Legal

Privacy Policy

Welcome to the website (including all websites to which this Privacy Policy is posted, the “Site”) operated by Y Combinator Management, LLC and its Affiliates (collectively “Y Combinator,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This Site provides, among other things, information about our people, organization and application process, tools for applicants to submit applications and go through the application process, a platform for applying to work at Y Combinator startups, a free online course on how to start a company, our blog, and profiles of founders and companies that have participated in the Y Combinator program (collectively, the “Services”).

This Privacy Policy explains what Personal Information we collect, how we use and disclose that data, and your choices concerning our data practices. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and forms part of our Terms of Use.

For deletion requests, please contact us at privacy@ycombinator.com. See Section 4 for additional information regarding changes to accounts generally as well as deletion of Personal Information (defined below).

For California residents (defined below), please click here for additional disclosures, our Notice at Collection and Use of Personal Information, and a description of your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (with any implementing regulations, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), and as may be amended from time to time, “CCPA”).

Before using the Services or submitting any Personal Information to Y Combinator, please review this Privacy Policy carefully and contact us if you have any questions. By using the Services, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Site or otherwise use the Services.

1. PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect information that alone or in combination with other information in our possession could be used to identify you (“Personal Information”).

• Personal Information You Provide. We may collect Personal Information when you create an account, subscribe to our newsletter, sign up for an event, or communicate with us as follows:

  • Event Information: If you attend one of our events, or if you are an investor and you sign up to attend Demo Day, you will be asked to provide Personal Information, including your name, the name and a description of your company or your fund, your contact information and other information that we will use to manage and administer your participation in our various events (“Event Information”).

  • Work at a Startup Information: If you sign up for our Work at a Startup program (“WaaS”), we will collect your name, email, LinkedIn profile, and other information relevant to the type of job you are seeking, such as your location, eligibility to work in the United States, and your work experience, education, and skills (“WaaS Information”).

  • Startup School Information: If you sign up for our Startup School program (“SUS”), we will collect your name, email, location (city and country), LinkedIn profile, gender (only if you choose to provide it), education, area of expertise, company information, and cofounder email addresses (“SUS Information”).

  • Application Information: When a company submits an application to Y Combinator, we will collect Personal Information relating to the founders of the applicant company, such as names, email addresses, telephone numbers, education, employment history, and the city/country in which they live. We will also collect information about the applicant company, such as the name, industry, and status of the company (together with Personal Information relating to founder(s) and any other information submitted in connection with the application process, “Application Information”).

  • Hacker News Information: If you create a Hacker News account (ID and profile), we do not collect any Personal Information unless you choose to provide your email address and/or information in the "about" field (“HN Information”). Your submissions to, and comments you make on, the Hacker News site are not Personal Information and are not "HN Information" as defined in this Privacy Policy.

  • Communication Information: When you subscribe to our newsletter or otherwise communicate with us, we may collect your name, contact information, and the contents of any messages you send (“Communication Information”).

  • Personal Information We Collect Through Our Social Media Pages. We have pages on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn (“Social Media Pages”). When you interact with our Social Media Pages, we will collect Personal Information that you elect to provide to us, such as your contact details (“Social Information”). In addition, the companies that host our Social Media Pages may provide us with aggregate information and analytics regarding the use of our Social Media Pages.

  • Personal Information We Receive Automatically From Your Use of the Site. When you visit, use, and interact with the Site, we may receive certain information about your visit, use, or interactions (“Technical Information”). For example, we may monitor the number of people that visit the Site, peak hours of visits, which page(s) are visited, the domains our visitors come from (e.g., google.com, yahoo.com, etc.), and which browsers people use to access the Services (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, etc.), broad geographical information, and navigation pattern. In particular, Technical Information includes the following, which is created and automatically logged in our systems:

    • Log data: Log data is information that your browser automatically sends whenever you visit the Site. Log data includes your Internet Protocol address, browser type and settings, the date and time of your request, and how you interacted with the Site.
    • Cookies: Please see the “Cookies” section below to learn more about how we use cookies.
    • Device information: Includes name of the device, operating system, and browser you are using. Information collected may depend on the type of device you use and its settings.
    • Usage Information: We collect information about how you use our Services, such as the types of content that you view or engage with, the features you use, the actions you take, and the time, frequency, and duration of your activities.
    • Session replay information: Session replay information includes Device Information, broad geographical information, and the contents of your screen.

Cookies: We use cookies to operate and administer our Site, gather usage data on our Site, and improve your experience on it. A “cookie” is a piece of information sent to your browser by a website you visit. Cookies can be stored on your computer for different periods of time. Some cookies expire after a certain amount of time, or upon logging out (session cookies), others survive after your browser is closed until a defined expiration date set in the cookie (as determined by the third party placing it), and help recognize your computer when you open your browser and browse the Internet again (persistent cookies). For more details on cookies please visit All About Cookies.

Session Replay: We use PostHog for session replay on SUS to help us analyze how users use the Site and to improve user experience.

Analytics: Among other service providers, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies to help us analyze how users use the Site and enhance your experience when you use the Site. For more information on how Google uses this data, go to www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/. We also use New Relic, Amplitude, and PostHog.

