Small Town Founder, Got Into YC Without Pedigree; Joseph Johnson, CEO, LedgerUp

🤔 VCs not responding to you? I’ll review your deck & send you a detailed video with my actionable recommendations: Submit here: https://airtable.com/appBXetKIMsy5r3bE/pagQlrExmVx38bk6W/form =================== GUEST INFO Joseph Johnson https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-johnson-/ LedgerUp https://www.ledgerup.ai/ TIMESTAMPS 00:02:45 – Pitching the “AI bookkeeper” concept 00:04:10 – Using Reddit for brutally honest feedback 00:05:05 – YC’s top lesson: “Just launch” 00:06:00 – Sharing a real YC application template 00:06:30 – Key metrics and personas LedgerUp focused on 00:07:15 – Failing a YC interview early on — and what changed 00:09:00 – “No pedigree” but deep domain knowledge 00:10:20 – Joseph’s background as a controller and pain-point insight 00:12:15 – Fake it with a Loom video: building trust before tech 00:13:30 – Running a demo with a hidden second screen 00:15:00 – Realizing people care more about outcome than tech 00:16:10 – The moment they felt validated 00:17:00 – Breaking down the problem LedgerUp solves 00:18:00 – Pain points with QuickBooks and AP 00:19:00 – Advice for founders: validate with real users 00:20:50 – Email feedback loops and async YC demo strategy 00:22:00 – The power of Reddit threads and founder hustle 00:24:00 – Building a no-code front to fake backend functionality 00:26:00 – Early team decisions and technical founder dynamics 00:28:00 – Tools used to simulate automation during YC 00:30:00 – Managing high-stakes feedback during Demo Day 00:32:00 – Lessons from metrics-driven growth 00:34:00 – Long-term vision and post-YC roadmap 00:36:00 – Final thoughts: don’t wait, just ship it