YC Spring 2026: Here's Everything I Submitted

Yesterday I submitted my second application to Y Combinator. This time I spent three hours on it. Not days like last time.

In August 2025, I spent several days preparing my YC Summer 2025 application. I memorized the intro video script, shot 36 takes. Got rejected without an interview. I published that entire application here - I wanted to know what I did wrong.

Now, six months later, I'm in a different place. I have 1,389 commits, 52 releases, an iOS app on the App Store. But I've also been running on fumes for the past month and a half - working my full-time job, preparing TikTok scripts during breaks, shooting videos or coding new features after work, and somewhere in between spending time with family. I'm at the edge of my capacity.

So why did I send it?

TL;DRSecond YC application after six months. The window is now - in a year and a half I either won't need them or the project isn't working. Whether Edicek succeeds doesn't depend on one incubator.

Why Now

YC would help. That's a fact. But the window where it makes sense is now. A year, year and a half max.

If Edicek works, in a year and a half I'll have traction and I'll keep bootstrapping. If it doesn't work, YC wouldn't have saved it. So either I use this window now, or I don't need it at all.

I've also drastically reassessed the market size since last time. I see how the competition operates, what numbers they have. Fabric has ~200K users after three years and $25M in funding. Raindrop might have 200-500K after ten years. The market is small, but I still think there's room.

What Changed Since August

Since my last application:

• 1,389 commits (average ~5 per day)
• 52 releases to production
• iOS app on the App Store (January 2026)
• Complete UI redesign (still without branding - branding in progress)
• Many features like YouTube/TikTok transcriptions, image uploads, Apple Sign-In
• Czech s.r.o. formed
• 35 registered users, ~6 active

And most importantly - the app is actually usable now.

Founder Video

One-minute video where I explain what I'm building and why.

Demo Video

Quick walkthrough of the product in its current state - February 2026.

The Full Application

Here's everything I submitted. Nothing hidden.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION (50 characters max)
========================================
If ChatGPT and Apple Notes had a baby


WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY GOING TO MAKE?
========================================
Edicek solves the "save and forget" problem. People bookmark articles, save
videos, take screenshots - then never find them when needed. The content sits
in digital graveyards across Apple Notes, browser bookmarks, and random folders.

The insight: When users save content, we ask "Why are you saving this?" This
simple question changes everything. Save a product website because you love
their design → our AI knows to suggest it for design inspiration, not product
recommendations. Without the "why," AI is just guessing - and that's why every
other knowledge tool fails at retrieval.

What works today:
- Web app + native iOS app on App Store
- Bookmark saving with intent capture ("why are you saving this?")
- AI-powered search across all saved content
- AI chat with your personal knowledge as context
- YouTube/TikTok video transcription and summarization
- Image upload with notes
- Credit system for transparent usage-based pricing

Already built beyond the product:
- 6 blog posts on knowledge management and productivity
- 17 documentation pages covering features and guides
- 22 changelog entries documenting product evolution

Current focus:
- Branding overhaul (in progress - logo done, preparing brand communication)
- Onboarding flow (not yet built - critical for conversion)
- iOS app feature parity with web
- Mac app (planned)
- Demo videos for each feature
- YouTube content showing the product in action
- Onboarding emails
- More transparent subscription alternative to pay-as-you-go

Key differentiator: Most founders build feature sets. I'm building a behavior
shift. When you save content, we ask "why are you saving this?" - this simple
question changes how AI can help you later. Competitors analyze WHAT you saved.
We capture WHY. Same content, different intent = completely different AI treatment.


WHO WRITES CODE, OR DOES OTHER TECHNICAL WORK ON YOUR PRODUCT?
========================================
Only me (founder) writes all code and does all technical work. 1,389 commits
in the last 6 months, 52 releases. No external developers or contractors - I
built the entire stack: React/TypeScript frontend, Node.js/GraphQL backend,
native iOS app, AI integrations, and infrastructure.


ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A COFOUNDER?
========================================
No - and I know that's a red flag for you.

But here's my honest take: In every company I've worked at over the past 10
years, I've seen the same pattern - one founder carries the weight, the others
coast. Cofounders leave with large equity stakes, teams get demoralized. I'm
working in one of those companies right now. That's not one bad experience -
that's a consistent pattern that shaped my thinking.

Instead, I'm building a team: full-time designer, full-time video editor,
content creators. I don't need another decision-maker - I need people I can
delegate to so I can focus on product and strategy.

I ship fast alone - 1,389 commits, 52 releases, iOS app, all solo. What I need
isn't a cofounder, it's resources to hire the right people for content and
distribution while I handle product and tech.


WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?
========================================
Prague, Czech Republic

Prague offers 3-4x lower development costs than Silicon Valley while maintaining
high quality - Avast, JetBrains, and Socialbakers built significant tech
companies here. This extends runway and allows me to focus on product rather
than overhead. EU market access and timezone works for both US and European users.

Personal note: I used to be intimidated by US-based companies - thought I wasn't
good enough. After working on projects for Groupon, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard,
I realized there's no difference in delivery quality. Strong and weak people
exist everywhere. That insecurity is gone.

Context: Fabric (my main competitor) raised $5M seed and $20M Series A. Prague
costs mean I can stretch the same capital significantly further.


HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU?
========================================
Product: Fully functional web app + native iOS app on App Store. 22 major
feature releases since July 2025. Complete UI redesign from rough MVP to
polished product.

Users: 35 registered, 6 actively using (including myself). This is my biggest
learning - I spent 6 months building when I should have been distributing.

Revenue: None yet. Covering AI costs for users while validating the model and
fixing the pricing confusion (see revenue section).

Company: Czech s.r.o. formed.

Total investment so far:
- Cash out of pocket: ~$22,000 (tools, services, Claude Code credits, ads)
- My time: 2,000+ hours over 18 months

Current monthly costs:
- Infrastructure (servers, services): ~€140/month
- Claude Code credits for development: ~$1,500/month
- Marketing (personal brand ads): ~$1,200/month
- Apple Search Ads: $300/month
- Total: ~$3,140/month out of pocket

What's working: Users who actually use the product love it. The "why" capture
creates genuinely useful AI suggestions. The core product works - I validated that.

What's not working: Distribution. I made the classic solo founder mistake of
building in isolation. The product is ready, but almost nobody knows it exists.

Current focus: Branding (2 weeks out), then demo videos, documentation, feature
showcase content for YouTube. Building personal brand on Twitter. Shifting from
100% building to 50% building / 50% distribution.


HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING ON THIS?
========================================
Working on this part-time (~4-6 hours daily) alongside my day job (helping
maintain a digital signage platform I originally built). Since my last YC
application in July 2025: 1,389 commits, 52 production releases, 2 iOS releases.

The marketable product only exists since January 2026 when iOS app launched -
before that, 95% of use case (mobile saving) required a manual iOS Shortcut
workaround.

First MVP I started using myself for my need was from around May 2025.


TECH STACK
========================================
Frontend: React/TypeScript, Next.js, TailwindCSS
iOS: Native Swift app on App Store
Backend: Node.js/TypeScript, GraphQL API (Pothos), Prisma ORM, PostgreSQL
AI: Anthropic Claude for chat and content reasoning
Infrastructure: DigitalOcean, Apple In-App Purchase integration
Dev tools: Claude Code for development assistance


ARE PEOPLE USING YOUR PRODUCT?
========================================
YES

35 registered users, 6 actively using the product (including myself). None
paying yet - I'm covering AI costs while validating and fixing the pricing model.


IF YOU ARE APPLYING WITH THE SAME IDEA AS A PREVIOUS BATCH, DID ANYTHING CHANGE?
========================================
Yes, significantly. Rejected without interview in Fall 2025. Since then:

Execution:
- 1,389 commits in 6 months (~5/day average)
- Shipped 52 releases
- Native iOS app on App Store (January 2026)
- Apple In-App Purchase integration
- Complete UI redesign from rough MVP
- 22 major features: YouTube/TikTok transcriptions, image upload, Apple Sign-In,
  10x faster free search, and more

Why low traction was intentional:
- Until 2 weeks ago, I had no iOS app - and ~95% of content saving happens on
  mobile. Before the app, users had to manually set up an iOS Shortcut. That's
  not a product you can market.
- No branding means no consistency. Spending money on ads without clear
  positioning and visual identity is wasting money.
- I'd rather wait and launch properly than burn budget on a half-ready product.

What I learned:

1. Collecting "why" isn't enough. People have short memory - they forget what
they wanted to try, what materials they gathered for that pitch deck, what they
planned to cook. I need to proactively create groups, collections, and summaries
based on what they save daily. Remind them. Work with them actively like a real
assistant, not a passive storage.

2. Consistency beats features. Fabric keeps adding features and their product
gets more complex. I don't want to win by having more features - I want to win
through brand consistency, public presence, and being the simple alternative.

