Over 5,000 applications across two seasons, 56 accepted — an acceptance rate of 1.3%. The number is not there to scare you; it is there to explain how an application is read.
How an application is read
The first read takes 90 seconds. Three questions:
- What do you do — did we understand it?
- What have you done — can you show it?
- Why you — do we believe it?
Three yeses earn a second read. There, everything is read.
Before you send
- The first sentence says what the product is, not the mission
- There is a number — users, revenue, conversations, however small
- The video is under 60 seconds
- The links open
- "We are Uber for X" — deleted
- "The market is $10 billion" — deleted
The best applications are not the longest. They are the most precise.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Instead |
|---|---|
| A general problem: "education quality is low" | A specific person, a specific situation |
| A technical solution: "an AI platform" | What the user does |
| Team: "experienced" | Where, and what they built |
The application is your first pitch. Write it like something you would show on a Friday.
Apply — uzcombinator.uz/apply. Questions — FAQ.