We use CB Insights data to break down Y Combinator’s vast investor network — including Soma Capital and Pioneer Fund — to see who’s investing before, with, and after YC the most.
Y Combinator (YC) invests in several hundred startups a year through its accelerator program, and now has more than 80 unicorns in its portfolio — the 8th-most of any investment firm in the world.
YC relies on a global network of investors for future funding rounds of its batch companies. These relationships are mutually beneficial: YC discovers promising startups and helps them get off the ground, and follower investors give the fledgling companies the necessary capital to keep growing and move closer to an exit.
We used CB Insights data to track YC’s investment syndicate relationships, or the network of investors who most frequently invest in companies before, with, and after YC:
- Before relationships (feeder investors) show YC’s most trusted pipelines for startups who’ve already raised some funding or participated in an accelerator before.
- With relationships (co-investors) reflect the firms that YC teams up with the most for deals.
- After relationships (follower investors) indicate who YC relies on for subsequent investments to batch companies.
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