AMA: I'm Daniel, non-technical cofounder of YCombinator-backed startup Sleek

[skitta]

My name is Daniel, and I'm building the future of online shopping at Sleek (YC S'21). AMA!

What's Sleek?

Sleek is a browser extension that supercharges your credit card: you get super autofill for online shopping and an extra 2% cash back.

Sleek enters your info into checkout (billing address, CC, etc) and then clicks the buttons to get you through checkout faster and accurately. Never get up again to find your credit card when shopping online at Best Buy, Macy's, Foot Locker, etc. Plus, get an extra 2% cashback on top of your standard credit card rewards.

We want to fundamentally fix the online shopping experience. It's clumsy and there's so much value-add potential. But the one immutable act in online purchases is the checkout. So that's what we're fixing first.

My background

I used to be a corporate lawyer, but always wanted to work on a startup. I started Sleek with two friends from college, and we were lucky to be selected for Y Combinator. We lived in a hacker house together in San Fransisco, raised some VC money, and are grinding to make this dream a reality!

My Ask

We're still in the early stages, but Sleek is LIVE in the Chrome Web Store and is 100% free! So please download it, try shopping with it, and DM me any feedback! We really value your opinion and will actually use your comments to shape our product.

And for every purchase using Sleek Pay to checkout during Black Friday-Cyber Monday, you'll get $5!

Thanks!

 

[renwei]

@skitta Doesn’t Google already do this for free?

 

[chrishudges]

@renwei 1Password does

 

[skitta]

@renwei They do autofill. Sleek does your checkout. It fills the fields, clicks the buttons, and does literally all the work.

Watch this vid to see Sleek in action

 

[skitta]

@renwei Sleek is the next-gen autofill. We're also better than free - we give you 2% extra cash back

 

[believeinhim0]

@skitta

Sleek is the next-gen autofill. We're also better than free - we give you 2% extra cash back

Like how many millennia ahead? My BIGGEST problem is never the money but how to enter the credit card info. This is Nobel Prize winning solution you got

 

[skitta]

@believeinhim0 We input the credit card info for you directly into the checkout fields. So its just like as if a human was typing, but way faster

 

[younglite]

@skitta Please explain what the heck “next gen auto fill” means.

 

[skitta]

@younglite So Sleek automatically completes checkout forms for you (no more having to get up to find your credit card). It fills the fields, clicks the buttons, and does literally all the work.

 

[ericab]

@skitta How difficult was it to get accepted into Y-Combinator? And how far along was your start up when you did so? It’s been my life’s dream to pitch to them and get accepted.

 

[skitta]

@ericab Honestly, we got into YC with a totally different idea! While YC accepts tons of different companies, I think you can broadly break it down into 3 buckets:

1. Smart, cohesive team with an early idea / no revenue
2. Unique idea that's starting to gain traction / small revenue
3. Idea that is generating revenue and needs guidance & a network / solid revenue

But no matter the company stage, serious effort on the application and interview is needed.

 

[acs04401]

@skitta I would like to know why would someone want to have an extension to click on the checkout button? Its not that hard, plus the pause gives me an opportunity to check if there are any additional shipping or taxes that might have been applied. This is only my perspective and please let me know if I am missing something.

I think browsers always save card info and autofill forms.

I am also concerned about how securely the extension will save my card info but that is a technical information and you can skip that.

 

[skitta]

@acs04401 Thanks for the comment. It's basically like the next generation of autofill - it works everywhere (even where autofill doesn't), you don't have to remember any credit card info, and it makes your checkout way faster because it clicks every button. But don't worry - there's still a pause for "Confirm and purchase" at the end so you can ensure the final details are right.

Ya I won't get too into the security, but it's a very secure system with numerous encryption methods. Designed by former Microsoft and Nate engineers

 

[1visualfxguy]

@skitta No offense here, and I'm more than sure you've meant it with the best intentions, but "Ya I won't get too into the security" screams unprofessionalism to me, personally.

In an industry that relies on sensitive information (like customer credit card info), I'd try to elaborate with potential customers and show signs of trust a bit more. Even if you can't go into too many details, I think it's a fairly important subject matter to at least form a more professional response.

Best of luck with your startup, however! Don't take my comment in the wrong way.

 

[butterscoth]

@1visualfxguy It’s more “unprofessional” that redditors feel the incessant need to be contrarian dicks in threads like this.

Of course this guy is not here to talk about the backend security/privacy details of his product. That’s not befitting of the sub and he literally said he’s non-technical in the title. The top comment is already somebody questioning why it exists to begin with and there’s not an answer he could’ve given which wouldn’t have prompted some form of jackass reply like this. The original comment also literally said 'that is technical information and you can skip all that' which is why he said he won't get into it.

 

[diamondoutofdust]

@butterscoth Idk, security is the only concern I have here and I think it is a reasonable thing to ask.

 

[butterscoth]

@diamondoutofdust Then you should ask. The original question here literally said you can skip the technical stuff.

At risk of going on a tangent, who tf actually cares about security anyway? There are tight laws in place that hold credit card companies entirely liable for fraudulent charges. Credit card companies have in turn tried to make it a consumer issue and constantly try to convince people to be weary of security so that the credit card companies pay a lower amount of fraud-related expenses. Being concerned about credit card security is doing their job for them and only a customer acquisition barrier for the easily spooked boomers that stress about this.

 

[skitta]

@butterscoth Given there's genuine interest, I'm happy to provide more detail on credit card security. Just keep in mind that I'm non-technical and the answer will reflect that...

Sleek doesn't store your credit card data in our database. Your credit card data is stored on your local device's extension, with AES-GCM encryption. Your credit card data never leaves your computer.

When you haven't been active on Sleek for a certain amount of time, you'll need to input a pin to view your credit card data and/or complete a transaction.

 

[diamondoutofdust]

@skitta Thank you for the answer. I think your comment of local encrypted storage gets the point across and addresses the concerns that I had.

 

[diamondoutofdust]

@butterscoth I didn’t ask because another commenter asked and the chance to answer was skipped over. With the frequency of hacks and data leaks I would challenge the claim that this is only something “boomers” worry about. I have cards in multiple countries, and my foreign cards don’t offer the same protections that banks in the USA do.

Regardless, op’s follow up answer on security was clear and to the point.