Updated 2026-10-09. I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. Open it in the Autopilot app. https://link.joinautopilot.com/eXKr?c=y-combinator-portfolio&af_sub1=intro You can't buy Y Combinator (YC) itself. It isn't listed on any stock exchange. And most YC companies are private. But I count 18 that trade publicly today, from Airbnb and DoorDash to Coinbase and Reddit. For most people, that's the realistic way in. Let me explain the public route, the private routes and their rules, and how The YC Index on Autopilot works. 1) What Y Combinator actually does For those unaware, YC is a startup accelerator. Its standard deal is $500,000 for every company it accepts: $125,000 for a fixed 7%, and $375,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE. A SAFE is a Simple Agreement for Future Equity. YC's SAFE page says it's a short contract that converts into shares when the startup raises a priced round, and an MFN SAFE takes the valuation cap or discount of any SAFE the company issues later. YC's own example: if the next SAFEs have a $15 million post-money cap, the $375,000 converts into 2.5% of the company. YC says it has funded over 5,000 companies since 2005 and typically accepts about 1% of the companies that apply. You can't buy YC's funds on an exchange either. On SEC EDGAR, YC's funds file Form D notices, the SEC's notice of an exempt offering. 2) The YC companies you can buy today YC's directory lists 6,283 companies as of October 9, 2026, and tags 23 as public. I checked each one against its SEC or exchange filings, and 17 are still listed: 15 in the US and two in India. YC's directory tags Reddit as acquired, but Reddit has traded on the NYSE since its 2024 IPO, so I added it. That makes 18. I also checked the directory's other company names against SEC-listed companies and found no other match. A company listed under a different name could still be missing. Company | YC batch | Exchange and ticker Reddit | Summer 2005 | NYSE: RDDT Dropbox | Summer 2007 | Nasdaq: DBX Airbnb | Winter 2009 | Nasdaq: ABNB PagerDuty | Summer 2010 | NYSE: PD Amplitude | Winter 2012 | Nasdaq: AMPL Instacart (Maplebear) | Summer 2012 | Nasdaq: CART Coinbase | Summer 2012 | Nasdaq: COIN DoorDash | Summer 2013 | Nasdaq: DASH Weave | Winter 2014 | NYSE: WEAV Ginkgo Bioworks | Summer 2014 | NYSE: DNA Rigetti Computing | Summer 2014 | Nasdaq: RGTI Oklo | Summer 2014 | NYSE: OKLO GitLab | Winter 2015 | Nasdaq: GTLB EquipmentShare | Winter 2015 | Nasdaq: EQPT BillionToOne | Summer 2017 | Nasdaq: BLLN Momentus | Summer 2018 | Nasdaq: MNTS Meesho | Summer 2016 | NSE (India): MEESHO Groww | Winter 2018 | NSE (India): GROWW Source: each company's SEC or exchange filings, 10/09/26. A few things to know: - Weave has agreed to a cash buyout that's expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, and its stockholders vote on October 22, 2026. If it closes, Weave will be delisted. Source: Weave Communications proxy statement, 9/25/26. - Meesho and Groww list on India's National Stock Exchange and BSE, not in the US. - Six companies YC still tags as public aren't listed anymore. Matterport, for example, was acquired by CoStar in 2025. - A ticker isn't the same as early-stage exposure. By the time a YC company lists, the early investors already got the early price. 3) The private routes, and their rules Here's the problem. Most YC companies are private, and the early rounds are mostly limited to accredited investors. 1. Accredited investors. The SEC says an individual qualifies with a net worth over $1 million, not counting their primary residence (alone or with a spouse or partner), or with income over 300,000 with a spouse or partner) in each of the last two years and a reasonable expectation of the same this year. Holders of the Series 7, 65, or 82 licenses in good standing also qualify. YC's SAFE FAQ says SAFE investors should be accredited, and its Demo Day is private and invitation-only. On September 30, 2026, the SEC asked for public comment on letting people qualify by passing an exam or holding credentials such as a CPA license. That's a request for comment, not a rule. 1. Crowdfunding. Under Regulation Crowdfunding, a startup can raise up to $5 million in any 12 months from anyone, through an SEC-registered funding portal or broker. If either your income or your net worth is under $124,000, you can put in the greater of $2,500 or 5% of the larger of the two, across all crowdfunding deals in any 12 months. If both are $124,000 or more, it's 10% of the larger of the two, capped at $124,000. The SEC says those shares generally can't be resold for a year. 2. Secondary markets. Some platforms trade shares of private companies. The SEC says those shares aren't freely tradable, and FINRA warns that many private companies have to approve any transfer, or the sale might be void. And watch for scams. The SEC's pre-IPO alert says many pre-IPO offerings aimed at the general public may be illegal, and you could lose your entire investment. 