Y Combinator vs HF0
How Y Combinator and HF0 compare on investment, equity, format, stage and timing. Every figure comes from the programs' own sites, verified November 4, 2026.
| Y Combinator | HF0 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | The official site publishes no terms. Reported terms have changed over time and conflict. The SF Standard (January 2023) reported $250,000 in uncapped funding for 2.5%. Talk Business (February 2025) reported that Bastazo received $1 million when accepted into the residency, without stating the equity. Third-party listings describe up to $1M on an uncapped SAFE for 5%, and startupintros.com describes the Fall 2026 batch as equity-free with no investment. None of these is confirmed by HF0. |
| Format | In-person | In-person |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Stage | pre-seed, seed | idea, pre-seed, seed |
| Sectors | general, ai, b2b saas | general, ai |
| Duration | 3 months | 12 weeks |
| Application cycle | 4 batches a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall) | Batches run several times a year; applications are open year-round through an online form. |
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
Y Combinator
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
HF0
HF0 is a residency for repeat founders, founded by Dave Fontenot. Founders live and work in the HF0 house in San Francisco for 12 weeks, ending in a Demo Day. Each batch takes about 10 teams, and around half the founders in a batch have previously built a unicorn, according to a participant.
Notable alumni: Hill, Bastazo, Crossmint, Rules Engine
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