Y Combinator Startup School

About this opportunity

Startup School is Y Combinator's free set of resources for early-stage and future founders. Signing up gets you advice delivered and curated by YC partners, access to YC's Co-Founder Matching platform if you're looking for a co-founder, and a weekly update tool for tracking your startup's growth and staying accountable. YC states its goals plainly: encourage people to consider starting a company, teach them how, and equip them with tools suited to the earliest stages. There is no application and no equity — you sign up and start. Be clear about what this is not: Startup School is separate from the YC accelerator batch, which is a competitive application with funding attached. This is the free learning and tooling layer underneath it, which makes it a sensible first step if you are a student with an idea rather than a company.

What you get

• Curriculum and advice curated by YC partners
• YC's Co-Founder Matching platform
• Weekly update tool to track progress and stay accountable

Who can take part

Open to early-stage and future founders anywhere, including students. Sign up with an account on the official site.

Eligibility is copied from the organizer's own published rules — they make the final call. Confirm on the official page before you apply.

Coming later: attendees who leave genuinely useful reviews will earn credits toward paid opportunities. Nothing is being awarded yet — reviews are unpaid and unverified for now.