Y Combinator Will Double Its Cohorts to Four Per Year in 2025
Y Combinator is shifting from two to four annual cohorts starting next year, a move that halves cohort sizes while doubling Demo Day events for investors.
Y Combinator is expanding its famous accelerator program from two cohorts per year to four starting in 2025. President Garry Tan confirms that the overall number of accepted startups remains the same, which means each new cohort is about half the size of recent batches.
This structural shift gives investors twice as many Demo Day events to discover and meet with new companies. By spreading the program across the calendar year, YC aims to give venture capitalists more dedicated time to evaluate founders without the overwhelming crush of a single massive event.
The transition begins almost immediately, with a new fall program kicking off on September 29, just days after the current summer cohort presents on September 25 and 26. This accelerated schedule marks a significant operational change for the world's most prominent startup accelerator.