The HealthTech Signal
Investor Directory

Y Combinator

Accelerator

Stages
Pre-seed, Seed
Cheque size
$500K standard deal
Based in
United States
Focus
Clinical AI & Documentation, Revenue Cycle & Payments, Primary & Virtual Care

Y Combinator is an American startup accelerator and venture capital firm launched in 2005 by Paul Graham, Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris and Trevor Blackwell. It funds hundreds of early stage companies each year and has backed prominent healthtech and biotech startups alongside its wider technology portfolio.

Three month accelerator with a standard deal and a very large health alumni network.

Notable investments

  • Ophelia
  • Anterior
  • Elation Health
Firm website

The journey

How Y Combinator got here, step by step.

  1. 2005

    Y Combinator founded

    Paul Graham and his co-founders launched Y Combinator, running the first batch of eight companies in Cambridge.

  2. 2009

    Base moves to Mountain View

    Y Combinator relocated its operations to Mountain View, California, deepening its Silicon Valley presence.

  3. 2014

    Sam Altman becomes president

    Sam Altman took over as president, later expanding the organisation's scope and programmes.

  4. 2018 to 2019

    Growth of healthtech batches

    Cohorts increasingly included digital health and biotech startups as founder interest in the sector grew.

  5. 2020

    Programme runs fully remote

    Y Combinator ran its accelerator entirely online during the pandemic and kept funding startups at scale.

  6. 2023

    Garry Tan leads as chief executive

    Garry Tan became president and chief executive, overseeing continued growth of the portfolio.

  7. 2020s

    Thousands of companies funded

    Y Combinator has funded more than five thousand companies, including many healthtech ventures.

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