Y Combinator

Y Combinator provides seed funding for startups. Seed funding is the earliest stage
of venture funding. It pays your expenses while you’re getting started.

Some companies may need no more than seed funding. Others will go through
several rounds. There is no right answer; how much funding you need depends on
the kind of company you start.

At Y Combinator, our goal is to get you through the first phase. This usually means:
get you to the point where you’ve built something impressive enough to raise money
on a larger scale. Then we can introduce you to later stage investors—or
occasionally even acquirers.

MORE THAN MONEY

We make small investments in return for small stakes in

the companies we fund.
All venture investors supply some combination of money and help. In our case the money is
by far the smaller component. In fact, many of the startups we fund don’t need the money.
We think of the money we invest as more like financial aid in college: it’s so people who do
need the money can pay their living expenses while Y Combinator is happening.

COMMUNITY

 Alumni Network
YC has now funded 2,000 companies and 4,000 founders. A culture of helpfulness has been
an important part of YC since the beginning, and founders know that if they ever come
across a challenge they need help with, they not only have the partners at their disposal,
they have 4,000 domain experts they can call on.
 Bookface Forum + Expertise Database
Bookface is the platform founders use to connect to one another—imagine a combination of
Facebook, Quora and LinkedIn. Each founder has a profile and can tag themselves as an
expert in any topic. If you have a question, need an introduction, or want to poll for
knowledge, you can post the request to the forum on Bookface. The knowledge base of the
YC community is both broad and deep—the network includes founders who are the world’s
foremost experts in everything from security to community building to nuclear energy.
 YC Open House
Once a week, we will be opening our office to YC founders who want to meet up with
partners and alum (more details to come).
 Camp YC
Each year, YC hosts a formal gathering of alumni: Camp YC. Camp YC brings together
alumni from every batch for a weekend of workshops and summer camp-style activities.
Exciting things happen when you bring founders together— ideas are exchanged, deals get
made, problem solving happens amongst peers.
 First Customers
B2B and consumer companies often get their first 40-50 paying customers from the YC
 network. With that, you not only get first customers, you get the smartest early product
feedback possible.
 Category-Specific Founder Communities
Founders have access to email lists that reach specific communities. There are lists for
hardware, biotech, edtech, non-profits, international, female founders, and more.
 Alumni Demo Day
Active YC founders get an early look at the YC companies in each batch at Alumni Demo
Day. The event has also become a de-facto alumni reunion.
 Alumni Happy Hours
 YC Founder Slack