Everything inside the free course
4
modules
18
videos
~99
minutes
What is Batchstack?
The short answer
Batchstack is a free Y Combinator preparation course and application grader, taught by YC alumni. It covers the whole application in 18 videos across 4 modules, roughly 99 minutes, and includes a free tool that reads your draft answers and names the weakness in each one. It is independent of Y Combinator and is not endorsed by them.
Four subjects. Start with whichever one you need.
Open any module to see its videos. Nothing is locked and nothing is in a required order, so you can jump straight to the part you are stuck on. Everything is free.
What YC actually is, who should apply, and how referrals and references work before you write a word.
Every application question, one video at a time: what it tests, the common mistakes, and how to write an answer that holds up.
The two videos YC asks for, the founder intro and the product demo, and how to shoot each one so it strengthens your application.
How the interview really runs, what partners push on, and how to answer with the specificity they reward.
How the modules fit together
Each module is one subject, not one step. Orientation covers what YC is, whether to apply, and how referrals and references work. The Written Application walks every question one video at a time, across thirteen videos. It is the longest module, because the written answers do most of the work. The Video Application covers the founder video and the product demo. The Interview prepares you for the ten minutes at the end.
There is no required order. Watching straight through gives you the arc of a full application cycle, which is how most founders use it, but the modules do not depend on each other: open the written application the week you are drafting, or the interview module the week you are invited. Front to back, the 18 videos take about 99 minutes.
What makes this syllabus different
Three parts of the course are hard to find anywhere else. Real applications from admitted companies, shown and annotated, let you compare your draft against answers that worked. A guest interview with the CEO of Y Combinator covers how applications are read from the selection side. And the instructors applied and were accepted themselves (Pair AI, W23), so the teaching draws on a real admitted application rather than secondhand advice.
A free Application Grader supports the modules, giving line-level feedback on draft answers. Most useful alongside the written-application module. The deadlines guide tracks the next batch cut-off. Every lesson is free, with lifetime access.
Frequently asked questions
01How many videos are in the course?
18 videos across 4 modules, about 99 minutes total, covering who should apply, the written application question by question, the founder video and demo, and the interview.
02Is the whole curriculum free?
Yes. Every module and video is free with lifetime access, no credit card required.
03What order should I watch the modules in?
Any order you like. Each module is a self-contained subject, so you can open the written application first if that is what you are stuck on, or the interview module the week before yours. Watching straight through gives the full arc, but nothing is gated.
04Does the course use real examples?
Yes. It includes breakdowns of real written applications from companies admitted into Y Combinator, plus a guest interview with the CEO of Y Combinator.