Of the 6,012 companies Y Combinator has funded, 1,045 (17.4%) have shut down. 4,150 are still active, 794 were acquired, and 23 are public. Data refreshed weekly.
The short answer
Roughly 17.4% of Y Combinator-backed startups have shut down. That's a lower failure rate than the general startup population (usually cited around 90% within 10 years) because YC pre-selects for teams that can ship — but it's still meaningful.
Why the number is lower than "90% of startups fail"
The 90% figure comes from all US small businesses. YC applicants have already survived selection: they raised capital, moved to SF, and got mentorship. Even so, 1,045 companies from the current YC directory are marked inactive — meaning the site, product, or team has disappeared.
Notable shutdowns (largest teams before closing)
- Frubana Inc (Winter 2019 · 384 people) — The everything store for restaurants in LATAM.
- Moxion Power Co. (Winter 2021 · 380 people) — Mobile Energy Storage Technology
- Nino Foods (Summer 2021 · 250 people) — Building India's fast food empire
- Kobo360 (Summer 2018 · 204 people) — Africa's leading supply chain technology platform.
- LendUp (Winter 2012 · 201 people) — LendUp is a socially responsible company on a mission to redefine…
- Le Tote (Summer 2013 · 201 people) — Subscription service for women's apparel & accessories.
- Drivezy (Summer 2016 · 201 people) — India's largest vehicle sharing platform, turning people's vehicles…
- Mighty Buildings (Winter 2018 · 200 people) — 3D printing beautiful, high-quality, and sustainable homes.
- Atrium (Winter 2018 · 180 people) — Modern law firm for startups powered by proprietary technology
- Treehouse (Summer 2008 · 101 people)
- Thread (Summer 2012 · 92 people) — Thread makes it incredibly easy to dress well, using stylists and AI
- Bus.com (Winter 2016 · 90 people) — The easiest way to charter a bus in North America.
- Brave Care (Summer 2019 · 90 people) — Modern healthcare for kids. Pediatric Primary, Urgent & Remote Care.
- Vecindario (Winter 2022 · 87 people) — We make it easier for real estate to sell properties and mortgages.
- Inevitable Tech (Winter 2016 · 80 people) — To make food a renewable resource, for everyone
- Kisan Network (Winter 2016 · 75 people) — Tech enabled and fully integrated PAN India agri produce supply chain
- SolarMente (Summer 2021 · 65 people) — Home electrification at $0 upfront cost
- The Muse (Winter 2012 · 60 people) — The Muse is values-based job search & hiring for 7M+ monthly
- Pathrise (Summer 2017 · 55 people) — YC for your career
- Tutorspree (Winter 2011 · 51 people) — Online tutoring marketplace.
- Move Loot (Winter 2014 · 51 people) — Move Loot is the most convenient and economical way to buy and sell…
- Eivod (Summer 2007 · 51 people)
- Airware (Winter 2013 · 51 people) — Airware provides end-to-end solutions that enable enterprises to…
- FlightCar (Winter 2013 · 51 people) — FlightCar is the Airbnb of Car Rentals at Airports. We allow people…
- Booktrope (Winter 2015 · 51 people) — Booktrope provides a software platform that makes it easy for…
What "acquired" means for the failure count
Acquisitions (794) are usually counted as outcomes, not failures — even the acqui-hires. If you count them as neutral, the true failure rate stays at 17.4%. If you count small acqui-hires as failures, it climbs a few points but still stays well under 30%.