Y Combinator Winter 2027 Batch ($500,000 Startup Funding)

About

Y Combinator is accepting applications for its Winter 2027 in-person San Francisco batch, offering accepted startups a $500,000 standard investment and a three-month program running from January to March 2027.

Benefits

• 💰$500,000 standard investment
  Accepted companies receive a $500,000 investment: $125,000 via a post-money SAFE for 7% equity and $375,000 via an uncapped MFN SAFE; YC charges no program fees.
• 🤝Dedicated general partner
  Each company works with a dedicated YC General Partner and meets weekly during the batch.
• 🎟️ Partner credits and deals
  Accepted companies get access to $12M+ in free credits and deals from partners including OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and Stripe.
• 📈Investor introductions
  Toward the end of the batch, YC introduces companies to its investor network to help them raise additional funds.
• 🏙️ In-person batch
  The Winter 2027 batch runs January through March in San Francisco with a 3-day in-person kickoff and regular meetups.
• 🌐Alumni network
  Founders join YC’s alumni community, which YC describes as a strong network for help after the batch.

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to startups anywhere in the world, at any stage, including idea-stage companies
• Solo founders may apply
• Founders do not need to have incorporated before applying
• If accepted, founders are expected to commit full-time to the company during the batch and afterwards
• If the company is incorporated outside the United States, Canada, Singapore, or the Cayman Islands, it must create a parent company in one of those jurisdictions to participate
• Applicants are asked to submit only one application per batch
• Preferred: the founding team has the skills to build the product itself, which for many businesses usually means a technical co-founder

Participation Commitments

• Submit the application online
• Applicants are asked to submit only one application per batch
• On-time applications must be submitted by 2 November 2026 at 8:00 PM PT to receive a decision by 11 December 2026
• Late applications are still considered but YC cannot promise when a decision will be provided
• Most interviews are held by video conference in November and December, with decisions typically made the same day as the interview
• The Winter 2027 batch is scheduled to take place in person in San Francisco from January to March 2027, starting with a 3-day in-person kickoff and regular San Francisco meetups
• Founders are expected to commit full-time to their company during the batch and afterwards if accepted
• If the company is incorporated outside the United States, Canada, Singapore, or the Cayman Islands, it must create a parent company in one of those jurisdictions to participate
• YC states that it charges no program fees, and it begins the investment process immediately upon acceptance rather than waiting for the batch to start

Target Region

Open to startups anywhere in the world; no applicant nationality or residence restriction is stated. If accepted, the company must be incorporated in the United States, Canada, Singapore, or the Cayman Islands, or create a parent company in one of those jurisdictions if incorporated elsewhere.

Target Sector

Agriculture & Food, Defense & Security, Education, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Government & Public Sector, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Real Estate & Construction, Retail & Consumer, Semiconductors & Electronics, Sports & Fitness, Telecommunications, Transportation & Logistics, Travel & Hospitality, Other