For designers

You have shipped inside a YC company. We want to see it.

Got Better only takes designers with real Y Combinator experience. Smaller roster, far better matches, and founders who already know what they want. The application takes about fifteen minutes and a two minute Loom.

Shipped for a YC company 4+ years of real work A portfolio we can open Contract, not full-time
Start the application What we look for
The bar

We read every application. Here is what actually gets you in.

01

Proof, not claims

A named YC company, the batch, and a link to what you shipped. We check. If we cannot verify it, we cannot place you.

02

Judgment, not volume

Three considered projects beat thirty screenshots. Tell us the decision you made and why, not just what it looked like.

03

You can talk to founders

Our clients are technical founders under time pressure. The Loom is how we hear whether you can hold that conversation.

The application

Tell us who you are and what you shipped.

01

About you

The basics. Use the email you actually read, briefs move fast.

Please add your name.
Please add a valid email.
Where are you based?
We need a link we can open.If it is password protected, put the password in the notes at the end.
02

Your craft

Pick the discipline you would want to be matched on first, then anything else you are genuinely strong in.

Pick your primary discipline.
Select your experience.
Let us know so we match you correctly.
03

Your YC experience

This is the part that decides it. Every designer on Got Better has shipped inside a Y Combinator company, and we verify.

Please answer this one.
We are not the right fit yet.

Got Better only places designers who have already shipped inside a YC company, so we would not be able to match you today. Send your portfolio to hello@gotbetter.co anyway and we will keep it on file for when that changes.

Name the company.List more than one if you have worked with several.
Which batch were they?
Pick one.
Tell us what you actually shipped. Be specific about your own contribution. If you worked in a team, say what was yours.
Add a link we can open.
Optional, but it moves your application to the front.
04

Work samples

Up to three projects. One line on what you owned matters more than a long write-up.

PROJECT 01 REQUIRED
Add a link.
One line is fine.
PROJECT 02
PROJECT 03
This is the answer we read most closely.
05

Your two minute Loom

This replaces a first call. We want to hear how you think, not how polished you can edit.

Cover these four things, roughly two minutes total
  1. Who you are and what you are best at
  2. Walk through the YC project you named above
  3. One design decision you made there and why
  4. How you like to work with a founder day to day

Unlisted is fine. Do not edit it, a single take tells us more. Loom, Vimeo, YouTube or a Drive link all work.

Add your video link.Please make sure the sharing permission is open, we cannot chase access.
06

Availability and rate

We place designers on contract through Deel. No exclusivity, and you can pause whenever.

Roughly how much capacity?
When could you start?
Give us a number to work with.Be honest. We would rather match you at your real rate than negotiate you down.
We reply to every application within five working days.
After you apply

What happens next

Five steps, and a real reply at the end of the first one. No silent rejections and no unpaid test projects.

  • WITHIN 5 WORKING DAYSWe read it and replyA person reads the whole thing, including the Loom. You get an answer either way, no silent rejections.
  • IF IT IS A FITA 20 minute callMostly about the YC project you described and how you work with founders under time pressure.
  • VERIFICATIONWe check the workWe confirm the YC engagement, usually with your reference or the company directly.
  • ONBOARDINGContract through DeelYou set your rate and capacity. No exclusivity, pause whenever you need to.
  • THENYou start getting briefsWe only send you work that matches your discipline and stage. Say no freely, it does not count against you.
Questions

Designers ask us this

Not answered here?

Email us before you spend fifteen minutes on the form. We would rather tell you early if it is not a fit.

hello@gotbetter.co
01Do I really need YC experience?

Yes. It is the whole product. Founders come to us because every designer already knows batch pace and Demo Day, and we would lose that the moment we opened it up. Working with a YC company through an agency counts.

02Is this full-time or contract?

Contract, through Deel. You keep your own clients, there is no exclusivity, and you can pause whenever you need to.

03How do you set my rate?

You do. Put your real number on the form. We price the client separately and we do not negotiate you down to win a brief.

04Why the Loom?

Because taste and judgment do not show up in a portfolio grid. Two minutes of you explaining one decision tells us more than thirty screenshots, and it saves you a first call.

05How much work will I actually get?

It depends on your discipline and availability, and we would rather be straight with you than promise volume. We only send briefs that genuinely match, so you will get fewer and better ones.

06What if I am rejected?

You get a real reply, and you are welcome to apply again once you have shipped something new. Most rejections are about the YC requirement, not the quality of your work.