OpenAI: $2M in tokens to every YC company in the spring and summer batches.

OpenAI officially announced a partnership with Y Combinator, providing $2M in API token credits to all companies in YC's spring and summer batches. This is not a traditional cash investment — it delivers compute resources directly, helping early-stage companies use OpenAI's API and Codex models more freely during the development phase. Through this initiative, OpenAI aims to deeply support startups that rely heavily on large-model compute from the very beginning, reducing the financial pressure of R&D.

The program is especially well-suited for so-called "token-maxxing" startups — companies that make heavy use of large models to build complex AI agents or automated workflows. In the past, building a high-quality software product might have required 18 months of team development; now, through intensive token usage, teams can produce a product prototype resembling a Series A-level build. With this strategy, startups can dramatically shorten their iteration cycles, rapidly validate business models, and accelerate from concept to product.

For teams that missed the YC summer batch application deadline, a special remedy was announced for this partnership. To ensure interested teams don't get left behind, OpenAI and YC jointly opened an additional application window, allowing eligible founders to apply before the Memorial Day weekend on May 25th, with responses promised by June 5th. This is an innovative initiative designed to support the best early-stage founding teams, and founders are encouraged to seize this rare resource opportunity.