Embark has been acquired by Apple, reports Jessica Lessin via 9to5Mac.com.  Embark, from YC W12, makes mobile apps that make it easy to get around on mass transit.  Embark currently covers 12 major transit systems across the U.S. and U.K., with apps on iOS and Android.  This is Apple’s first acquisition of a company funded by Y […]

If your startup idea is so great, then why would you sell 7% of your startup for $20,000 dollars and some advice?  You probably wouldn’t.  Y Combinator has obviously thought of this question.  That’s why their first advice after investing is to avoid anyone else’s “lowball offers”.  That advice seems to be working so far: Valuations […]

Cue has been acquired by Apple, various sources have reported.  Cue was “a free service that helps people make the most of their day.”  The genesis of Cue was Greplin, funded in YC W10 as a personal web search engine that indexes information stored in online services.  In September 2012, Cue co-founder Daniel Gross and Robert Scoble did […]

Sixty-one known companies funded by Y Combinator have exited through acquisition.  That’s 11% of the 564 total companies.  In my previous post, I stated the average lifespan of startups that get acquired is typically between 18 months to 24 months.  Below is a complete list of the name and age of all 61 YC companies […]

Eighteen months to two years has traditionally been the average lifespan of any startup destined to either give up or get acquired.  Luma.io announced today that it’s been acquired by Facebook’s Instagram subsidiary.  Luma.io was one of many apps pitched as an “Instagram for video,” providing video stabilization, filters, and hosting.  Yesterday, I wrote about […]

Travel-related services are an efficient market: consumers prepared to spend money, businesses competing through innovation.  Y Combinator has funded more than a dozen startups in the travel industry.  There’s companies that provide solutions for flight, local transportation, and lodging.