Frequently Asked Questions | Y Combinator

What happens at Y Combinator?
Where does the YC program happen? Do I need to move to San Francisco?
The batch takes place in-person in San Francisco. It kicks off with a 3-day, in-person retreat and features weekly meetups in San Francisco.
We briefly did run YC remotely during Covid, but since 2022 it has been back in person. We've found that YC works much better in person.
Of course, after the 3 month program, you can go wherever you want.
How do we choose which startups to fund?
We have an application process that's open to any startup, anywhere in the world. You can apply here.
How can we get funding for our startup?
Apply online for our next funding cycle.
How much do you invest?
We invest $500,000 in each company.
What can I use the YC investment for?
You can use the YC investment for anything that you believe helps your business. In most cases, the first use of the funding should be for the founders to support themselves so they can work full-time on their company, typically by paying themselves a salary. If you have student loans, a mortgage, etc. you can use what you pay yourself from the YC investment to cover those.
Founders can also use the investment to cover their travel expenses to San Francisco.
What is the time commitment of YC?
It is less than most founders expect; a few hours per week if you participate in all the recommended activities. All parts of the YC program are optional; as a founder we expect you to choose how to spend your time to maximize the odds of your company succeeding.
Some founders worry that YC will be a distraction from working on their startup. But actually it's the opposite; we created YC to make it possible for founders to spend several months completely focused on their startup with no distractions. Many founders tell us that their three months in YC was the most productive time of their lives.
What are the dates for the next batch?
All the relevant dates are here.
This batch isn't a good time for me. Can I apply to the one after?
Yes. The most common way this happens is that you're currently a student, and you want to apply for the batch that starts after you graduate.
We call this applying for Early Decision. Learn more about Early Decision here.
I'm actively fundraising now but the next batch doesn't start for a long time. What should I do?
Apply now and tell us on the application that you're actively fundraising. If you are accepted, we start the investment process immediately; we don't wait until the next batch starts.
Am I too early to apply to YC? Should I wait until I have more traction?
No, it would be a mistake to wait to apply. On average, 40% of the companies we fund in each batch are just an idea. Most don't have any revenue.
While YC does also fund companies that are far along, the majority of the companies we fund will always be companies at the very earliest stage. We recommend applying for YC as soon as you have a founding team and an idea you are excited about.
We've already been working on our startup for a while. Is YC appropriate for us?
It likely still is. While the majority of the YC batch is pre-revenue companies, a significant percentage these days is also companies that are much further along.
7% of recent batches had more than $50k in monthly revenue when accepted. Epic companies like Rappi and MessageBird did YC when they were making well over $1M / year.
When we fund companies that are further along, we work with them differently and help them with different things compared to early-stage startups. We can probably help any startup that hasn't already raised a series A round from VCs.
We've already raised funding. Can we still apply?
Sure. Each YC batch has many companies who have already raised over $1M.
I've raised money at a higher valuation than is implied by the YC investment? Am I too far along to do YC? Is doing YC a "down-round"?
No. A large percentage of each batch has already raised money at a higher valuation than is implied by the YC investment. Since most founders don't do YC primarily for the money, thinking about the YC investment as having a "valuation" isn't how we'd suggest you think about it.
Instead, as explained in this essay, just ask yourself if you believe joining YC can improve your startup's outcome by at least 7%.
We don't really need the money. Does it still make sense to apply?
At least half of the startups we fund don't need the money. And in fact the money is only a small part of what YC does.
Do you only fund startups that write software?
No, we'll consider startups in any field. We've funded companies that make everything from microbes to fusion reactors to coffee carts. You can see all the companies we've funded in the YC Startup Directory.