Investors pay 520x ARR for YC S26 startups vs 47x for everyone else, an 11x premium
garrytan · x · 2026-09-05
Investor @kul highlights a striking valuation gap: YC S26 batch companies are being valued at roughly 520x ARR, while comparable startups outside YC get 47x — an 11x premium on the same traction.
He argues this alone answers the question of whether YC is worth it for founders, before even counting the network effects and the time saved by compressing a fundraise into 10 days.
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