Online Tracking and Do Not Track Signals: We and our third party service providers may use cookies or other tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing activities over time and across different websites following your use of the Site. Our Site currently does not respond to “Do Not Track” (“DNT”) signals and operates as described in this Privacy Policy whether or not a DNT signal is received. If we do respond to DNT signals in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy to describe how we do so.

Your Choices. On most web browsers, you will find a “help” section on the toolbar. Please refer to this section for information on how to receive a notification when you are receiving a new cookie and how to turn cookies off. Please see the links below for guidance on how to modify your web browser’s settings on the most popular browsers:

• Internet Explorer
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Apple Safari

Please note that if you limit the ability of websites to set cookies, you may be unable to access certain parts of the Site and you may not be able to benefit from the full functionality of the Site.

Advertising networks may use cookies to collect Personal Information. Most advertising networks offer you a way to opt out of targeted advertising. If you would like to find out more information, please visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s online resources at http://www.networkadvertising.org and follow the opt-out instructions there.

If you access the Site on your mobile device, you may not be able to control tracking technologies through the settings.

2. HOW WE USE PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may use Personal Information for the following purposes:

• To provide and administer access to the Services;
• To grant access to and track attendance at our events;
• To respond to your inquiries, comments, feedback, or questions;
• To send administrative information to you, for example, information regarding the Services and changes to our terms, conditions, and policies;
• To analyze how you interact with our Services;
• To maintain and improve the content and functionality of the Services;
• To develop new programs and services;
• To prevent fraud, criminal activity, or misuses of our Services, and to ensure the security of our IT systems, architecture, and networks;
• To ensure compliance with sanctions regulations; and
• To comply with legal obligations and legal process and to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, and/or that of our Affiliates, you, or other third parties.

Aggregated Information. We may aggregate Personal Information and use the aggregated information to analyze the effectiveness of our Services, to improve and add features to our Services, and for other similar purposes. In addition, from time to time, we may analyze the general behavior and characteristics of users of our Services and share aggregated information like general user statistics with prospective business partners. We may collect aggregated information through the Services, through cookies, and through other means described in this Privacy Policy.

3. SHARING AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

In certain circumstances we may share your Personal Information with third parties without further notice to you, unless required by the law, as set forth below:

• Vendors and Service Providers: To assist us in meeting business operations needs and to perform certain services and functions, we may share Personal Information with vendors and service providers, including providers of hosting services, cloud services, and other information technology services providers, event management services, email communication software and email newsletter services, and web analytics services. Pursuant to our instructions, these parties will access, process, or store Personal Information in the course of performing their duties to us.
• Business Transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of all or a portion of our assets, or transition of service to another provider (collectively a “Transaction”), your Personal Information and other information may be shared in the diligence process with counterparties and others assisting with the Transaction and transferred to a successor or Affiliate as part of that Transaction along with other assets.
• Legal Requirements: If required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to (i) comply with a legal obligation, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements, (ii) protect and defend our rights or property, (iii) prevent fraud, (iv) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of the Services, or the public, or (v) protect against legal liability.
• Affiliates: We may share Personal Information with our Affiliates, meaning an entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with Y Combinator. Our Affiliates will use the Personal Information we share in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.
• With Your Consent. We may disclose your Personal Information to third parties upon your request, at your direction, or with your consent.
• Other Users: certain actions you take may be visible to other users of the Services.

Please note that for purposes of this section, “sharing” does not include “sharing” as defined under the CCPA. For additional disclosures and information on our CCPA practices, please review California Privacy Rights below.

The following disclosures are intended to provide additional information about (1) the categories of Personal Information we collect, (2) the source of the Personal Information, (3) how we use each category of Personal Information, and (4) how we disclose Personal Information. These disclosures do not limit our ability to use or disclose information as described in Sections 2 and 3.

Application Information Disclosures. Due to the large number of applications and related materials that we receive and review, and the similarity of much of the information provided in such applications, we cannot accept responsibility for protecting against the misuse or disclosure of any general information, knowledge or other materials (including without limitation any information generally known in your industry) included in your Application Information. Any such general information or knowledge you submit to Y Combinator may be used or disclosed by us or any person with whom we share your application for any purpose and in any manner. You submit applications at your own risk. We implement commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and organizational measures to protect Application Information both online and offline from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no Internet or email transmission is ever fully secure or error free. In particular, email sent to or from us may not be secure. Therefore, you should take special care in deciding what Application Information you send to us.

4. YOUR CHOICES, DELETION REQUESTS, AND UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION

Your Rights and Choices: In certain circumstances providing Personal Information is optional. However, if you choose not to provide Personal Information that is needed to use some features of our Services, you may be unable to use those features. You can contact us at privacy@ycombinator.com to request to update, correct, or delete your Personal Information. Please note that you can correct or delete certain HN Information yourself, by modifying your Hacker News profile. If you request deletion of your Hacker News account, note that we reserve the right to refuse to (i) delete any of the submissions, favorites, or comments you posted on the Hacker News site or linked in your profile and/or (ii) remove their association with your Hacker News ID.

