The Y Combinator 2026 batch, explained for founders.

YC runs two batches each year. In 2026 that means:

• Winter 2026 (W26) — kicks off in January 2026, Demo Day late March / early April.
• Summer 2026 (S26) — kicks off in June 2026, Demo Day in early September.

YC accepts applications year-round, but each batch has a hard application deadline roughly 8–10 weeks before the batch starts. Late applications are reviewed for the following batch, so applying early never hurts.

Source: official application timeline on ycombinator.com/apply.

YC has published the same headline deal since 2022 and continues to use it in 2026:

• $125,000 on a post-money SAFE for 7% of the company.
• $375,000 on an uncapped MFN (most-favoured-nation) SAFE — converts at the terms of your next priced round.
• Total: $500,000 across both instruments.

The full deal, dilution math, and FAQ are published openly at ycombinator.com/deal. We summarise the math (and what it means for your cap table over Series A) in our deal-terms explainer.

The 2026 Request for Startups lists 15 categories where YC partners see the biggest market opportunities and the clearest timing. Highlights include AI agents and infrastructure, defense and dual-use, vertical AI for healthcare and law, robotics and physical AI, climate and energy, fintech for the AI economy, and developer platforms.

We've turned each of those 15 categories into a complete founder playbook — customer profile, the wedge, an 8-week MVP, pricing, first-10-customer plan and a 90-day execution plan. It's free to read and download.

Open the RFS Playbook 2026 →

The YC application is a single form with about 15 questions covering the team, the idea, the market, progress so far and the story behind the company. Strong applications share three things: specificity, honesty, and visible velocity.

For a question-by-question walkthrough — including what YC partners are actually listening for and side-by-side strong vs weak example answers — see our full YC application guide.

Shortlisted teams are invited to a 10-minute video interview with a panel of YC partners. The format is fast, factual, and unscripted — partners want to understand the founders, not hear a pitch deck. Decisions are usually communicated within 24–48 hours of the interview, via email or phone call.

Our YC interview prep guide covers the question patterns to expect and how to practise without sounding rehearsed.

Once accepted, founders relocate to the Bay Area for the duration of the batch. The rhythm is famously simple: weekly group office hours, partner office hours on demand, Tuesday dinners with a guest speaker, and a relentless focus on two questions — "are you talking to users?" and "are you growing?". The batch culminates in Demo Day, where teams present to a curated audience of investors.

If you want to understand the operating culture in advance, our YC mental models page covers the frameworks every batch uses — Default Alive vs Default Dead, Do Things That Don't Scale, Make Something People Want, and more.