Question 1

What happens at Y Combinator?

Accepted Answer

[This](/about).

Question 2

Where does the YC program happen? Do I need to move to San Francisco?

Accepted Answer

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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiuxXzmvolU). We've found that YC works much better in person.

Of course, after the 3 month program, you can go wherever you want.

Question 3

How do we choose which startups to fund?

Accepted Answer

We have an application process that's open to any startup, anywhere in the world. You can apply [here](/apply).

Question 4

How can we get funding for our startup?

Accepted Answer

[Apply online](/apply) for our next funding cycle.

Question 5

How much do you invest?

Accepted Answer

We invest $500,000 in each company.

Question 6

What can I use the YC investment for?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

What is the time commitment of YC?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

What are the dates for the next batch?

Accepted Answer

All the relevant dates are [here](/apply).

Question 9

This batch isn't a good time for me. Can I apply to the one after?

Accepted Answer

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](/early-decision).

Question 10

I'm actively fundraising now but the next batch doesn't start for a long time. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 11

Am I too early to apply to YC? Should I wait until I have more traction?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 12

We've already been working on our startup for a while. Is YC appropriate for us?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 13

We've already raised funding. Can we still apply?

Accepted Answer

Sure. Each YC batch has many companies who have already raised over $1M.

Question 14

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"?

Accepted Answer

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](http://paulgraham.com/equity.html), just ask yourself if you believe joining YC can improve your startup's outcome by at least 7%.

Question 15

We don't really need the money. Does it still make sense to apply?

Accepted Answer

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](/about).

Question 16

Do you only fund startups that write software?

Accepted Answer

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](/companies).

Question 17

Can a single person apply for funding?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We regularly accept solo founders. That said, our advice remains that one-person startups are tough and you're more likely to succeed with a co-founder.

If you don't have a co-founder and would like one, you should check out [YC Co-founder Matching](/cofounder-matching), a free product we run to help people find co-founders.

Question 18

I have a great idea for a startup, but I'm not technical. Will you still fund me?

Accepted Answer

It's important for the founding team to have the skills to build their product themselves, rather than outsourcing it to someone else. For most businesses, that usually means you need a technical co-founder.

Question 19

Can I participate in YC while I'm a full-time student or working full-time at a job?

Accepted Answer

You can certainly apply when you are a full-time student or employee, but we expect the founders to commit to working full-time on their company during the batch and afterwards if accepted.

Question 20

I'm working and living in the US on a visa (e.g., an H-1B). Can I do YC and stay in the US?

Accepted Answer

In most cases, yes. YC works with excellent immigration attorneys that have helped hundreds of our founders get visas to move to or stay in the US. There are a number of possible visa options depending on the details of your situation.

If you apply and are invited to join YC, we will connect you with an immigration attorney who will work with you to develop an individualized immigration plan for you.

Question 21

YC has already funded a company that does something similar to my idea. Will that affect my chances of being accepted?

Accepted Answer

It won't. Unlike many investors, we don't consider it a factor whether we've already funded a company working on something similar.

Even if we tried not to accept competing companies, we'd end up with them anyway because startup ideas morph so much. So from early on, we made sure that if two YC startups are working on related stuff, we don't talk to one about what the other's doing.

Question 22

Can we apply more than once?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In a typical YC batch, about half the companies applied multiple times before being accepted. If you've applied before and not gotten in, we strongly encourage you to apply again. Having made progress since your last application is a strong signal to us.

We ask applicants to only submit one application per batch.

Question 23

Do we need to know someone at YC to get in?

Accepted Answer

No. One of YC's core principles is considering all applications equally. We don't rely on introductions the way many investors do.

Question 24

If we participated in another accelerator, can we do YC?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We've had some companies join YC after doing another accelerator. However, if you've done another accelerator already, we may expect that you've reached a higher level of progress.

Question 25

Do you give feedback on application results?

Accepted Answer

We don't provide feedback on application results unless you are invited to interview with us. If we did this, we'd spend all our time providing feedback and doing nothing else due to the volume of applications we have to process. [Read this](/whynot) for more info about feedback.

If you are invited to interview with us, we will give you detailed feedback about why you were or were not selected after the interview.

Question 26

Do we need to incorporate before applying?

Accepted Answer

Nope.

Question 27

What if we incorporated as a non-US corporation?

Accepted Answer

If your company is already incorporated somewhere other than the United States, Canada, Singapore or the Cayman Islands, in order to participate in YC you will need to create a parent company that is in one of those jurisdictions. The existing company will then become a subsidiary of the new United States, Singapore or Cayman parent company.