Deletion Requests:

• If you would like to request that we delete your entire Y Combinator account and all Personal Information associated with it, contact us at privacy@ycombinator.com.
• If you would like to request that we delete your Application Information but otherwise maintain your Y Combinator account, contact us at apply@ycombinator.com.
• If you would like to request that we delete your WaaS Information but otherwise maintain your Y Combinator account, contact us at workatastartup@ycombinator.com.  

Account Update Requests:

• Please log in to your Y Combinator account to change or correct your Personal Information. If you need help, contact us at accounts@ycombinator.com.
• With respect to Application Information, before you submit your application, you can update your Application Information by logging in and editing your application directly.
• If you need help updating your WaaS information, you can contact us at workatastartup@ycombinator.com.  
• For Hacker News account recovery, contact us at hn@ycombinator.com.

If you are a California resident, please review the below section, California Privacy Rights, for additional information on your rights under the CCPA.

5. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS

The CCPA imposes certain obligations on us and grants certain rights to California residents (“California Resident,” “you” or “your”) with regard to “personal information.” If you are a California Resident, please review the following information about your potential rights with regard to your Personal Information under the CCPA. The rights described herein are subject to exemptions and other limitations under applicable law. Terms used herein have the meaning ascribed to them in the CCPA. We are a “business.”

Notice at Collection and Use of Personal Information

Information We Collect. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the categories of personal information from or about you as identified in Personal Information We Collect and including:

• Identifiers and similar information, such as your name, address, date of birth, email address, online identifiers or other similar identifiers;
• Characteristics of Protected Classifications under certain federal or state laws, including gender, national origin, or marital status;
• Commercial information, including records of products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing histories or tendencies;
• Audio, electronic, visual, or similar information;
• Geolocation information, such as information about your location or the location of your device;
• Professional or employment-related information, including occupation, compensation, employer, and title;
• Education information, defined as information that is not publicly available personally identifiable information as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. section 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99);
• Internet or other electronic network activity information, including interactions with our website or use of certain online tools, and IP addresses; and
• Inferences drawn from any of the information identified above to create a profile reflecting your preferences or similar information.

Our Use and Collection of Information. We may collect and use Personal Information from you for the purposes described above in How We Use Information and described below in Our Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information.

Sale or Sharing of Personal Information. We do not sell or share your Personal Information (as those terms are defined under the CCPA).

How Long We Keep Information. How long we keep your Personal Information will vary depending on the type of personal data and our reasons for collecting it. The retention period will be determined by various criteria, including the purposes for which we are using it (as it will need to be kept for as long as is necessary for any of those purposes) and our legal obligations (as laws or regulations may set a minimum period for which we have to keep your personal data). In general, we will retain your Personal Information unless your account is deleted, or for as long as we require it to fulfill the business purposes for which it was collected, perform our contractual rights and obligations, or for periods required by our legal and regulatory obligations.

For more information about our privacy practices, please review our entire Privacy Policy.

Our Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information

The following disclosures are intended to provide additional information about (1) the categories of Personal Information we have collected in the preceding 12 months (as listed in Information We Collect), (2) the source of the Personal Information, (3) the business or commercial purposes for our collection of the Personal Information and (4) how we may disclose Personal Information for a business purpose. These disclosures do not limit our ability to use or disclose information as described in Sections 2 and 3. We do not sell or share your personal information (as those terms are defined under the CCPA). We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of California Residents under 16 years old.

In addition, in the preceding 12 months, we may have disclosed all of the categories of Personal Information identified in Information We Collect above to the following categories of third parties: (i) judicial courts, regulators, or other government agents purporting to have jurisdiction over us, our subsidiaries or our Affiliates, or opposing counsel and parties to litigation; and (ii) other third parties as may otherwise be permitted by law. We may disclose the categories of Personal Information identified in Information We Collect for the business or commercial purposes identified above in How We Use Information. Additionally, we may disclose your Personal Information to third parties upon your request, at your direction, or with your consent.

We may also disclose your Personal Information or otherwise make it available to our service providers, other entities that have agreed to limitations on the use of your Personal Information, or entities that fit within other exemptions or exceptions in, or as otherwise permitted by, the CCPA.

California Resident's Privacy Rights

To the extent provided for by law and subject to applicable exceptions, California residents may have the following privacy rights in relation to the Personal Information we collect, including the right to:

• Be informed, at or before the point of collection, of the categories of Personal Information to be collected, and the purposes for which the categories of Personal Information shall be used;
• Know what Personal Information we have collected and how we have used and disclosed that Personal Information (“Request to Know”);
• Request deletion of your Personal Information, subject to certain exemptions (“Request to Delete”);
• Opt-out of the “sale” (as that term is defined in the CCPA) of your personal information if a business sells your Personal Information (we do not);
• Opt-out of the “sharing” (as that term is defined in the CCPA) of your Personal Information if a business shares your Personal Information with third parties (we do not);
• Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information where required by the CCPA (“Right to Limit”) (please note that we are not using your sensitive personal information for purposes that would require that we provide you with a Right to Limit);
• Correct inaccurate Personal Information (“Request to Correct”); and
• Be free from discrimination relating to the exercise of any of your privacy rights.

The CCPA does not restrict our ability to do certain things like comply with other laws or comply with regulatory investigations. We also reserve the right to retain, and not to delete, certain Personal Information after receipt of a Request to Delete from you where permitted by the CCPA or another law or regulation.

Exercising Your Rights. California residents can exercise their right to Request to Know, Request to Correct or Request to Delete (“Consumer Rights Request”) as described above, through the following toll-free telephone number +1 (415) 874-1528 or by contacting us at privacy@ycombinator.com.

Verification. In order to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access or deletion, we may require you to verify your login credentials before you can submit a Consumer Rights Request. In verifying your request, we may ask you to provide additional Personal Information and proof of residency for verification. Such information may include, at a minimum, depending on the sensitivity of the information you are requesting and the type of request you are making, your name and email address. Any information gathered as part of the verification process will be used for verification purposes only. If we cannot verify your identity, we will not provide, delete or correct your Personal Information.

Authorized Agents. You may submit a Consumer Rights Request through an authorized agent. If you do so, the agent must present signed written permission to act on your behalf and you may also be required to independently verify your identity and submit proof of your residency with us.

Shine the Light Disclosures. California law requires us to inform California residents who have provided us with personal information that they may request information from us about our disclosures to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To request this information, please contract us at privacy@ycombinator.com.  In your request, please specify that this is a “California 'Shine the Light' Request.”

6. CHILDREN

Our Services are not directed to children who are under the age of 13. Y Combinator does not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 13 has provided Personal Information to Y Combinator through the Service, please contact us at privacy@ycombinator.com and we will endeavor to delete that information from our databases.

7. LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

The Services may contain links to other websites not operated or controlled by Y Combinator, including social media services (“Third Party Sites”). The information that you disclose to Third Party Sites will be governed by the specific privacy policies and terms of service of the Third Party Sites and not by this Privacy Policy. By providing these links we do not imply that we endorse or have reviewed these sites. Please contact the Third Party Sites directly for information on their privacy practices and policies.

8. SECURITY

You use the Services at your own risk. We implement commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and organizational measures designed to protect Personal Information both online and offline from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no Internet or email transmission is ever fully secure or error free. In particular, email sent to or from us may not be secure. Therefore, you should take special care in deciding what information you send to us via the Services or email. Please keep this in mind when disclosing any Personal Information to Y Combinator via the Internet. In addition, we are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Services, or third party websites.

9. INTERNATIONAL USERS

By using our Services, you understand and acknowledge that your Personal Information will be transferred from your location to our facilities and servers in the United States.

10. CHANGES TO THE PRIVACY POLICY

The Services and our business may change from time to time. As a result we may change this Privacy Policy at any time. When we do, we will post an updated version on this page, unless another type of notice is required by the applicable law. By continuing to use our Services or providing us with Personal Information after we have posted an updated Privacy Policy, or notified you by other means if applicable, you consent to the revised Privacy Policy and practices described in it.

11. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRIVACY POLICY

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or information practices or need to access this Privacy Policy in a different format, please feel free to contact the legal team at yclegal@ycombinator.com. For a downloadable copy of our Privacy Policy, please click here.

Terms of Use

Welcome to the Y Combinator website (including all subdomains, the “Site”), which is operated by Y Combinator Management, LLC and its affiliates (collectively, “Y Combinator,” “we”, “us” and/or “our”). This Site provides, among other things, information about our people, organization and application process, tools for applicants to submit applications and go through the application process, forums for discussions about topics relevant to startups, and profiles of founders and companies who have participated in the Y Combinator program.

THESE TERMS OF USE CONTAIN AN ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, WHICH WILL, WITH LIMITED EXCEPTION, REQUIRE YOU TO SUBMIT CLAIMS YOU HAVE AGAINST US TO BINDING AND FINAL ARBITRATION. UNDER THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, (1) YOU WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED TO PURSUE CLAIMS AGAINST Y COMBINATOR ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION OR PROCEEDING, AND (2) YOU WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED TO SEEK RELIEF (INCLUDING MONETARY, INJUNCTIVE, AND DECLARATORY RELIEF) ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to change or modify portions of these Terms of Use at any time. If we do this, we will post the changes on this page and will indicate at the top of this page the date these terms were last revised. We will also notify you, either through the Site user interface, in an email notification or through other reasonable means. Any such changes will become effective no earlier than fourteen (14) days after they are posted, except that changes addressing new functions of the Site or changes made for legal reasons will be effective immediately. Your continued use of the Site after the date any such changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms of Use.

In addition, when using certain components of the Site, you will be subject to any additional terms, policies, rules or guidelines applicable to the Site or such components of the Site that may be posted on the Site from time to time, including, without limitation, the Privacy Policy located www.ycombinator.com/legal#privacy and any Guidelines applicable to any components of the Site (e.g., the Hacker News Guidelines located at https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html, Bookface Guidelines located at https://bookface.ycombinator.com/docs/forum/guidelines, etc.). All such terms are hereby incorporated by reference into these Terms of Use.

