Y Combinator

Make something people want.

5.0•31 reviews•

3.1K followers

Make something people want.

5.0•31 reviews•

3.1K followers

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Y Combinator is an American seed accelerator launched in March 2005 and was used to launch over 2,000 companies including Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe, Reddit, Optimizely, Zenefits, Docker, DoorDash, Mixpanel, Heroku.

Y Combinator Reviews

The community submitted 31 reviews to tell us what they like about Y Combinator, what Y Combinator can do better, and more.

5.0

Based on 31 reviews

Review Y Combinator?

Reviewers see Y Combinator mainly as a practical learning hub for early-stage founders, praising Paul Graham’s essays, videos, courses, blog posts, and even free SAFE templates as unusually useful and accessible far beyond Silicon Valley. Users repeatedly describe the advice as strong, clear, and founder-focused. A few makers echo that view more directly: the founder of ProblemHunt says YC taught them to build what people truly need, while other founder comments credit its guidance, mentorship, community, and startup philosophy for shaping how they built and launched.

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Summarized with AI

Pros

educational content (4)

access to advisors (2)

funding opportunities (2)

Pros

Cons

Reviews

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Most Informative

used Y Combinator to build Cheers (YC S24)

•15 reviews

Y Combinator does not need much of an introduction, but it has been a game changer for us. Between the one on one advice from group partners, the incredible community of founders, events, and much more, it's helped us be the best versions of ourselves, and build towards a legitimately valuable product! We have been able to personally meet people like Sam Altman, Paul Graham, Andy Jassy and many many more amazing founder. Applications for the (new) Fall batch of Y Combinator are coming up! Feel free to comment with questions and I'll try to answer as well as I can.

What's great

networking opportunities (1)founder community (1)access to advisors (2)

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171 views2yr ago

•13 reviews

I come from a small town called Vasai from Maharashtra, India. I do not have access to genuine wanting-to-help people like those I see YC's videos here, like you would easily have access to in say, Silicon Valley. YC's videos have always been of great value to me. I just though you, the engineering team, that makes this possible would like to know. TL;DR: You're creating value thousands of miles away in a small town of India by creating a better platform for YC's treasure trove: the videos.

What's great

global reach (1)educational content (4)

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117 views3yr ago

•5 reviews

I've been a huge fan of YC for over a decade. Paul Graham's essays alone are a treasure of information. In addition to being one of the best funds of all time, they are constantly creating great content for entrepreneurs. Our company used their free Safe note templates for pre-seed investors. I've consumed many YT videos and even more blog posts and tweets.

What's great

educational content (4)safe note templates (1)

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73 views2yr ago

used Y Combinator to build Ubicloud (YC W24)

•4 reviews

YC changed our lives. Speaking for myself, I had no idea how to do a start-up when we went through YC the first time around with Citus Data. YC has also been instrumental for Ubicloud, so wanted to give a shoutout.

What's great

inspirational success stories (1)

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41 views2yr ago

used Y Combinator to build JustPaid

•15 reviews

As part of YC W23, we’ve experienced firsthand how YC accelerates growth. The mentorship, network, and focus on building what users need are unmatched.

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38 views1yr ago

•0 reviews

We chose Y Combinator because we wanted more than capital or generic startup mentorship. YC combines direct founder feedback, a high-pressure operating cadence, and a network of founders, fintech operators, investors, and partners who understand how difficult it is to build a global financial product. For HEVN, credibility and access matter: we work with sponsor banks, regulated payment partners, and companies moving material amounts across borders. YC helps us build those relationships while pushing us to stay focused on customers, launch quickly, charge early, and measure progress through real usage and revenue.

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7 views2mo ago

used Y Combinator to build ProblemHunt

•2 reviews

Thanks to Paul Graham's advice and Y Combinator, I learned to create products that people truly need, and one of them is ProblemHunt. It's hard to put my gratitude into words, but I'm sincerely thankful to you guys. I really hope we can meet in person soon. 🙏

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17 views12mo ago

used Y Combinator to build Cheers GEO

•15 reviews

Dalton Caldwell, Gary Tan, and the entire team at Y Combinator are absolute legends. I could not be more grateful for their help and mentorship. There's a reason why it's considered the premier startup incubator in the world.

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14 views12mo ago