Vivian Shen Returns to YC as General Partner, Citing Founder Journey
ycombinator · x · 2026-10-02
Vivian Shen announced she is joining Y Combinator as a General Partner, calling YC a homecoming since every GP was previously a YC founder.
- She recounts a brutal founder path, once coming within months of zero runway, sustained by YC mantras like "make something people want" and "don't die."
- Her companies employed people in nearly every US state and taught STEM to students from all backgrounds.
- She has recently worked with founders tackling defense, space, energy, and manufacturing, and sees an era of diffusing AI across businesses of all sizes.
Related event: YC names Vivian Shen and Raphael Schaad as new General Partners(3 posts)→
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