Access and Use of the Site

Your Registration Obligations: You may be required to register with Y Combinator in order to access and use certain features of the Site. If you choose to register, you agree to provide and maintain true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Site’s registration form. Registration data and certain other information about you are governed by our Privacy Policy. If you are under 13 years of age, you are not authorized to register to use the Site.

Member Account, Password and Security: You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and account, if any, and are fully responsible for any and all activities that occur under your password or account. You agree to (a) immediately notify Y Combinator of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session when accessing the Site. Y Combinator will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this Section.

Modifications to Site: Y Combinator reserves the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Site (or any part thereof) with or without notice. You agree that Y Combinator will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Site.

General Practices Regarding Use and Storage: You acknowledge that Y Combinator may establish general practices and limits concerning use of the Site, including without limitation the maximum period of time that data or other content will be retained by the Site and the maximum storage space that will be allotted on Y Combinator’s servers on your behalf. You agree that Y Combinator has no responsibility or liability for the deletion or failure to store any data or other content maintained or uploaded by the Site. You acknowledge that Y Combinator reserves the right to terminate accounts that are inactive for an extended period of time. You further acknowledge that Y Combinator reserves the right to change these general practices and limits at any time, in its sole discretion, with or without notice.

Conditions Of Use

User Conduct: In addition to any applicable guidelines or policies that may govern specific components of the Site, you agree to comply with the following conditions in using the Site. You are solely responsible for all code, video, images, information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, messages or other materials (“content”) that you upload, post, publish or display (hereinafter, “upload”) or email or otherwise transmit via the Site. The following are examples of the kind of content and/or use that is illegal or prohibited by Y Combinator. Y Combinator reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in Y Combinator’s sole discretion, violates this provision, including without limitation, removing the offending content from the Site, suspending or terminating the account of such violators and reporting you to the law enforcement authorities. You agree to not use the Site to:

• email or otherwise upload any content that (i) infringes any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party; (ii) you do not have a right to upload under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships; (iii) contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment; (iv) poses or creates a privacy or security risk to any person; (v) constitutes unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, commercial activities and/or sales, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid schemes,” “contests,” “sweepstakes,” or any other form of solicitation; (vi) is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, excessively violent, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, pornographic, libelous, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; or (vii) in the sole judgment of Y Combinator, is objectionable or which restricts or inhibits any other person from using or enjoying the Site, or which may expose Y Combinator or its users to any harm or liability of any type;
• interfere with or disrupt the Site or servers or networks connected to the Site, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Site;
• violate any applicable local, state, national or international law, or any regulations having the force of law;
• impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
• solicit personal information from anyone under the age of 18;
• harvest or collect email addresses or other contact information of other users from the Site by electronic or other means for the purposes of sending unsolicited emails or other unsolicited communications;
• advertise or offer to sell or buy any goods or services for any business purpose that is not specifically authorized;
• further or promote any criminal activity or enterprise or provide instructional information about illegal activities; or
• obtain or attempt to access or otherwise obtain any materials or information through any means not intentionally made available or provided for through the Site.

Commercial Use: Unless otherwise expressly authorized herein or in the Site, you agree not to display, distribute, license, perform, publish, reproduce, duplicate, copy, create derivative works from, modify, sell, resell, exploit, transfer or upload for any commercial purposes, any portion of the Site, use of the Site, or access to the Site. The buying, exchanging, selling and/or promotion (commercial or otherwise) of upvotes, comments, submissions, accounts (or any aspect of your account or any other account), karma, and/or content is strictly prohibited, constitutes a material breach of these Terms of Use, and could result in legal liability.

Intellectual Property Rights

Site Content, Software and Trademarks: You acknowledge and agree that the Site may contain content or features (“Site Content”) that are protected by copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights and laws. Except as expressly authorized by Y Combinator, you agree not to modify, copy, frame, scrape, rent, lease, loan, sell, distribute or create derivative works based on the Site or the Site Content, in whole or in part, except that the foregoing does not apply to your own User Content (as defined below) that you legally upload to the Site. In connection with your use of the Site you will not engage in or use any data mining, robots, scraping or similar data gathering or extraction methods. If you are blocked by Y Combinator from accessing the Site (including by blocking your IP address), you agree not to implement any measures to circumvent such blocking (e.g., by masking your IP address or using a proxy IP address). Any use of the Site or the Site Content other than as specifically authorized herein is strictly prohibited. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by Y Combinator.

The Y Combinator name and logos are trademarks of Y Combinator (collectively the “Y Combinator Trademarks”). Other trademarks used and displayed via the Site may be trademarks of their respective owners who may or may not endorse or be affiliated with or connected to Y Combinator. Nothing in this Terms of Use or the Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any of Y Combinator Trademarks displayed on the Site, without our prior written permission in each instance. All goodwill generated from the use of Y Combinator Trademarks will inure to our exclusive benefit.

Third Party Material: Under no circumstances will Y Combinator be liable in any way for any content or materials of any third parties (including founders, investors or other users), including, but not limited to, for any errors or omissions in any content, or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any such content. You acknowledge that Y Combinator does not pre-screen content, but that Y Combinator and its designees will have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or remove any content that is available via the Site. Without limiting the foregoing, Y Combinator and its designees will have the right to remove any content that violates these Terms of Use or is deemed by Y Combinator, in its sole discretion, to be otherwise objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content.

User Content Transmitted Through the Site: With respect to the content or other materials you upload through the Site or share with other users or recipients (collectively, “User Content”), you represent and warrant that you own all right, title and interest in and to such User Content, including, without limitation, all copyrights and rights of publicity contained therein. By uploading any User Content you hereby grant and will grant Y Combinator and its affiliated companies a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty free, fully paid up, transferable, sublicensable, perpetual, irrevocable license to copy, display, upload, perform, distribute, store, modify and otherwise use your User Content for any Y Combinator-related purpose in any form, medium or technology now known or later developed. However, please review the Privacy Policy located here for more information on how we treat information included in applications submitted to us.

You acknowledge and agree that any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback or other information about the Site (“Submissions”) provided by you to Y Combinator are non-confidential and Y Combinator will be entitled to the unrestricted use and dissemination of these Submissions for any purpose, without acknowledgment or compensation to you.

Without limiting the foregoing, you acknowledge and agree that Y Combinator may preserve content and may also disclose content if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process, applicable laws or government requests; (b) enforce these Terms of Use; (c) respond to claims that any content violates the rights of third parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Y Combinator, its users and the public. You understand that the technical processing and transmission of the Site, including your content, may involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices.

Copyright Complaints: Y Combinator respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or that your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, you should notify Y Combinator of your infringement claim in accordance with the procedure set forth below.

Y Combinator will process and investigate notices of alleged infringement and will take appropriate actions under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and other applicable intellectual property laws with respect to any alleged or actual infringement. A written notification of claimed copyright infringement should be faxed or mailed to:

Y Combinator Management, LLC
335 Pioneer Way
Mountain View, CA 94041
Attn: General Counsel / Copyright Agent

Fax: 650-360-3189

To be effective, the notification must be in writing and contain the following information:

• an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or other intellectual property interest;
• a description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property that you claim has been infringed;
• a description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the Site, with enough detail that we may find it on the Site;
• your address, telephone number, and email address;
• a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright or intellectual property owner, its agent, or the law;
• a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your Notice is accurate and that you are the copyright or intellectual property owner or authorized to act on the copyright or intellectual property owner’s behalf.

Counter-Notice: If you believe that your User Content that was removed (or to which access was disabled) is not infringing, or that you have the authorization from the copyright owner, the copyright owner’s agent, or pursuant to the law, to upload and use the content in your User Content, you may send a written counter-notice containing the following information to the Copyright Agent:

• your physical or electronic signature;
• identification of the content that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the content appeared before it was removed or disabled;
• a statement that you have a good faith belief that the content was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or a misidentification of the content; and
• your name, address, telephone number, and email address, a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court located within Northern District of California and a statement that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification of the alleged infringement.

If a counter-notice is received by the Copyright Agent, Y Combinator will send a copy of the counter-notice to the original complaining party informing that person that it may replace the removed content or cease disabling it in 10 business days. Unless the copyright owner files an action seeking a court order against the content provider, member or user, the removed content may be replaced, or access to it restored, in 10 to 14 business days or more after receipt of the counter-notice, at our sole discretion.

Repeat Infringer Policy: In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, Y Combinator has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at Y Combinator's sole discretion, users who are deemed to be repeat infringers. Y Combinator may also at its sole discretion limit access to the Site and/or terminate the registrations of any users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.

Third Party Websites

The Site may provide, or third parties may provide, links or other access to other sites and resources on the Internet or to third party applications. Y Combinator has no control over such sites, resources or applications and Y Combinator is not responsible for and does not endorse such sites, resources or applications. You further acknowledge and agree that Y Combinator will not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any content, events, goods or services available on or through any such sites, resources or applications. Any dealings you have with third parties found while using the Site are between you and the third party, and you agree that Y Combinator is not liable for any loss or claim that you may have against any such third party.

Indemnity and Release

You agree to release, indemnify and hold Y Combinator and its affiliates and their officers, employees, directors and agents harmless from any from any and all losses, damages, expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, rights, claims, actions of any kind and injury (including death) arising out of or relating to your use of the Site or any related information, any User Content, your application(s) to Y Combinator or the results thereof, your violation of these Terms of Use or your violation of any rights of another. If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which says: “A general release does not extend to claims which the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his favor at the time of executing the release, which if known by him must have materially affected his settlement with the debtor.” If you are a resident of another jurisdiction, you waive any comparable statute or doctrine.

Disclaimer of Warranties

YOUR USE OF THE SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE SITE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. Y COMBINATOR EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Y COMBINATOR MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT (I) THE SITE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, (II) THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, OR (III) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SITE WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE.

