diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore index 313d7d0..6167f86 100644 --- a/.gitignore +++ b/.gitignore @@ -19,3 +19,6 @@ opencode.json videos/remotion-demo/node_modules videos/remotion-demo/build videos/remotion-demo/out +videos/remotion-demo/public/*.mov +product/*.mov +.gstack/ diff --git a/product/YC_APPLICATION_ANSWERS.md b/product/YC_APPLICATION_ANSWERS.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1f16e23 --- /dev/null +++ b/product/YC_APPLICATION_ANSWERS.md @@ -0,0 +1,356 @@ +# YC Application — Draft Answers +**Summer 2026 Batch | SquareMCP** +Generated: 2026-05-13 + +> Copy-paste each answer directly into the YC form. +> Fields marked ⚠️ need your input before submitting. + +--- + +## Company + +**Company name** +``` +SquareMCP +``` +> ⚠️ NOTE: Change from "Herons LLC" — YC funds specific startups, not holding companies. +> Herons LLC is your legal entity (mention that in the legal entity question below). + +--- + +**Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less** +``` +AI agent for your business communications +``` +*(41 chars — within limit)* + +Alternative (developer-angle): +``` +One API to post everywhere via AI agents +``` +*(40 chars)* + +--- + +**Company URL** +``` +https://squaremcp.com/ +``` + +--- + +**Please provide a link to the product** +``` +https://app.squaremcp.com/ +``` +> Include login credentials if the reviewer needs to log in. + +--- + +## What Are You Building + +**What is your company going to make?** + +``` +SquareMCP is an AI communications manager for non-technical professionals — +mortgage brokers, publishers, coaches, and real estate agents who spend 3-5 +hours a week manually copying and pasting content across LinkedIn, Instagram, +Facebook, WhatsApp, and email. + +Instead of logging into each platform individually, users tell Claude what they +do, connect their accounts once, and Claude drafts platform-optimized content +for their approval. One input becomes a LinkedIn post, a Facebook update, an +Instagram caption, and a follow-up email — tailored for each channel. Users +approve with one click or let the system post automatically once they trust it. + +Under the hood, SquareMCP is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) gateway — the +emerging open standard for giving AI agents authenticated access to external +services. We handle OAuth tokens, credential storage (AES-256-GCM encrypted +per-customer in Redis), rate limits, retries, and API changes across 10+ +platforms so neither the end user nor the developer has to. + +The platform is live at app.squaremcp.com with multi-tenant auth, usage +tracking, invoice-based billing, and working integrations for LinkedIn, +Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Snapchat, +and email. TikTok app review is in progress. First users are onboarding this week. +``` + +--- + +## Location + +**Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?** +``` +Miami, FL, United States / San Francisco, CA, United States +``` + +**Explain your decision regarding location.** +``` +I'm currently based in Miami. During YC I would relocate to the Bay Area for the +batch — the density of AI founders and the YC network is worth being present for. +Post-YC, the company would stay in San Francisco or be remote-first depending on +early hire strategy. +``` +> ⚠️ Adjust if your preference is different. + +--- + +## Progress + +**How far along are you?** + +``` +The backend is fully built and deployed. SquareMCP runs on a MicroK8s cluster +at hermes.squaremcp.com with: + +- 10+ platform integrations: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok, + WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Snapchat, Email (IMAP/SMTP, 7 accounts), Obsidian +- Multi-tenant credential isolation: per-customer AES-256-GCM encrypted credentials + in Redis, customer resolution from API key or JWT cookie +- Full SaaS auth and billing: signup/login (bcrypt + JWT), 4-method auth, usage + tracking on every tool call, plan tiers (Free/Starter/Growth/Enterprise), + invoice generation at $0.05/action +- Admin panel: customer management, usage view, invoice generation and sending +- Web app at app.squaremcp.com: dark-theme SPA with platform connection cards, + OAuth flows, usage bar, invoice list +- Marketing site at squaremcp.com with pilot request form +- TikTok app review submitted + +Two named pilot users — a mortgage broker and a book/magazine publisher — are +ready to sign up this week. Neither is technical. The chat-first content manager +UI (the end-user product layer) is the current build sprint. +``` + +--- + +**How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full-time?** + +``` +I started building Hermes MCP in March 2026 as a personal tool — originally a +Yahoo Mail server for Claude. Within 6 weeks it had grown to cover 10+ platforms, +multi-tenancy, and a full SaaS billing system. + +I've been building full-time since April 2026. I have 15+ years of experience +in enterprise API platforms, integrations, and distributed systems — this is +not a new problem for me, just a new distribution channel (AI agents instead +of human developers). +``` +> ⚠️ Adjust dates/timeline if needed based on your actual start. + +--- + +**What tech stack are you using, or planning to use?