Many companies in each YC batch do this process in order to join YC. While we will connect you with lawyers who will drive this process, it will require a significant effort on your part.

Question 28

Why did you choose the name "Y Combinator"?

Accepted Answer

The Y combinator is one of the coolest ideas in computer science. It's also a metaphor for what we do. It's a program that runs programs; we're a company that helps start companies.

Question 29

I'd like YC to publicize my product / service among the portfolio companies.

Accepted Answer

The best way to publicize your product within the YC community is to get a few YC startups as happy users and ask them to recommend you to their peers.

That being said, we do keep a list of offers that we share with our active YC portfolio companies. If you would like to offer a special deal on your service or product to our companies, you can [do so here](https://deals.ycombinator.com). We manually review these deals and will let you know if your offer has been approved or rejected.

Question 30

Are you hiring?

Accepted Answer

[Yes, we are](/careers). So are [over 500 companies we've funded](/jobs).

Question 31

Where can I find answers to questions about Hacker News?

Accepted Answer

[The Hacker News FAQ](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html)

Question 32

What are Late Applications?

Accepted Answer

Late applications are those submitted after the application deadlines. We do our best to continue reading applications submitted after the deadline.

Question 33

The deadline has passed. Am I better off applying late or waiting until the next batch?

Accepted Answer

If you're ready to do YC, you should just apply now. We fund many companies that apply late every batch.

Question 34

When will I get a reply if I submit a late application?

Accepted Answer

With on-time applications, we provide a specific date we'll get back to founders by, but with late applications we don't because we have to review them whenever we have spare time.

Most late applications will get a decision within a month, but we can't guarantee that — sometimes it may take longer. If you applied late and haven't heard from us, it's because we're still working on it. We always respond to everyone who applies, no exceptions.

Question 35

I have a great reason for why my application is late. Can you mark it as on time?

Accepted Answer

No, sorry. But don't worry! Just get it in as soon as possible.

Question 36

Our group has two ideas. Can we submit two applications?

Accepted Answer

We don't recommend it. You should pick your favorite idea and apply with that one.

Question 37

Someone recommended me for a previous application and I've decided to apply again. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Nothing! Recommendations carry over — no need to ask them to resubmit.

Question 38

My co-founder started an application for us, but when I log in to my account, I don't see it.

Accepted Answer

Only the founder who created the application has access to it. If you need to edit it, you'll need to go through them.

Question 39

My co-founder hasn't received an email to fill out their profile.

Accepted Answer

First thing to do is to make sure the co-founder email address you are entering into the main application form is the correct email address. Secondly, if they already have an account with YC, make sure you're entering that email address. If your co-founder hasn't received the email despite entering the correct address, try removing and re-adding them to trigger a new email.

Question 40

When my co-founder clicks on the link to fill out their profile, they're directed to my account page.

Accepted Answer

This can happen when you're both using the same computer and you're still logged into your account. Have them open the link in an incognito browser window and sign in/up using their own credentials.

Question 41

We submitted our application but need to edit it.

Accepted Answer

Your application enters our review process once you submit it, so we don't allow continuous editing. If something material has changed — like a co-founder addition/removal — please go [here](https://apply.ycombinator.com/app/edit) to submit an update.

Question 42

Was our application submitted? I can't tell.

Accepted Answer

We send you a confirmation email with a copy of your application when you submit. If you don't see that email, check your spam folder. If you don't see it there, make sure you entered your email address correctly on the application.

If you still don't see the confirmation email, you likely did not submit the application. To do so, click the Edit Application button from your account page. The submit button is at the bottom of the application.

Question 43

When is the application deadline? When will I know my results? When are interviews?

Accepted Answer

All of these questions are answered [here](/apply).

Question 44

We previously applied and would like to use that application for this batch.

Accepted Answer

You can reference past applications from your account page, but you'll need to fill out a new one every time you apply.

Question 45

We are not based in the US. Do we need to do anything to apply to YC? (e.g., incorporate in the US, get visas or business licenses)

Accepted Answer

No need to do any of that. If we accept your application, we'll help you get visas and incorporate.

Question 46

Do I need a Paxel builder report to apply?

Accepted Answer

No — it's completely optional. [Paxel](https://paxel.ycombinator.com) analyzes your real coding sessions and produces a builder report that gives us extra signal about how you build. If you link a Paxel account to your YC account and opt in on your application, we'll consider your report alongside everything else; if you don't, your application is evaluated exactly as before. You can sign up and upload sessions any time before we review your application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions