The right time to apply to Y Combinator is when you have a founding team and an idea that excites that team.

You only need two key ingredients for a successful Y Combinator application: a founding team and an exciting idea.

Many people mistakenly believe that traction or revenue is necessary to apply to Y Combinator, but that's not true; a significant portion of funded companies only have a founding team and an idea.

If you don't get accepted on your first application, it doesn't mean your founding team and idea won't be funded; it just means you should make more progress and reapply.

You have nothing to lose by applying to Y Combinator as soon as you have a founding team and an idea.

The two key ingredients to apply to Y Combinator are a founding team and an idea that excites you.