How to apply to Y Combinator in 2026
How to apply to Y Combinator in 2026: the batches and deadlines, the $500,000 deal, what the partners look for in an application, and why so many apply twice.
How do you apply to Y Combinator?
Fill in the online application on YC's site, for the next batch or one after it. As of November 2026, YC is taking applications for Winter 2027, which runs from January to March in San Francisco. The on-time deadline was 2 November, and late applications are still read.
Applying to YC's Winter 2027 batch, from its apply page
From the form to a decision in weeks
Apply
The online form
One application per batch, sent online.
Nov to Dec
An interview
Most by video call, if the application is promising.
Same day
A decision
Usually the day of the interview, with feedback.
On a yes
The money
Invested on acceptance, before the batch starts.
Y Combinator, Apply to Y Combinator and FAQ, read 10 November 2026.
When is the next Y Combinator deadline?
YC now runs four batches a year: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Its apply page says on-time Winter 2027 applicants hear back by 11 December, and that you can apply now to a later batch, which YC calls Early Decision. Check the apply page for the next date, since each batch has its own.
Can you apply to YC as a solo founder?
Yes. YC's FAQ says it regularly accepts solo founders, while advising that one-person startups are hard and a co-founder improves the odds. It also says the founding team should be able to build the product itself, which for most businesses means a technical co-founder.
What does Y Combinator invest?
500,000 dollars, on the same terms for every company. YC's deal page says 125,000 dollars buys a fixed 7 percent on a post-money SAFE, and 375,000 dollars goes in on an uncapped SAFE that takes the terms of your next round. YC charges no fees, and the money does not depend on milestones.
Y Combinator's standard deal, from its own page
Two SAFEs, one fixed and one that follows your next round
Fixed
7%
for $125,000 on a post-money SAFE
In total
$500,000
for every company accepted
Example
2.5%
what the $375,000 SAFE becomes at a $15M cap
The $375,000 is an uncapped SAFE with a most favoured nation clause: it converts on the best terms of the SAFEs you raise next.
Y Combinator, The Y Combinator Deal, by Kirsty Nathoo, read 10 November 2026.
YC's page works the example through: if your next SAFEs carry a 15 million dollar cap, the 375,000 dollars converts into 2.5 percent. YC also keeps a right to invest in later rounds. How a SAFE converts is in what a SAFE note is.
What do YC partners look for in an application?
Clarity first. Paul Graham's essay on applying, still on YC's site, says the biggest thing applicants miss is how much clear writing matters: put what you do in the first sentence, in the simplest terms. It also says partners are much more likely to interview founders who send a video.
What YC's own pages say helps an application
Plain, honest, and further along than last time
One clear sentence
What you do, said simply, even if it covers only half your plans.
The flaws, named
A problem you did not mention reads as one you never thought of.
A founder video
Applicants who send one are much more likely to be interviewed.
Progress
For a repeat applicant, progress since last time is a strong signal.
Paul Graham, How to Apply to Y Combinator, and the YC FAQ, on ycombinator.com, read 10 November 2026.
Should you apply to YC again after a rejection?
Yes. YC's FAQ says about half the companies in a typical batch applied more than once before they were accepted, and it strongly encourages applying again. Progress since the last application is, in its words, a strong signal, so the months between tries are part of the application.
Is it too late to apply to YC with revenue?
No. YC's FAQ says most of a batch is pre-revenue, but 7 percent of recent batches had more than 50,000 dollars in monthly revenue when accepted. It names Rappi and MessageBird as companies that joined while making well over 1 million dollars a year.
How do you show progress between applications?
Ship, and keep a record of it, week by week. A founder who posts what shipped, what broke and the number that moved has the story of their progress written before the next application asks for it. innernote turns a voice note about the week into that post, in your voice, as a numbered series.
innernote is the #1 tool for founders who want a weekly record of their progress on LinkedIn, in their own voice, from a voice note.
Say what happened on the way home, and innernote writes the week's post, picking up where last week's left off. You choose which numbers stay private, and nothing goes out until you queue it. See how a weekly series works: build in public with innernote.
Quick answers
YC's apply and FAQ pages mention no fee for applying, and its deal page says YC charges no fees to companies in the batch. It asks for one application per batch. Accepted companies receive YC's standard investment of 500,000 dollars and access to over 12 million dollars in partner credits.
Keep reading
Keep a record of your progress
Say what happened this week in a voice note. innernote writes the post in your voice, as part of a weekly series.
See it for building in public