4) The YC Index on Autopilot The YC Index is a Portfolio on Autopilot, the app where you follow Portfolios published by investors we call Pilots. This one is published by Blanck Capital, a private family office in New York that was started in 2024. https://link.joinautopilot.com/eXKr?c=y-combinator-portfolio&af_sub1=body Blanck Capital describes it as "a systematic, long-only equity allocation designed to capture the public-market upside of the world's premier technology accelerator program." It says its information and underlying asset selection are "sourced directly from public SEC filings, official Y Combinator alumni directories, and market data tracking companies that have successfully transitioned from the YC accelerator program to major public stock exchanges." As of October 9, 2026, it holds 10 YC companies from the table above, plus one non-YC ETF. Its holdings in the app are always the current list. It's a Portfolio of stocks you follow in your own brokerage account, not an index fund or an ETF. Blanck Capital creates and manages the Portfolio. Y Combinator is not affiliated with Autopilot or The YC Index and has not endorsed either. 5) How following it works It's three steps. You connect the brokerage account you already have. You pick a Portfolio. You allocate the money. The minimum is $500 per Portfolio. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to place trades. It can't move or withdraw your money. When the Portfolio changes, we send the orders and your broker fills them. The money stays in your account. I want to be honest with you. A Portfolio of one accelerator's graduates is concentrated in one kind of company, and some of these stocks move a lot. Some Pilots go up for years, some are flat for years, and some lose money. Research the person and the Portfolio. Read the description, look at the holdings, and check how long it's been running. TLDR: Y Combinator isn't publicly traded, and most YC companies are private. As of October 9, 2026, I count 18 YC companies that trade publicly, 16 in the US, including Airbnb, DoorDash, Coinbase, Reddit, and Dropbox, and two in India. Early rounds in YC startups are mostly for accredited investors. Crowdfunding lets anyone invest small amounts, with yearly limits. Private secondary shares are hard to sell, and the SEC warns that many pre-IPO offers aimed at the general public may be illegal. On Autopilot, Blanck Capital's YC Index holds 10 of the public YC companies, plus one non-YC ETF. Frequently asked questions How can I invest in Y Combinator companies? The realistic way for most people is buying the YC companies that trade publicly. As of October 9, 2026, I count 18, including Airbnb, DoorDash, Coinbase, Reddit, Dropbox, and Instacart. YC's SAFE FAQ says investors in a startup's SAFE should be accredited. Regulation Crowdfunding lets anyone invest small amounts in startups that raise through registered portals, with yearly limits. On Autopilot, Blanck Capital's YC Index holds public YC companies and one non-YC ETF. Is Y Combinator publicly traded? No. Y Combinator isn't listed on any stock exchange, and you can't buy shares of it. Its funds file Form D notices with the SEC, the notice for an exempt offering. What you can buy are the YC-backed companies that later went public, like Airbnb, DoorDash, and Coinbase. Which Y Combinator companies are publicly traded? As of October 9, 2026, I count Reddit, Dropbox, Airbnb, PagerDuty, Amplitude, Instacart (Maplebear), Coinbase, DoorDash, Weave, Ginkgo Bioworks, Rigetti Computing, Oklo, GitLab, EquipmentShare, BillionToOne, and Momentus in the US, plus Meesho and Groww in India. Weave has agreed to a cash buyout expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. YC's directory still tags some delisted companies as public. Can non-accredited investors invest in YC startups? Mostly not in the early rounds. YC's SAFE FAQ says SAFE investors should be accredited, and Demo Day is invitation-only. Some startups raise through Regulation Crowdfunding, which is open to anyone: if either your income or net worth is under $124,000, you can invest the greater of $2,500 or 5% of the larger of the two each year across all crowdfunding deals, and you generally can't resell for a year. How much does Y Combinator invest in a startup? YC's standard deal is $500,000 for every company it accepts. $125,000 converts into a fixed 7% of the company. The other $375,000 goes in on an uncapped MFN SAFE, which takes the valuation cap or discount of any SAFE the company issues later. YC also gets the right to invest in later rounds. YC says it has funded over 5,000 companies since 2005. What is The YC Index on Autopilot? The YC Index is a Portfolio on Autopilot published by Blanck Capital, a private family office in New York. Blanck Capital describes it as "a systematic, long-only equity allocation designed to capture the public-market upside of the world's premier technology accelerator program." As of October 9, 2026, it holds 10 YC companies and one non-YC ETF. Y Combinator isn't affiliated with it. Open it in the Autopilot app. https://link.joinautopilot.com/eXKr?c=y-combinator-portfolio&af_sub1=end "Autopilot" refers to Autopilot Holdings Corp and Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This strategy is managed by Blanck Capital, an independent Third-Party Pilot unaffiliated with Autopilot. Autopilot doesn't manage, validate, or guarantee this Pilot's portfolio. Individual stocks shown are illustrative and not a recommendation. Past performance is no guarantee of future results; investing involves risk of loss. Figures current as of 10/09/26. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important info at joinautopilot.com/disclaimer.