Y Combinator is the best place for startups, regardless of what they’re making.
At Y Combinator, we help all of our startups make things people want. We have particular expertise that is beneficial to technology startups innovating in education. Y Combinator, in combination with Imagine K12, has created the world's largest network of edtech startup founders and educators. Our edtech startups get access to those networks and additional programming created specifically for startups building products for students, parents, and educators.
Who Should Apply
We believe the future of our country and our way of life will be determined by how well we prepare our children for success in the 21st century. Today we see great potential for the application of technology to enrich and transform education for all learners.
YC/Imagine K12 is looking to support edtech startups that will help realize that potential as quickly and effectively as possible.
Collectively, YC and Imagine K12 have funded companies that serve a student’s entire learning journey, from early childhood and K-12 education, to vocational training, higher education, and lifelong learning. Their products deliver adaptive curriculum, foster student collaboration, engage parents, measure school effectiveness, train corporate data scientists, and much more.
Education startups may apply to YC/Imagine K12 with just an idea or with an established product. We’ve funded companies at stages ranging from pre-MVP to over $1 million in revenue.
If your team believes every student deserves a quality education and is determined to be a part of the transformation of our schools, you should apply.
What We Do
YC/Imagine K12 provides founders with seed funding, access to the world’s largest community of edtech founders and investors, and a network of experienced partners and educators who support startups throughout their lifecycle.
During YC’s three month cycle, our goal is to improve your company’s chances of success. We meet with founders weekly to discuss whatever needs discussing at that time: business strategy, product design, technical advice, recruiting advice, and so on.
We insist our founders focus on building something people want. Throughout the cycle, we help all companies connect with educators and students, set up pilots with potential customers, and figure out how best to communicate the scale and importance of what they’re doing to investors.
Each cycle culminates in Demo Day, when all startups in the batch present their work to an invite-only audience of investors and press. For some companies, the goal for Demo Day may be a product launch, while for others it may be a revenue or user growth target.
Alumni
Our alumni are some of the fastest growing, most valuable names in edtech, including:
Here are more edtech companies we've funded. Imagine K12 alumni also include 80+ edtech startups funded since 2011.