Why is YC Bullish on Indian AI Startups? [Video]

As discussions of India achieving 100 AI unicorns in the next decade continue, it’s interesting to note that investors betting on these startups are increasingly emerging from the far West, with Y-Combinator playing a crucial role for many of them.

Bullish on India

Y Combinator is one of the world’s largest startup accelerators. Sam Altman’s first venture Loopt was also accepted into the YC program in 2011. 

As of early 2024, YC has funded over 4,500 startups with a combined valuation of more than $600 billion, making it an attractive lifeline for many emerging startup founders. 

For the YC W24 program, 260 companies were selected from over 27000 applications. “With an acceptance rate under 1%, this was one of the most selective cohorts in YC history,” said Garry Tan, President & CEO of Y Combinator.

According to the demographics of YC’s 2024 winter batch, selected founders were 36% white, followed by 25% Asian and 18% South Asian.

YC also experienced a notable 45% …