About 20% of co-founding teams in top YC companies met at work, while 16% were introduced by mutual friends.

For female founders in YC, 33% of co-founding teams met at school, 20% at work, and just under 10% at events.

Co-founders typically collaborate to develop ideas together, sharing excitement and inspiration, which is vital for a successful partnership. If you're applying to Y Combinator, it's better to have a co-founder because single founders are disproportionately unlikely to get accepted.

Among YC companies valued over a hundred million, about half of the co-founding teams met in school, primarily during their undergraduate years.

Investors in Y Combinator companies are top-tier VCs, frequently investing in these startups and often making multiple investments.

Recognizing the benefits of founders having colleagues, we decided to invest in batches, which has become a core part of YC's approach. At Y Combinator, we treat founders like family and prioritize their interests, fostering a strong sense of community even among over 2,000 alumni.

Over 70% of Y Combinator's successful startups have been founded in the US, contributing to 99% of the returns from the program.

The likelihood of securing Series A funding is significantly higher for Y Combinator startups, with 45% achieving this milestone compared to the industry average of 33%.

23% of the startups that applied to Y Combinator for this batch had a female founder, and we accepted the same percentage of startups with female founders as we had applicants.