** + +``` +Backend: TypeScript / Node.js (MCP server + REST API) +Database: MySQL 8 (user/billing data), Redis 7 (per-customer encrypted credentials, + session state, audit logs) +Infrastructure: MicroK8s single-node cluster, Traefik ingress, Let's Encrypt TLS, + local container registry +Auth: bcrypt + JWT session cookies, 4-method auth (global API key → customer API + key → OAuth Bearer → JWT cookie) +Platform SDKs: Meta Graph API (Facebook, Instagram), LinkedIn API v2, Twitter/X + API v2, TikTok Video Publish API, WhatsApp Cloud API, Telegram Bot + API, Discord API v10, Snapchat Marketing API, IMAP/SMTP + +AI models: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (claude-sonnet-4-6) via Anthropic API — used for + content generation, platform-aware adaptation, and the chat interface +AI coding tools: Claude Code (all backend, SaaS system, integrations, and + infrastructure built with Claude Code) + +Frontend: Vanilla JS / HTML / CSS (squaremcp.com marketing site + app.squaremcp.com + SPA) — no framework, intentionally minimal +Testing: Playwright (E2E, desktop + mobile, screenshot diffing on squaremcp.com) +``` + +--- + +## Traction + +**Are people using your product?** +``` +No — first users onboarding this week. +``` +> Select "No" on the form. Mention the two pilot users in the progress section. + +**Do you have revenue?** +``` +No — invoice-based billing is built and ready; first invoices generate when +first users hit usage thresholds. +``` +> Select "No." + +--- + +## Idea + +**Why did you pick this idea? Do you have domain expertise? How do you know people need this?** + +``` +I've spent 15+ years building and integrating enterprise APIs — payments, +identity, messaging, data pipelines. I've lived the pain of stitching together +multiple platform APIs firsthand: different auth models, inconsistent rate limits, +breaking changes with no notice. + +When I started using Claude daily for my own work, I wanted it to be able to +act on my behalf — post to LinkedIn, send a WhatsApp, respond to email. There +was no clean way to do that without writing brittle per-platform integrations. +I built SquareMCP to solve my own problem first. + +Then I called a mortgage broker friend who doesn't write code. Before I could +finish explaining it, he said: "I send out lots of emails and social media, it +burns my time, and I get little response. I want a way to push out information +and videos and monitor my email and respond with appropriate answers and questions." + +He didn't describe a scheduling tool. He described a full communications manager — +outbound posting AND inbound email monitoring with AI-drafted responses. He +described the exact product I built, unprompted, in one sentence. + +Same reaction from a magazine publisher — different content, same pain. + +I know people need this because the first user I called told me exactly what to +build before I said a word about what the product did. +``` + +--- + +**Who are your competitors? What do you understand about your business that they don't?** + +``` +Two competitive landscapes: + +1. Social media scheduling tools (Buffer, Hootsuite, Ocoya, SocialPilot): +These are form-based scheduling tools with AI content features bolted on. They +require users to think like marketers — content calendars, posting schedules, +analytics dashboards. Non-technical professionals find them complex and abandon +them. They don't have AI agency: they can schedule a post you write, but they +can't have a conversation with you and generate the post from your context. + +2. MCP gateway / developer platforms (Composio, Kong, MintMCP): +These target developers building AI applications and require significant +engineering to integrate. They have no end-user product. A mortgage broker +cannot use Composio. + +What we understand that they don't: the user interface for AI-era social media +management is a chat window, not a scheduling dashboard. The product is "tell +Claude what you do and it handles the rest" — not "here are your 47 settings." +The MCP infrastructure we built is the engine; the chat-first UX is the product. +Non-technical professionals are the fastest path to revenue, and they're +completely unserved by both competitive categories. +``` + +--- + +**How do or will you make money? How much could you make?