How to Break Into YC from Europe: David Oort Alonso’s Playbook for Early Stage Founders

In this episode, David Oort Alonso, co-founder of Bloom and Y Combinator alum, breaks down what it really takes to get into YC as a European founder. After six applications, multiple pivots, and finally raising $3.4M in just five days, David shares the lessons that helped him and his team stand out to investors and YC partners.

You’ll learn:

• How to know when to pivot versus push through

• Why YC cares more about markets than tech—and how to frame yours

• How to run a lightning-fast fundraising process that builds FOMO

• How to use demos, storytelling, and urgency to win investors without a deck

• Why team chemistry and resilience matter as much as the idea

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