How Y Combinator and Antler compare on investment, equity, format, stage and timing. Every figure comes from the programs' own sites, verified November 4, 2026.
| Y Combinator | Antler | |
|---|---|---|
| Investment | $500K | Not published |
| Equity | 7% | Not published |
| Deal terms | $500K: $125K post-money SAFE for 7% + $375K uncapped MFN SAFE; pro rata rights; no fees | Varies by market: e.g. US $500K-$1M initial commitment; Singapore $100K for 10% plus $50K uncapped MFN SAFE; UK GBP125K for 8.5% |
| Format | In-person | In-person |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | Singapore |
| Stage | pre-seed, seed | idea, pre-seed |
| Sectors | general, ai, b2b saas | general |
| Duration | 3 months | 6 weeks to 3 months depending on location |
| Application cycle | 4 batches a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) | rolling, with multiple cohort starts per year by location |
Investment is the full standard package; where part of it is an uncapped SAFE, the equity stake covers only the fixed part (see deal terms). Terms change; confirm on each official site before applying.
About
The largest and best-known startup accelerator, founded in 2005, which now runs four batches a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) in person at its San Francisco campus. It funds very early founders in any sector, increasingly AI companies, with the same standard deal for every company and no fees, and ends each batch with a Demo Day for investors.
Notable alumni: Airbnb, Stripe, DoorDash, Coinbase, Dropbox
About
Global early-stage investor that runs in-person residencies where individual founders can meet co-founders and build a company before receiving pre-seed investment. It runs programs in about 30 cities across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Investment terms are set locally and differ by market.
Notable alumni: Lovable, Airalo, Peec AI
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