The Silicon Valley accelerator will allow for the first time to receive funding in stablecoin on Ethereum, Base and Solana.
Y Combinator, Silicon Valley’s most well-known startup accelerator, will offer its portfolio companies the option to receive funding in USDC stablecoin starting with the spring 2026 batch. This is the first time the accelerator has introduced this payment option.
The option will be available to all YC-funded startups, not just crypto-native ones, according to Nemil Dalal, the accelerator’s visiting partner focused on crypto, who spoke to The Block. USDC funding will be available on major blockchain networks, including Ethereum, Base and Solana.
The decision comes at what YC calls a “regulatory turning point” for stablecoins, following the passage of the GENIUS Act in the United States. Dalal explained that “stablecoin transfers typically cost less than 1 cent and settle in less than 1 second, even across borders. Traditional systems like international wire transfers often cost tens of dollars considering banking and intermediary fees, and can take days to settle.”
Y Combinator highlighted the growing real-world usage among supported companies operating in markets like India and Latin America. Startups like Aspora and DolarApp are already using stablecoins to help customers move and store money more efficiently in regions where access to traditional banking infrastructure can be limited or expensive. Since 2012, when it first backed Coinbase, Y Combinator has invested in nearly 100 crypto-related startups.
