Frequently Asked Questions
Startup School is completely free. All you need is a device with access to the internet.
We believe that all founders should have access to the best startup advice - no matter where in the world you’re building your company. Startup School is the compilation of the best advice that YC partners have offered themselves or gathered from experts in the field. We offer this for free so that founders can use this advice while focusing on building your startup. We also hope that more founders from SUS will apply to YC!
We expect most founders will be focused on building their startups. The program flexibility allows for you to spend as much time as you want in Startup School.
A suggestion for your time during a typical week is approximately 3 hours: 1 hour to watch a lecture video, 30 minutes to read or post on the forum, 30 minutes to submit a weekly update, and 1 hour to participate in a group session.
Startup School is a resource created by YC for anyone considering starting their own company; it is not meant to replace YC’s core program. While being part of Startup School does not automatically improve your chances of getting into YC, it can certainly help indirectly by making your company more successful!
Over the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in the number of YC companies that have participated in SUS. In the most recent YC batch, 45% of companies were former Startup School participants.