“We fund startups at the earliest stages and help them grow into large companies.”
Y Combinator is the world's most prolific startup accelerator. Since 2005, they've funded over 5,000 companies including Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase, DoorDash, Instacart, Reddit, and Dropbox. The combined valuation of YC companies exceeds $600 billion.
Each batch lasts roughly three months and culminates in Demo Day, where founders pitch to a curated audience of investors. The programme is based in San Francisco, though most interviews happen via video conference and YC has funded founders from every continent.
What makes YC different from other accelerators is the alumni network. Over 5,000 companies means thousands of founders who will take your call, make intros, and share hard-won knowledge. The YC brand also acts as a signal to downstream investors, and YC companies historically raise follow-on funding at higher rates and valuations than the industry average.
Seven African companies sit in YC's "most valuable" list: Flutterwave, Wave, Paystack, Reliance Health, 54gene, Yassir, and Nomba.