# YC Application Advice From African Startups

**Author:** Dimeji Sofowora
**Type:** Essay
**URL:** https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6O-yc-application-advice-from-african-startups

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YC Application Advice From African Startups

# YC Application Advice From African Startups

by Dimeji Sofowora, Femi Kuti, Benjamin Ufaruna, Jesse Ghansah, Shola Akinlade

Over [250 people attended](https://www.facebook.com/pg/PaystackHQ/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1977867805781763) the YC
Lagos Meetup at Paystack HQ. Guests stayed for over five hours to hear eight Nigerian and Ghanaian alum share their
stories.

They also made their own videos with advice for founders interested in applying to YC.

**Dimeji Sofowora, cofounder of** [**Helium Health**](https://heliumhealthcare.com/) **, on not being scared to apply.**

Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Helium Health - YouTube

[Photo image of Paystack](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgbRNWYjMRx8SRU8tLG2mQ?embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2F)

Paystack

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[Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Helium Health](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFpsNSa9Puw)

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**Femi Kuti, cofounder of** [**Kangpe**](https://www.kangpe.com/) **, shares advice for founders who applied previously**
**to YC, didn't get in, and are applying again.**

Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Kangpe - YouTube

[Photo image of Paystack](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgbRNWYjMRx8SRU8tLG2mQ?embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2F)

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[Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Kangpe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aV1tMmrpcQ)

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**Benjamin Ufaruna, cofounder of** [**BuyPower**](https://www.buypower.ng/) **, shares what YC looks for when selecting**
**companies.**

Y Combinator application advice for African startups - BuyPower - YouTube

[Photo image of Paystack](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgbRNWYjMRx8SRU8tLG2mQ?embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2F)

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[Y Combinator application advice for African startups - BuyPower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8BZ5ubu-vs)

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**Jesse Ghansah, cofounder of** [**OMG Digital**](https://www.omgdigitalinc.com/) **, shares the thing that surprised him**
**most about his YC experience.**

Y Combinator application advice for African startups - OMG Digital - YouTube

[Photo image of Paystack](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgbRNWYjMRx8SRU8tLG2mQ?embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2F)

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[Y Combinator application advice for African startups - OMG Digital](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivApHvC2mpw)

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**Shola Akinlade, cofounder of** [**Paystack**](https://paystack.com/) **, shares advice on putting together a strong YC**
**application.**

Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Paystack (Part 1 of 3) - YouTube

[Photo image of Paystack](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgbRNWYjMRx8SRU8tLG2mQ?embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2F)

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[Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Paystack (Part 1 of 3)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcqyrJUoLQY)

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**Shola Akinlade, cofounder of** [**Paystack**](https://paystack.com/) **, shares the most common mistakes he sees**
**African founders making in their YC application.**

Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Paystack (Part 2 of 3) - YouTube

[Photo image of Paystack](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgbRNWYjMRx8SRU8tLG2mQ?embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2F)

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[Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Paystack (Part 2 of 3)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBZmoJsStsw)

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**Shola Akinlade, cofounder of** [**Paystack**](https://paystack.com/) **, shares how the Y Combinator experience**
**benefited his company.**

Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Paystack (Part 3 of 3) - YouTube

[Photo image of Paystack](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClgbRNWYjMRx8SRU8tLG2mQ?embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ycombinator.com%2F)

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[Y Combinator application advice for African startups - Paystack (Part 3 of 3)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAYoKUelWoQ)

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# What is Y Combinator?

We're an accelerator that funds startups — like Coinbase, Instacart, Reddit, Doordash — at their earliest stages. Starting a company? Even if it feels early, 40% of our companies joined with just an idea.

[Apply](https://www.ycombinator.com/apply)