3. Pay-as-you-go pricing confuses users. I thought credit-based pricing would
be an advantage (no subscription fatigue). Users told me it's confusing - they
don't know what to expect, they hesitate before using features. I'm pivoting to
hybrid subscription model.

4. iOS app needs to ship, even if incomplete. I launched the iOS app knowing
it's not feature-complete with web. Waiting for perfection means never shipping.

Distribution strategy:
- Video-first approach: demo videos, micro-animations on web, YouTube showcases
- UGC creators: identified creators I want to work with
- Personal brand: behind-the-scenes content from building Edicek

Current marketing spend:
- $300/month Apple Search Ads for newly launched iOS app
- ~$1,200/month on ads promoting personal brand

Social presence:
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@petrhomoky
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/homoky
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyedicek


WHY DID YOU PICK THIS IDEA?
========================================
Personal pain: I save ~3,000 bookmarks annually - videos, articles, screenshots,
ideas. When I actually need something, I can't find it. I've tried every tool:
Notion, Obsidian, Fabric, MyMind, Raindrop, Apple Notes. All fail at the same
thing - retrieval.

The insight: Through using these tools and talking to users, I discovered WHY
they fail. They analyze WHAT content contains, but ignore WHY users saved it.
Same article saved for "design inspiration" vs "competitor research" needs
completely different treatment. Without user intent, AI suggestions are
sophisticated guessing.

Domain expertise: 10+ years in software development - worked on projects for
Groupon, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard. Currently helping full-time with a digital
signage system I originally built from scratch - I reduced their infrastructure
costs by 10x, downsized the team while enabling scale.

Validation: 23 informal interviews, consistent pattern: people use Apple Notes,
want more functionality, but abandon complex tools like Notion. The biggest
surprise? Extremely low retrieval rates - people save tons of content but almost
never find it again.


WHO ARE YOUR COMPETITORS?
========================================
Direct: Fabric (~200K users), MyMind, Raindrop, Supermemory, Lazy.so
Adjacent: Notion, Apple Notes, Readwise

What I understand that they don't:

1. The Intent Gap: They analyze WHAT, ignore WHY. Same content, different intent
= different treatment needed.

2. The Simplicity Paradox: They believe more features = more value. They're
cutting off 80% of users who want Apple Notes simplicity with invisible intelligence.

3. Market is fragmented, not saturated: Fabric has ~200K users, Raindrop 200-500K
after 10 years. Total market is small (~$2-4M monthly) but underserved.

4. Integration beats isolation: They build walled gardens. Real adoption happens
when knowledge integrates into existing workflows.


HOW DO OR WILL YOU MAKE MONEY?
========================================
Current: No revenue. Covering AI costs for beta users.

Learning: I thought pay-as-you-go credits would be an advantage - users pay only
for what they use, no subscription fatigue. User feedback proved me wrong:
credit-based pricing is confusing.

Pivot to hybrid model (inspired by Gemini pricing):
- Pay-as-you-go: Current model stays - for users who prefer flexibility
- Subscription tiers: Monthly plans with generous included credit allowance
- Higher tiers: Unlimited AI chat included (removes biggest friction)

Pricing tiers:
- Casual users: $2/month (pay-as-you-go)
- Active users: $3-10/month
- Power users: $25/month (capped subscription)

Target: 1K paying users Year 1, then raise Seed/Series A to scale further.


WHAT CONVINCED YOU TO APPLY TO Y COMBINATOR?
========================================
I applied in Fall 2025 and was rejected without interview. Since then, I shipped
1,389 commits, launched an iOS app, completely redesigned the product, and
forming a team. I'm reapplying because:

1. The product is now genuinely ready - not "MVP ready," actually ready
2. I've learned from my mistakes (building without distributing, confusing pricing)
3. I need resources to build the team and execute the distribution strategy

YC's funding would let me go full-time, hire the creative team I've identified,
and execute massive content production. The product is ready for the first batch
of real users. The strategy is ready. I just need resources to hire the right people.

Use of funds:
- Go full-time on Edicek
- Hire full-time designer
- Hire full-time video editor
- Rent office space
- Massive content production to outcompete incumbents

I don't need developers - I spend $1,500/month on Claude Code and ship faster
alone than most teams. What I need is people to delegate content, design, and
video work to.

What's Next

Nothing changes. I keep going.

If they accept me, great - it'll speed things up. If not, nothing changes. I have an iOS app on the App Store, I have first users, I have a strategy. YC would help, but I don't depend on it.

Whether Edicek succeeds or not won't be decided by one incubator. It'll be decided by whether I can convince people to change how they save things. That's on me, not on YC.