The world's most
watched Demo Day.
Since 2005, YC has funded 5,000+ companies worth over $1 trillion. Demo Day is the moment everything is on the line — know your numbers before you walk in.
5,000+
Companies funded
Since 2005
$1T+
Combined valuation
Portfolio market cap
4×
Demo Days per year
W · Sp · Su · F batches
~1,000
Investors per event
Invite-only, San Francisco
All four 2026 Demo Days
Live countdowns to every 2026 YC Demo Day. Use the time to close your metric gaps before applications open.
Winter 2026
March 24
Tuesday
29
DAYS
11
HRS
10
MIN
39
SEC
163 companies
Spring 2026
June 16
Tuesday
113
DAYS
11
HRS
10
MIN
39
SEC
~150 companies
Summer 2026
September 10
Thursday
199
DAYS
11
HRS
10
MIN
39
SEC
~170 companies
Fall 2026
December 2
Wednesday
282
DAYS
11
HRS
10
MIN
39
SEC
~150 companies
Two minutes.
Everything on the line.
YC Demo Day is invite-only, held in person in San Francisco. Around 1,000 of the world's most active investors attend, invited based on their investment history in YC companies.
Each startup gets exactly 2 minutes on stage. No demos. No feature lists. Just the problem, the traction, and the team. The best companies walk away with term sheets within 48 hours.
Invite-only event
~1,000 investors and media, in-person in San Francisco. Online access for those who cannot attend.
2-minute pitches
Problem statement, traction data, and team — in 120 seconds. No slides bloat, no "demo mode."
Four batches per year
W, Sp, Su, and F batches — each ending in a Demo Day. Companies can be discovered in the Startup Directory weeks before.
Term sheets within 48 hours
Top companies often leave with a SAFE already in motion. The best Demo Day pitches create competitive dynamics between investors.
What YC investors look for
Four dimensions. Every number calibrated against real YC Demo Day data.
Monthly MRR Growth
- 3+ consecutive months of strong growth
- YC benchmark: 5–7% weekly ≈ 25–40% monthly
- Accelerating trend > single peak month
Burn Efficiency
- Burn multiple = net burn ÷ net new ARR
- Best-in-class: under 1× (spend less than you earn)
- Above 2× raises hard capital efficiency questions
Monthly Retention
- 85%+ is good. 95%+ is exceptional.
- NRR above 110% = expansion from existing users
- Below 70% signals broken product-market fit
Team Efficiency
- 2–3 person teams generating $10–15K MRR ideal
- Every hire should visibly move a core metric
- Small + high-output signals founder quality
See how your metrics stack up
Demo Day Check measures all four dimensions and gives you a single readiness score — calibrated against these exact benchmarks.
Get My Score in 90 SecondsCompanies built from this stage
Every one of these started as a 2-minute Demo Day pitch. Our benchmarks are calibrated against their early-stage metrics.
Home-sharing marketplace
$75B+
Payments infrastructure
$65B+
Crypto exchange & wallet
$50B+
Food & delivery platform
$20B+
Cloud storage pioneer
$8B+
Live streaming for gaming
$15B+
Corporate cards for startups
$12B+
Global HR & payroll
$12B+
DevOps platform
$15B+
Same-day grocery delivery
$10B+
Product analytics
$4B+
Background check platform
$5B+
5,718 total companies in YC's directory · Combined valuation exceeds $1 trillion
Everything about YC Demo Day
Know your number
before they ask.
6 inputs. 90 seconds. One honest readiness score against real YC benchmarks.