See Dropbox's original Y Combinator accelerator application to get an idea about what is a winning application. 

Paystack's entire Y Combinator Application complete with commentary and backstory.

The Muse applied to Y Combinator in fall of 2011 and was accepted into the winter 2012 batch. In the spirit of sharing what worked for us, we are publishing our application to encourage more women and non-traditional candidates to apply.

Twice a year Y Combinator takes applications for funding. I thought it might help applicants if I explained what we look for when we read them. 
Probably the biggest thing people don’t understand about the process is the importance of expressing yourself clearly. 

Staff from accelerator programs take into consideration many common themes when reviewing applications, such as addressing a large market, having a bold and crazy idea, showing some form of traction or signs that the company will be able to hit a milestone while in the program

Prestigious startup accelerators like Techstars and Y Combinator (YC) have a lower acceptance rate (only 1-2%) than Harvard (5%). Top accelerators give entrepreneurs the opportunity to rapidly scale their companies over an intensive three-month program by providing access to mentors, investors, advisors and a network of other founders.

Getting accepted into a seed-accelerator like Y Combinator or Techstars is a major step forward for any startup. In fact, getting into any accelerator is beneficial for a startup. But how does a founder get their company into an accelerator, and when is the right time to apply? While it is entirely possible for any startup to get accepted into an accelerator, there are numerous factors that need to be thought about before a founder

This is a business and financial modeling tool to help you prepare your businness plan.

Sample Financial Worksheet

This is a business and financial modeling tool to help you prepare your businness plan.