A firm scorecard from the VC Agent-Readiness Census — 25 firms, five doors each, checked 2026-11-01. Official site: www.ycombinator.com
open_api)Verdict: The only firm whose core application is an open door: anyone can apply, no intro needed, portal + confirmation email + published decision date.
Each intent is scored with one door-state, assessed from public official sources on 2026-11-01. Scoring: open_api 4 · partner_gated 2 · aggregator_only 1 · human_only 0 · unverified 0 (flagged).
| Intent | State | Route | Note | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research | open_api | YC Startup Directory and FAQ | Directory is filterable by batch/industry/region/size; FAQ states $500,000 investment, any field, worldwide, earliest stage | www.ycombinator.com/companies checked 2026-11-01 |
| Pitch | open_api | Online application at ycombinator.com/apply / apply.ycombinator.com | Open to any startup anywhere; FAQ: no introduction needed, all applications considered equally; Winter 2027 on-time deadline Nov 2 8pm PT, decision by Dec 11 | www.ycombinator.com/apply checked 2026-11-01 |
| Diligence | unverified NOT A VERIFIED ZERO | — | FAQ gives extensive application, incorporation and interview guidance but no published diligence checklist, template, required metrics or data-room guidance was found on official pages fetched | www.ycombinator.com/faq checked 2026-11-01 |
| Schedule | partner_gated | Batch program meetups and partner access for accepted companies | Apply page describes weekly meetups, dedicated General Partner and Slack channel only for YC companies in the batch; no public self-serve office-hours/intro booking for non-applicants found | www.ycombinator.com/apply checked 2026-11-01 |
| Track | open_api | Application account page, confirmation email and published decision date | FAQ: confirmation email with copy of application on submission, account page references past applications, updates via apply portal, on-time applicants hear back by Dec 11 and late applicants always get a response | www.ycombinator.com/faq checked 2026-11-01 |
Unverified means the state could not be established from public documentation — for most firms that is the track door, where firms rarely publish post-submission mechanics. It is reported as a documentation gap, not as proof that no door exists, and it is never presented as a verified closed door.
| Signal | What the census recorded |
|---|---|
| llms.txt | No — none found (checked 2026-11-01) |
| MCP server | None documented (checked 2026-11-01) |
| Public API | None documented (checked 2026-11-01) |
| Structured data | Filterable Startup Directory at /companies by batch, industry, HQ region and size; 5,000+ companies listed |
| RSS / sitemap | Not recorded |
| Robots posture | robots.txt allows / for User-Agent:* except /verify/* and disallows /companies?* query URLs |
Access gaps. No llms.txt, MCP server or literal public API verified in fetches; diligence checklist/data-room guidance not found on official apply/FAQ pages
Agent Outposts research, published 2026-11-01. Agent Outposts is not affiliated with Y Combinator. This is a published census scorecard, not an Outpost: Agent Outposts operates no demand registry for venture firms and collects no intents on this page. Door-states are assessed from public sources; every state above links its evidence and carries its check date. Methodology, rubric and scoring formula: the VC Agent-Readiness Census. Companion research: the Agent Readiness Census of 43 consumer brands.
Agent Outposts — the agent-readiness registry. Agent Outposts is not affiliated with the firms listed in this census. Door-states are assessed from public sources; every state links its source and carries its assessment date.