Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Winter 2026 Batch funding cycle. The batch will take place from January to March in San Francisco.

The deadline to apply on-time is November 10 at 8pm PT; if you apply before the deadline, you will get a decision by December 10. If you apply after the deadline, we will still consider the application but can't promise exactly when we'll get back to you.

About applying to YC

1. If you want to apply, please submit your application online.
2. People who applied before the regular deadline will hear back by December 10. If you apply after the deadline, we'll still consider the application but can't promise exactly when we'll get back to you.
3. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as you’re ready to apply.
4. If your application is promising, we will invite you to interview with us. Most interviews will be held by video conference in November and December We typically make decisions the same day as your interview, and we give everyone who interviews detailed feedback on our decision.
5. We invest in companies as soon as they are accepted; we do not wait for the batch to start.

About the batch

The batch will take place in-person at YC's campus in San Francisco. It starts with a 3-day, in-person kick-off and features weekly meetups in San Francisco. For more information, please read our FAQs.

During the batch, we invite eminent people from the startup world to speak. The founders of Airbnb, Stripe, Doordash, and Reddit often come back to tell the inside story of what happened in the early days of their startups.

Every company works with a dedicated YC General Partner, who gets to know them well and can help with a wide range of issues. Every YC general partner is a successful startup founder themselves, has advised hundreds of startups, and works closely with a small group of startups they personally hand-select every batch. YC companies are in a direct slack channel with their partner and meet weekly during the batch.

Similar to how many universities have a house model, each YC batch is actually several small, autonomous groups of companies. You go through YC as part of this small group of companies, have dinner with them each week, and build both personal and professional relationships. Many founders build lifelong friendships with the founders in their group.

During and after the batch, we introduce founders to people who can help with any challenge. Often, this means founders of other YC companies. Today, The YC alumni community is one of the most powerful communities in the world, and its members have a strong commitment to help one another.

Towards the end of the batch, we help companies raise additional funds by introducing them to YC’s extensive network of investors.

YC doesn't end after 3 months. We continue to help founders for the life of their company, and beyond — and so does the YC alumni community. Read more here.

If you have other questions, reach out via email.