** + +``` +SaaS subscription + usage metering: + +- Free: 100 actions/month, 1 workspace, 2 connectors (lead gen) +- Starter: $199–499/month — 10 connectors, RBAC, audit logs +- Growth: $1,500–3,000/month — SSO, private networking, SLA +- Enterprise: $20,000–100,000+/year — VPC/on-prem, compliance, custom connectors + +Usage metering at $0.05/action above plan limits (already implemented). +Setup fees for enterprise onboarding: $3,000–$15,000. + +TAM: 30M+ small business owners in the US who use social media for marketing. +If 1% of US mortgage brokers (330,000 total) pay $199/month that's $65M ARR +from one vertical alone. The platform model means every new vertical (real +estate, publishers, coaches, insurance agents) multiplies that. +``` + +--- + +**Other ideas you considered applying with:** + +``` +1. AI trading bot management platform — I've built and run multiple algorithmic + forex trading systems (MQL/MetaTrader). A platform to manage, monitor, and + deploy AI-generated trading strategies is a real gap. + +2. Hermes MCP as pure developer infrastructure — sell the MCP gateway layer to + developers building AI apps, without the end-user product on top. This is + still a valid B2B opportunity as AI agents proliferate. +``` + +--- + +## Equity + +**Have you formed any legal entity?** +``` +Yes — Herons LLC (Florida) +``` +> Select "Yes." + +**Have you taken any investment?** +``` +No +``` + +**Are you currently fundraising?** +``` +No +``` + +--- + +## Curious + +**What convinced you to apply to YC?** + +``` +I've been using Claude Code with the gstack office-hours skill to pressure-test +my thinking on SquareMCP. The diagnostic forced me to get specific: named users, +articulated demand, challenged assumptions. At the end of the session the tool +said "GStack thinks you are among the top people who could do this" and asked +if I'd consider applying to YC. I said yes. So here I am. + +The honest answer is that I've been building for a long time but always as an +employee or contractor, never as a founder with a company I own. This is the +first time the infrastructure, the product idea, and the timing all feel right +simultaneously. +``` + +**How did you hear about Y Combinator?** +``` +I've followed YC and Garry Tan's work for years. The Lightcone podcast +"Vertical AI Agents Could Be 10X Bigger Than SaaS" was the specific episode +that made me think SquareMCP fit the thesis. +``` + +--- + +## Batch + +**What batch do you want to apply for?** +``` +Summer 2026 +``` + +--- + +## Video + +Your talking points are in `YC_APPLICATION_TALKING_POINTS.md`. + +⚠️ **Update the video script** — the current script pitches the developer-facing +MCP gateway angle. Consider updating it to lead with the end-user story: +*"I showed this to a mortgage broker. He said: when can I use this?"* +That's more compelling than "9 different APIs, 9 different auth flows." + +The product demo link is https://squaremcp.com/ — make sure the hero copy +reflects the end-user value ("AI that posts for you") before the reviewer visits. + +--- + +## Checklist Before Submitting + +- [ ] Change company name from "Herons LLC" to "SquareMCP" (or explain Herons LLC is the legal entity) +- [ ] Update squaremcp.com hero copy — lead with end-user value, not MCP infrastructure +- [ ] Have the mortgage broker or publisher actually signed up (or be able to say "onboarding this week") +- [ ] Re-record video using updated talking points (end-user story first) +- [ ] Export a Claude Code session transcript for the coding agent question +- [ ] Confirm your actual location and YC batch location preference +- [ ] Review all ⚠️ flags above and fill in personal details \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/videos/remotion-demo/src/YCAppVideo.tsx b/videos/remotion-demo/src/YCAppVideo.tsx index 0c02e74..b4b4c6c 100644 --- a/videos/remotion-demo/src/YCAppVideo.tsx +++ b/videos/remotion-demo/src/YCAppVideo.tsx @@ -1,10 +1,20 @@ -import { AbsoluteFill, interpolate, spring, useCurrentFrame, useVideoConfig } from "remotion"; +import { + AbsoluteFill, + OffthreadVideo, + Sequence, + staticFile, + interpolate, + spring, + useCurrentFrame, + useVideoConfig, +} from "remotion"; import { COLORS, FONT, SPRING_CFG } from "./styles"; // ─── CONFIG ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const INTRO_DURATION = 3; // seconds const OUTRO_DURATION = 2; // seconds const TOTAL_DURATION = 60; // seconds (YC wants ~1 min) +const TALKING_HEAD_DURATION = TOTAL_DURATION - INTRO_DURATION - OUTRO_DURATION; // ─── INTRO CARD ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── const IntroCard = () => { @@ -126,7 +136,7 @@ const VideoFrame = ({ children }: { children?: React.ReactNode }) => { // Fade in from intro const fadeIn = interpolate( frame, - [INTRO_DURATION * fps, (INTRO_DURATION + 0.5) * fps], + [0, 0.5 * fps], [0, 1], { extrapolateLeft: "clamp", extrapolateRight: "clamp" } ); @@ -134,7 +144,7 @@ const VideoFrame = ({ children }: { children?: React.ReactNode }) => { // Fade out to outro const fadeOut = interpolate( frame, - [(TOTAL_DURATION - OUTRO_DURATION - 0.5) * fps, (TOTAL_DURATION - OUTRO_DURATION) * fps], + [(TALKING_HEAD_DURATION - 0.5) * fps, TALKING_HEAD_DURATION * fps], [1, 0], { extrapolateLeft: "clamp", extrapolateRight: "clamp" } ); @@ -328,7 +338,21 @@ export const YCAppVideo = () => { return ( {showIntro && } - {!showIntro && !showOutro && } + + + + + {showOutro && } );