Funding

Grant

Entrepreneurship•USA · San Francisco

Y Combinator

Y Combinator

Application Deadline

Rolling admission

Official Page

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator based in San Francisco that funds companies at the earliest stages. It runs its programme four times a year, in winter, spring, summer and fall.

Each batch lasts three months and takes place in person. Companies work in small groups, meet weekly with a dedicated YC General Partner who acts as their adviser, and hear from founders of companies such as OpenAI, Airbnb, Stripe and DoorDash.

Towards the end of a batch YC introduces companies to investors, and founders keep access to the alumni community afterwards. Applications never fully close: the Fall 2026 batch is still reading late applications, and founders aiming at a later batch apply now through Early Decision.

Benefits & funding

  • USD 500,000 per accepted company: USD 125,000 that converts into a fixed 7% on a post-money SAFE, and USD 375,000 on an uncapped SAFE with a most-favoured-nation clause.
  • The investment is made as soon as a company is accepted and is not tied to milestones. YC charges companies no fee to take part.
  • YC keeps pro rata rights, so it can buy a share of later financing rounds to hold its stake.
  • A dedicated YC General Partner, weekly partner meetings, small autonomous groups and weekly dinners with guest speakers.
  • Investor introductions near the end of the batch, and continued help after it finishes.
  • The money may be used to support the founders and to cover their travel to San Francisco.
  • Access to immigration attorneys YC works with, who it says have helped hundreds of founders get US visas, and to YC Co-founder Matching, a free service for finding a co-founder.
  • Lifelong access to the alumni community, which YC describes as more than 6,000 founders.

Eligibility

  • Open to founders of any nationality. The site states no age, citizenship or degree requirement.
  • Teams at any early stage may apply, including teams with only an idea. YC says about 40% of the companies it funds in each batch are just an idea, and most have no revenue.
  • YC says it can help any startup that has not already raised a Series A round from venture investors. Companies that already earn money are accepted too: it says 7% of recent batches had more than USD 50,000 in monthly revenue.
  • Solo founders are accepted. The founding team needs the skills to build its own product.
  • Incorporation is not required before applying. A company incorporated elsewhere must set up a parent company in the United States, Canada, Singapore or the Cayman Islands to take the investment.
  • Founders must work on the company full time for the three months of the batch and take part in person in San Francisco. Students and employed founders must be free to do the same.
  • Students who want to finish a degree first can apply through Early Decision and hold a place in a future batch.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

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We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

  1. 1
    Complete the online application on the YC apply page and choose the batch you want to be considered for. For Early Decision, select “A batch after Fall 2026” and name the batch you want.
  2. 2
    Submit before a batch’s on-time deadline for the fastest answer. Later submissions are still read, with no guaranteed timeline.
  3. 3
    Promising applicants are invited to an interview with YC partners, held mostly over video.
  4. 4
    Receive the decision, usually on the same day as the interview. Everyone interviewed gets detailed feedback.
  5. 5
    On acceptance YC invests straight away, and the founders join the three-day in-person kickoff that opens the batch in San Francisco.

Program timeline

  1. On-time application deadline for the Fall 2026 batch, 8pm PT.

    Jul 27, 2026

  2. 2026-08 to 2026-09

    Interviews for the Fall 2026 batch, held mostly over video.

  3. Decisions sent to on-time applicants for the Fall 2026 batch.

    Aug 28, 2026

  4. 2026-09

    Fall 2026 batch starts in San Francisco with a three-day kickoff.

  5. 2026-12

    Fall 2026 batch ends.

  6. Late applications and Early Decision applications are accepted at any time; each batch’s deadline is published on the YC apply page.

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