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Is Y Combinator Worth It? Try the YC Dilution Calculator

Your fundraising plan

Total funding, including YC’s $500k.

Your estimated post-money SAFE cap.

Based on S26 YC data aggregated by Nicole Wischoff

Your result

See what YC means for your equity.

Enter your funding goal and valuation to see how YC changes your ownership.

Start with your fundraising plan

How is this calculated?

Startups that joined YC raised their next round at higher valuations. Starting with the valuation you think you could raise at without YC, we estimate whether that valuation premium would offset the equity YC takes.

We compare the equity needed to raise the same amount of money with and without YC, using post-money SAFE caps.

Your cap without YCEnter your cap
Assumed cap with YCYour cap × 1.79

Without YC

Total dilution = total funding ÷ your non-YC cap.

With YC

Total dilution = 7% + (total funding − $125,000) ÷ your YC cap.

The $125k buys YC’s fixed 7%. The remaining funding, including YC’s $375k MFN SAFE, is modeled at the assumed YC cap. Founder ownership is 100% minus total dilution.

The large result shows the absolute difference in ownership as a share of the whole company. For example, 81.0% − 77.8% = 3.2% of company equity. It is not a relative percentage change.

Assumptions

  • YC invests $500k in total: $125k for 7%, plus $375k on an uncapped MFN SAFE.
  • The MFN SAFE adopts the modeled YC cap. All other funding uses post-money SAFEs converting at the shown caps.
  • Founders start with 100%. Earlier investors, option pools, fees, taxes and later rounds are excluded.
  • The fixed 79% uplift is rounded from the sample’s 79.34% difference, comparing average caps of $32.22M and $17.97M. This does not establish YC’s causal effect or predict what an individual founder could raise.

Sample data by Nichole Wischoff ↗YC’s standard deal ↗

Illustrative estimates. Actual terms and dilution may vary.