How to Get Into Y Combinator and Raise $10 Million

Cameron Yarbrough is the CEO and co-founder of Torch, a leadership development platform. He shares what he learned at Y Combinator (as well as tips for getting in), and details his process for successfully raising a $10 million Series A. As told to Nathan Beckord (click to listen).

You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach? Every founder feels it. You have to be in a healthy relationship with that feeling in order to successfully fundraise.

Yoga, meditation, therapy: I’ve done all of it to get through every fundraise. But not one of them was easy. You hope for a positive outcome and relief at the end. But you don’t know, when you’re in the middle of it, whether a term sheet is coming. You have to tolerate your insecurity, fear of uncertainty and existential worry. Manage it effectively, so you can get up the next day and put your best foot forward.

I’m an executive coach. I was an entrepreneur for many years. Then I became a clinical psychologist and built a couple of successful midsize companies. I’m still on the board of my second venture, Well Clinic, in San Francisco.

My newest startup, Torch, reflects both my business and clinical backgrounds. It’s a leadership development platform that’s tech-enabled and driven by data. We leverage human coaches to help leaders become…