Y Combinator

Data updated July 3, 2026

San Francisco, California, United States

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator and venture investor founded in 2005. It is based in San Francisco, California, and also lists Mountain View, California as a location on its public company profile.

YC funds companies across software and biotech, and says it is especially comfortable funding life science projects at their earliest stage. In its current public biotech and drug-discovery materials, YC highlights work ranging from therapeutics to mental health and psychedelic medicine-adjacent companies.

Investor Context

Venture Capital

Investment Context

This stakeholder is listed as a Venture Capital Fund within Venture Capital. Its public geography context is global. Public stage signals include Seed, Series A/B, and Growth / Late Stage. Public focus areas include Drug Development.

Public Portfolio Examples

OsmindRecorded investment
Mindstate Design LabsRecorded investment

Y Combinator’s public investment posture is strongly early-stage and founder-led, with a standard investment of $500,000 per company and an application process open to startups anywhere in the world. Its biotech and drug-discovery pages show a broad life-sciences orientation, including therapeutics, digital health, diagnostics, and medical devices, while its portfolio also includes mental health and neuropsychiatry companies such as Osmind and Mindstate Design Labs that explicitly reference psychedelic medicine or psychoactive therapeutics. That makes YC relevant to the psychedelic ecosystem primarily as an early-stage backer of infrastructure, clinical, and neuropsychiatry-adjacent startups rather than a dedicated psychedelic-only fund.

Investor Type

Venture Capital Fund

Geographic Scope

Global

Psychedelic Focus

Psychedelic-Adjacent Focus

Engagement

Active

Investment Stage Focus

SeedSeries A/BGrowth / Late Stage

Investment Focus Areas

Drug Development