/stats · last verified Nov 2026

YC by the Numbers

Every number on this page links to a primary source — YC's own blog, YC's About / Deal pages, or the company's own filings. Conservative phrasing ("100+", "5,000+") is used where exact counts shift over time.

Companies funded since 2005

5,000+

YC has funded over 5,000 startups across 38+ batches since its first batch in Summer 2005.

source: Y Combinator (About page) & YC Top Companies announcements

Combined valuation of YC top companies

$600B+

The aggregate valuation of YC's Top Companies list crossed $600B as of the 2024 update.

source: YC Top Companies 2024 — Garry Tan

YC unicorns ($1B+)

100+

YC publicly reported crossing 100 unicorns in 2022; the number has continued to grow.

source: YC blog — Top Companies updates

Standard YC investment

$500K

$125K on a post-money SAFE for 7%, plus $375K on an uncapped MFN SAFE. Same deal for every company.

source: Y Combinator — The YC Deal

Program length

3 months

Each batch runs for ~3 months, ending in Demo Day where founders pitch investors.

source: Y Combinator — How YC Works

Historical acceptance rate

~1–2%

YC has not published an official acceptance rate; widely-reported figures from partners and founders place it in the 1–2% range across recent batches.

source: Reported by partners in YC interviews & Startup School Q&As

Batches per year

4 (since 2025)

YC moved from 2 batches/year (Winter, Summer) to 4 batches/year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) starting 2025.

source: YC announcement — Garry Tan

Notable YC Alumni

Verified via YC's company directory and public IPO/acquisition records.

CompanyBatchCategoryNote
RedditS05Consumer / SocialIPO 2024 (NYSE: RDDT). First-batch company.
LooptS05Mobile / LocationAcquired by Green Dot for $43M (2012). Founded by Sam Altman.
ScribdW06Consumer / PublishingDocument & audiobook subscription platform.
Justin.tv / TwitchW07Consumer / VideoAcquired by Amazon for $970M (2014).
WeeblyW07SaaS / Website BuilderAcquired by Square for $365M (2018).
DisqusS07Consumer / CommentsAcquired by Zeta Global (2017).
DropboxS07SaaS / StorageIPO 2018 (NASDAQ: DBX).
HerokuW08DevTools / PaaSAcquired by Salesforce for $212M (2010).
PosterousS08Consumer / BloggingAcquired by Twitter (2012).
OMGPOPW08GamingMade Draw Something. Acquired by Zynga for $200M (2012).
AirbnbW09MarketplaceIPO 2020 (NASDAQ: ABNB).
StripeS09Fintech / PaymentsMost valuable private YC company.
MixpanelS09SaaS / AnalyticsProduct analytics for web & mobile.
HipmunkS10Consumer / TravelAcquired by SAP Concur (2016).
PagerDutyS10DevOps / SaaSIPO 2019 (NYSE: PD).
OptimizelyW10SaaS / ExperimentationAcquired by Episerver (2020).
CodecademyS11EdTechAcquired by Skillsoft for $525M (2021).
ParseS11DevTools / BaaSAcquired by Facebook for $85M (2013).
SegmentS11SaaS / CDPAcquired by Twilio for $3.2B (2020).
Apartment ListW11Marketplace / Real EstateRentals marketplace.
CoinbaseS12CryptoIPO 2021 (NASDAQ: COIN).
InstacartS12Grocery / LogisticsIPO 2023 (NASDAQ: CART).
FivetranS12Data EngineeringLast reported $5.6B valuation (2021).
Teespring (Spring)S12Commerce / CreatorCustom apparel for creators.
GustoW12Payroll / HROriginally ZenPayroll. ~$10B valuation.
ClassDojoW12EdTechUsed in 95% of US K-8 schools.
9GAGW12Consumer / Social150M+ monthly users.
DoorDashS13LogisticsIPO 2020 (NYSE: DASH).
WebflowW13SaaS / Website Builder$4B valuation (2022).
SoylentW13Consumer / FoodMeal-replacement category creator.
ZenefitsW13HR / SaaSAcquired by TriNet (2022).
AlgoliaW14DevTools / Search$2.25B valuation (2021).
CruiseW14Autonomous VehiclesAcquired by GM (2016).
FlexportW14Logistics / FreightLast reported $8B valuation (2022).
WaveS14Fintech (Africa)$1.7B valuation. Mobile money in West Africa.
GitLabW15DevToolsIPO 2021 (NASDAQ: GTLB).
RazorpayW15Fintech (India)India's largest YC unicorn. $7.5B valuation (2021).
IroncladW15Legal / SaaS$3.2B valuation (2022). Contract lifecycle.
Boom SupersonicW16AerospaceBuilding Overture, a supersonic airliner.
RappiW16Delivery (LATAM)$5.25B valuation. LATAM super-app.
PodiumW16SaaS / SMB Messaging$3B valuation (2021).
MuxW16DevTools / Video APIVideo infrastructure for developers.
BrexW17FintechLast reported $12.3B valuation (2022).
RipplingW17HR / Payroll$13.5B valuation (2024).
FaireW17B2B Marketplace$12.4B valuation (2022). Wholesale for indie retailers.
RetoolW17DevTools / Internal Apps$3.2B valuation (2022).
MercuryS17Fintech / BankingBanking for startups; profitable.
BloomTech (Lambda School)S17EdTechISA-based coding bootcamp.
OpenSeaW18Crypto / NFTLargest NFT marketplace. $13.3B peak valuation.
VantaS18Security / Compliance$2.45B valuation (2024). SOC 2 automation.
DeelW19Global Payroll$12B valuation (2023). Global EOR + payroll.
ConvexS19DevTools / BackendReactive backend platform.
PostHogW20DevTools / AnalyticsOpen-source product analytics.
WhatnotW20Live Commerce$3.7B valuation (2022). Live-stream marketplace.
ReplitW21DevTools / AI Coding$1.16B valuation (2023).
Cursor (Anysphere)S22AI / DevToolsAI-native code editor. Reported >$100M ARR (2024).

Methodology

  • Stats are pulled from YC's public pages (ycombinator.com/about, /deal, /topcompanies, /blog) and the official YC company directory.
  • Where YC has not published an exact figure (e.g. acceptance rate), we use ranges reported by YC partners in interviews and Startup School Q&As, and label them as such.
  • Valuations are last-reported public figures. Private-company valuations change between funding rounds.
  • If you spot a stale or incorrect number, the fix is one source link away — every cell on this page links to where it came from.