Limitation of LiabilityYOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT Y COMBINATOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF Y COMBINATOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, RESULTING FROM: (I) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SITE OR ANY RELATED INFORMATION; (II) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (III) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY (INCLUDING USERS) ON THE SITE; OR (IV) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SITE. IN NO EVENT WILL Y COMBINATOR’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES OR CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES OR THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE SITE OR WITH THESE TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USE OF THE SITE.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, IF YOU ARE A USER FROM NEW JERSEY, THE ‘DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES’ AND ‘LIMITATION OF LIABILITY’ SECTIONS ABOVE ARE INTENDED TO BE ONLY AS BROAD AS IS PERMITTED UNDER NEW JERSEY LAW. IF ANY PORTION OF THESE SECTIONS IS HELD TO BE INVALID UNDER NEW JERSEY LAW, THE INVALIDITY OF SUCH PORTION SHALL NOT AFFECT THE VALIDITY OF THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF THE APPLICABLE SECTION.

Dispute Resolution By Binding Arbitration: PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY AS IT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS.

a. Agreement to Arbitrate

This Dispute Resolution by Binding Arbitration section is referred to in this Terms of Use as the “Arbitration Agreement.” You agree that any and all disputes or claims that have arisen or may arise between you and Y Combinator, whether arising out of or relating to this Terms of Use (including any alleged breach thereof), the Site, any advertising, any aspect of the relationship or transactions between us, shall be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration, rather than a court, in accordance with the terms of this Arbitration Agreement, except that you may assert individual claims in small claims court, if your claims qualify. Further, this Arbitration Agreement does not preclude you from bringing issues to the attention of federal, state, or local agencies, and such agencies can, if the law allows, seek relief against us on your behalf. You agree that, by entering into this Terms of Use, you and Y Combinator are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action. Your rights will be determined by a neutral arbitrator, not a judge or jury. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Arbitration Agreement.

b. Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief

YOU AND Y COMBINATOR AGREE THAT EACH OF US MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION OR PROCEEDING. UNLESS BOTH YOU AND Y COMBINATOR AGREE OTHERWISE, THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE OR JOIN MORE THAN ONE PERSON’S OR PARTY’S CLAIMS AND MAY NOT OTHERWISE PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF A CONSOLIDATED, REPRESENTATIVE, OR CLASS PROCEEDING. ALSO, THE ARBITRATOR MAY AWARD RELIEF (INCLUDING MONETARY, INJUNCTIVE, AND DECLARATORY RELIEF) ONLY IN FAVOR OF THE INDIVIDUAL PARTY SEEKING RELIEF AND ONLY TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO PROVIDE RELIEF NECESSITATED BY THAT PARTY’S INDIVIDUAL CLAIM(S).

c. Pre-Arbitration Dispute Resolution

Y Combinator is always interested in resolving disputes amicably and efficiently, and most user concerns can be resolved quickly and to the user’s satisfaction by emailing us at yclegal@ycombinator.com. If such efforts prove unsuccessful, a party who intends to seek arbitration must first send to the other, by certified mail, a written Notice of Dispute (“Notice”). The Notice to Y Combinator should be sent to Y Combinator Management, LLC, 335 Pioneer Way, Mountain View, CA 94041 Attention General Counsel (“Notice Address”). The Notice must (i) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute and (ii) set forth the specific relief sought. If Y Combinator and you do not resolve the claim within sixty (60) calendar days after the Notice is received, you or Y Combinator may commence an arbitration proceeding. During the arbitration, the amount of any settlement offer made by Y Combinator or you shall not be disclosed to the arbitrator until after the arbitrator determines the amount, if any, to which you or Y Combinator is entitled.

d. Arbitration Procedures

Arbitration will be conducted by a neutral arbitrator in accordance with the American Arbitration Association’s (“AAA”) rules and procedures (collectively, the “AAA Rules”), as modified by this Arbitration Agreement. For information on the AAA, please visit its website, http://www.adr.org. If there is any inconsistency between any term of the AAA Rules and any term of this Arbitration Agreement, the applicable terms of this Arbitration Agreement will control unless the arbitrator determines that the application of the inconsistent Arbitration Agreement terms would not result in a fundamentally fair arbitration. The arbitrator must also follow the provisions of these Terms of Use as a court would. All issues are for the arbitrator to decide, including, but not limited to, issues relating to the scope, enforceability, and arbitrability of this Arbitration Agreement. Although arbitration proceedings are usually simpler and more streamlined than trials and other judicial proceedings, the arbitrator can award the same damages and relief on an individual basis that a court can award to an individual under the Terms of Use and applicable law. Decisions by the arbitrator are enforceable in court and may be overturned by a court only for very limited reasons.

