The YC Application: How It Clarified Our Vision

I just hit "Submit."

Applying to Y Combinator is a rite of passage for many startups. It’s nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. But now that the application is in and the Founder Video is uploaded, I realized something important:

Even if we don't get in, the process itself was invaluable.

Over the past month, as we've been busy in the weeds building the company site and AI application, the YC application was a nice change up that forces you to zoom out. It demands that you answer hard questions: What is the specific insight you have that others don’t? How do you get big? Why now?

Answering those questions didn't check a box, it validated my belief in our mission at Civic Decode. It made me articulate exactly why it's so important to bridge the gap between city websites built in 1999 and the new world of AI architecture that is changing the world of software in 2026.

The One-Minute Pitch 

Then, there was the video.

If you’ve ever tried to condense a decade of passion and a complex technical solution into a one-minute unscripted video, you know the struggle. It took forever. I lost count of the number of takes.

But that constraint was great. It forced me to be concise. You can't hide behind jargon when the clock is ticking. You have to be direct, human, and clear.

And, of course, I had to have a little fun with it with my Back to the Future references. Check it out for yourself below.

Crossing Our Fingers

I’m crossing my fingers that we get that interview email. YC is the gold standard of accelerators, and being part of that community would be a game-changer for my company.

But regardless of the outcome, this was a productive experience. The application honed my pitch, sharpened my focus, and reminded me exactly why I started this company in the first place.

Now, back to work. We have a future to build.