The accelerator targets companies building financial systems on blockchain infrastructure, citing regulatory clarity and infrastructure maturity as key factors enabling this sector’s growth.
Y Combinator frames this as the third evolution of financial technology, following the initial digitization in the 1990s and the emergence of API-based services over the past decade.
Additionally, Layer-2 (L2) blockchain infrastructure has achieved sub-second, sub-cent transaction processing, with Base reporting nearly $15 billion in platform assets.
The third factor cited was growing market demand, with an estimated 560 million crypto users globally and $30 trillion in stablecoin settlements last year, representing a 300% year-over-year increase.
Y Combinator identified three priority funding sectors. Stablecoins represent the primary opportunity, with dollar-pegged digital currencies proving the model for instant global payments.
The second focus area is tokenization and trading applications. The initiative targets startups that apply blockchain rails to traditional assets, enabling programmable equity tokens and global access to previously illiquid markets.
Applications and AI agents comprise the third sector, with Y Combinator backing companies building on-chain social platforms and autonomous trading systems.
Base’s Clanker AI agent generated over $13 million in revenue during its first five months by launching tokens through text commands, while other agents execute trades and create prediction markets.
Y Combinator positions the regulatory environment as the crucial enabler for this funding focus.
The accelerator argued that previous regulatory uncertainty prevented generational company building in crypto, making current federal frameworks essential for founder confidence in pursuing on-chain financial services.
