YC Welcomes Diverse Talent as Nine Visiting Partners Join the Ranks

YC Welcomes Nine Visiting Partners with Diverse Backgrounds and Expertise In a move that highlights the growing importance of mentorship and collaboration in the startup ecosystem, Y Combinator has announced nine new Visiting Partners. These exceptional founders have taken time out from their own ventures to share their hard-won insights with startups during the current batch. The Visiting Partners bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. Matt Riley, for instance, co-founded Swiftype (YC W12), a search-as-a-service company acquired by Elastic in 2017. As GVP GM of the Search business unit at Elastic, he led product, engineering, design, and developer relations teams that brought Elasticsearch to market. Harshita Arora, another Visiting Partner, dropped out of school at 15 to pursue coding and grew up in India. Her unique perspective as a self-taught coder from a non-traditional background is expected to resonate with many young entrepreneurs. The Visiting Partners will work closely with YC General Partners, sharing their insights on building and scaling companies. Each partner brings a distinct perspective: design-led products and developer tools (Grey Baker), AI infrastructure (Raphael Schaad), and edtech (Christina Gilbert). YC's decision to bring in these experienced founders as Visiting Partners reflects the growing recognition of the importance of mentorship in startup success. "We're excited to have these exceptional founders share their expertise with our startups," said a YC spokesperson. The addition of these Visiting Partners is also a testament to the evolving nature of the startup ecosystem. As more women and underrepresented groups enter the tech industry, initiatives like this one help create a more inclusive environment for innovation. YC's batch of 2025 will benefit from the collective wisdom of its new Visiting Partners. With their guidance, startups can navigate the challenges of building and scaling companies with greater confidence. As the startup ecosystem continues to evolve, YC's commitment to mentorship and collaboration is likely to remain a key factor in its success. *Reporting by Ycombinator.*