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 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

Target Location

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.