traction
Fictional example. Ana builds the product and Mo leads customer discovery at FieldNote, an early tool for field-service handovers. They have a working prototype and three exploratory customer conversations, but no paying customers. The company and facts are invented for teaching.
Their first take lasts 88 seconds. Both founders explain the same problem, then add a long list of possible features. A test listener remembers “some kind of AI platform” but cannot explain who uses it. The problem is not a missing cinematic introduction. It is repeated and abstract content.
They replace the script with four note cards: roles, user problem, product today, and why they chose the problem. Ana explains what has been built. Mo explains the observed handover problem and labels the customer conversations accurately. They remove a claim that the product “transforms the industry,” because their evidence does not establish that outcome.
| Illustrative time budget | Purpose | What stays out |
|---|---|---|
| 0–12 seconds | Introduce both founders and their roles | Long employment histories |
| 12–35 seconds | Explain the user problem and product today | Feature catalogue or a screen demo |
| 35–52 seconds | Explain why this team is working on it | Invented customer or revenue claims |
| 52–60 seconds | Leave room for natural pacing and a clean finish | A memorized promotional slogan |
This allocation is Finta’s fictional rehearsal example, not a YC rule or an acceptance formula. The founders should measure their own take and preserve the program’s current format. A polished one-minute video does not establish that a company meets selection criteria.
Check the actual file and submission destination
- Open the final file or link, not an earlier take with the same name.
- Measure its duration and compare it with the current official instruction.
- Listen from beginning to end and confirm each founder can be understood.
- Check that statements about progress agree with the written application.
- Remove customer names, private screens or other material you lack permission to share.
- Follow the current form’s recipient-access and upload instructions. Test the intended reviewer’s access without exposing unrelated storage.
- Have each founder approve the final version before the founder submits it through YC.
An AI tool can help identify repeated ideas in notes or a transcript you provide. It cannot establish that the video was uploaded, watched, accepted or even audible unless you supply and verify the relevant evidence. Do not substitute generated founders or synthesized approval for the actual team.
Questions about the YC founder video
Should we read a carefully written script?
The official instruction recommends bullet points and natural speech rather than reciting a script. Use preparation to clarify your thoughts, not to produce lines you cannot explain.
Can we show a product demo in this video?
YC distinguishes the founder video from the separate demo area. Prepare those assets for different jobs: this one introduces the founders and explains the company.
What if founders cannot be together?
The current video page allows recording a video call. Check the output for clear speech and include the founders as instructed.
Does a successful example tell us what will be accepted?
No. Examples show possible communication styles, not a scoring rule. Use your own facts and voice rather than copying another team’s story.
Copyable AI prompt
Try this exercise with Aurora AI in Finta, Claude, or Codex. Provide only material you are authorized to share. The output is a draft for your review, not an application submission.
Help me prepare speaking notes for a YC founder video, not a written script.
Current official video instructions: [source URL, checked date and relevant text]
Founders and actual roles: [facts]
Company, intended user and product built today: [facts]
Why we are working on this: [our own experience]
Optional progress fact with evidence: [definition, date and source]
Existing notes or rehearsal transcript and measured duration: [authorized material]
Produce four short discussion-point groups, a suggested speaking order, repeated or vague ideas to remove, and a rehearsal-review checklist. Preserve our voice. Do not generate a script to recite, a product-demo storyboard, fictional metrics, admissions scores, or a claim that a video has been uploaded or tested. Mark unknowns. Do not contact YC, upload files, submit a form or change records. The founders will record, review and submit the video themselves.Review the work, then use the official route
Read the output against your source documents, resolve each unknown, and ask a co-founder to check the version you plan to submit. Do not send private credentials, unrestricted data-room links, or material you lack permission to share. When the content is ready, continue through Y Combinator’s official application route. Finta does not submit this application for you.
For the wider program shortlist, use Finta’s startup accelerator directory. Keep application preparation separate from the broader fundraising process, including preparing for an accelerator interview when an invitation arrives.