Y Combinator Startup School is a free, self-paced online course that teaches the fundamentals of starting and growing a startup. Created by Y Combinator — a startup accelerator whose portfolio includes Airbnb, Stripe, and Dropbox — the curriculum is taught by YC partners and notable founders.
What you'll learn (~7 weeks, 1-2 hours/week):
- How to develop and validate an MVP
- Startup funding and fundraising strategy
- User acquisition and growth tactics
- Team building and leadership
- How to launch (press, product launches)
- The Y Combinator application process
Instructors include: Michael Seibel (Twitch co-founder, YC partner), Carolynn Levy (SAFE inventor), Gustaf Alstromer (former Airbnb Head of Growth, YC partner), and other YC partners. Guest speakers sharing founding stories have included Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Anne Wojcicki (23andMe).
Additional features:
- Co-founder matching platform (100,000+ matches made)
- Weekly progress tracking tool
No application required — anyone can enroll for free at startupschool.org. The course is self-paced with no fixed deadlines and is open to learners of any age worldwide.