Unless Y Combinator and you agree otherwise, any arbitration hearings will take place in a reasonably convenient location for both parties with due consideration of their ability to travel and other pertinent circumstances. If the parties are unable to agree on a location, the determination shall be made by AAA. If your claim is for $10,000 or less, Y Combinator agrees that you may choose whether the arbitration will be conducted solely on the basis of documents submitted to the arbitrator, through a telephonic hearing, or by an in-person hearing as established by the AAA Rules. If your claim exceeds $10,000, the right to a hearing will be determined by the AAA Rules. Regardless of the manner in which the arbitration is conducted, the arbitrator shall issue a reasoned written decision sufficient to explain the essential findings and conclusions on which the award is based.

e. Costs of Arbitration

Payment of all filing, administration, and arbitrator fees (collectively, the “Arbitration Fees”) will be governed by the AAA Rules, unless otherwise provided in this Arbitration Agreement.

f. Confidentiality

All aspects of the arbitration proceeding, and any ruling, decision, or award by the arbitrator, will be strictly confidential for the benefit of all parties.

g. Severability

If a court or the arbitrator decides that any term or provision of this Arbitration Agreement (other than the subsection (b) titled “Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief” above) is invalid or unenforceable, the parties agree to replace such term or provision with a term or provision that is valid and enforceable and that comes closest to expressing the intention of the invalid or unenforceable term or provision, and this Arbitration Agreement shall be enforceable as so modified. If a court or the arbitrator decides that any of the provisions of subsection (b) above titled “Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief” are invalid or unenforceable, then the entirety of this Arbitration Agreement shall be null and void. The remainder of the Terms of Use will continue to apply.

h. Future Changes to Arbitration Agreement

Notwithstanding any provision in this Terms of Use to the contrary, Y Combinator agrees that if it makes any future change to this Arbitration Agreement (other than a change to the Notice Address) while you are a user of the Site, you may reject any such change by sending Y Combinator written notice within thirty (30) calendar days of the change to the Notice Address provided above. By rejecting any future change, you are agreeing that you will arbitrate any dispute between us in accordance with the language of this Arbitration Agreement as of the date you first accepted these Terms of Use (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms of Use).

Termination

You agree that Y Combinator, in its sole discretion, may suspend or terminate your account (or any part thereof) or use of the Site and remove and discard any content within the Site, for any reason, including, without limitation, for lack of use or if Y Combinator believes that you have violated or acted inconsistently with the letter or spirit of these Terms of Use. Any suspected fraudulent, abusive or illegal activity that may be grounds for termination of your use of Site, may be referred to appropriate law enforcement authorities. Y Combinator may also in its sole discretion and at any time discontinue providing the Site, or any part thereof, with or without notice. You agree that any termination of your access to the Site under any provision of this Terms of Use may be effected without prior notice, and acknowledge and agree that Y Combinator may (but has no obligation to) immediately deactivate or delete your account and all related information and files in your account and/or bar any further access to such files or the Site. Termination of your account or access to any component of the Site will not terminate Y Combinator’s rights to your User Content. Further, you agree that Y Combinator will not be liable to you or any third party for any termination of your access to the Site.

User Disputes

You agree that you are solely responsible for your interactions with any other user in connection with the Site and Y Combinator will have no liability or responsibility with respect thereto. Y Combinator reserves the right, but has no obligation, to become involved in any way with disputes between you and any other user of the Site.

General

These Terms of Use constitute the entire agreement between you and Y Combinator and govern your use of the Site, superseding any prior agreements between you and Y Combinator with respect to the Site. These Terms of Use will be governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to its conflict of law provisions. With respect to any disputes or claims not subject to arbitration, as set forth above, you and Y Combinator agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within San Francisco County, California. The failure of Y Combinator to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Use will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these Terms of Use is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties’ intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of these Terms of Use remain in full force and effect. You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of the Site or these Terms of Use must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred. A printed version of this agreement and of any notice given in electronic form will be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this agreement to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form. You may not assign this Terms of Use without the prior written consent of Y Combinator, but Y Combinator may assign or transfer this Terms of Use, in whole or in part, without restriction. The section titles in these Terms of Use are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect. Notices to you may be made via either email or regular mail. The Site may also provide notices to you of changes to these Terms of Use or other matters by displaying notices or links to notices generally on the Site.

Your Privacy

At Y Combinator, we respect the privacy of our users. For details please see our Privacy Policy. By using the Site, you consent to our collection and use of personal data as outlined therein.

Questions? Concerns?

Please contact us at yclegal@ycombinator.com to report any violations of these Terms of Use or to pose any questions regarding this Terms of Use or the Site.

TRADEMARKS

The following is a non-exhaustive list of Y Combinator’s trademarks and service marks. The absence of a product or service name or logo from this list does not constitute a waiver of Y Combinator’s trademark, service mark or other intellectual property rights concerning that name or logo.

Ad Innovation Conference™ Angel Conference™ AngelConf™ Bookface™ Female Founder Stories™ Female Founders Conference™ Hacker News® How to Start a Startup™ Make something people want™ Startup News™ Startup School™ Summer Founders Program™ The Macro™ The Patent Pledge™ Winter Founders Program™ Work at a Startup™ Y Combinator® Y Combinator Continuity™ Y Combinator Continuity Fund™ Y Combinator Fellowship™ YC™ YC Continuity™ YC Continuity Fund™ YC Fellowship™ YC Founders™ YC Hacks™ YC Startups™ YCC™ YCF™ YCNYC™