PostHog Handbook Library / Marketing

1,179 words. Estimated reading time: 6 min.

# Startups & Y Combinator

> Want to apply for our startups program? Sign-up here, or apply on Bookface if you're in Y Combinator.

We run two special programs for early-stage teams. The primary place for discussing both programs is the #project-startups-and-yc channel in Slack.

| Feature | Startups | Y Combinator | | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | Eligibility | <2 years old, <$5M raised, not acquired | Must be in YC, <$25m raised | | Credit | $50,000 for 12 months | $50k per year, whilst eligible | | Can use credit for add-ons? | ⚠️ Yes, but cannot use credit for BAA in Boost package | ✅ Yes, and can use credit for BAA in Boost package | | Founder merch | Welcome pack (max 1) | Different welcome pack (max 4) | | Community | — | Tim's Whatsapp, priority support | | Apply via… | Startup page | Secret YC page |

### PostHog for Startups

Any company that is <2 years old and has raised less than $5M in funding is eligible to apply and claim the following:

- $50,000 in PostHog credits (valid for 12 months)
- One unique welcome pack for founders
- Partner benefits with Speakeasy, Incident.io, and Chroma
- A monthly newsletter for founders

> ❗Credits cannot be used toward a BAA under the Boost plan.

> ⭐ Small open source projects without corporate backing and less than $200k annual revenue can contact support to have the 12-month credit expiry waived.

All applications are automatically approved, then manually reviewed for eligibility.

We track all PostHog for Startups applications in this Zapier table and this Zap.

### PostHog for Y Combinator

This program is similar to our startup program but has some key differences for YC teams. Teams can be in any YC batch, with any amount of funding raised, and can claim the following:

- $50,000 per year - they only need to register once and it will renew automatically while they're eligible (<$25m raised)
- If they previously registered for the old deal and it expired, they need to re-register
- Up to 4 unique founder merch packs (different from the startup program)
- Access to HogPatch for the duration of their time in the batch
- Partner benefits with Speakeasy, Incident.io and Chroma

You can find the copy for the latest deal on Bookface in this doc. To post updates, you need to ask James or Tim to do it.

> This deal is not available to YC alumni, who started another company - if they're eligible, they can apply for PostHog for Startups instead

> This deal is also not available if the YC company has been acquired by a non-YC parent. If an acquisition happens mid-term, existing credits can be honored until expiry but will not auto-renew. The acquiring company can apply for PostHog for Startups if eligible.

> ✅ Credits can be used to claim a BAA under the Boost plan.

YC teams must apply via our secret YC page, where we ask for a screenshot from Bookface to prove their eligibility.

We track all PostHog for YC applications in this Zapier table.

### What happens after companies apply?

1. Application

A company signs up to PostHog, adds billing details, and applies via the startup form.

1. Credit

If they meet the basic criteria, we automatically apply the correct amount of Stripe credit.

1. Welcome + merch

Shortly after, they receive an automated email) from Joe Martin, in which we

- Confirm their acceptance, welcome them and explain perks
- Provide unique code(s) to claim founder kit(s) from the merch store (orders are fulfilled by Micromerch, merch questions can go in the `#merch` Slack channel)

1. Milestones

When teams reach 50%, 75%, or 100% of their credit usage — or when credits expire — they receive milestone emails. These come from Customer.io and are managed by Joe Martin.

1. Post-credit

Once credit is fully used or expired, teams are moved to a standard paid plan automatically. We automatically email users to let them know and offer a one-time $500 credit bonus to help soften the transition.

### Reviewing applications

Applications are automatically enriched with Clearbit and Clay, then approved. We then manually review all emails to ensure eligibility. If there's a mismatch (e.g. on founding date or funding raised), we’ll email the founder. If we don’t hear back in a week or confirm ineligibility, we remove the credits.

### Merch

All merch is fulfilled through the PostHog store by Micromerch.

- Founders receive unique codes via email to claim merch.
- They can request up to 4 merch packs for co-founders during signup.
- If a team has more than 4 founders, they can submit a support ticket to request more.
- Additional merch is occasionally granted at our discretion.

Issues? Reach out in #merch Slack. Founders can also email merch@posthog.com.

### Monthly Newsletter

We send a short, founder-focused newsletter once per month to all program participants. This is handled as a Customer.io broadcast using a prebuilt template.

### Credit usage

Credits can be used for almost all PostHog tools and add-ons, including platform packages.

- Startups: ❌ Cannot use credits toward a BAA due to legal risk.
- YC teams: ✅ Can use credits for a BAA under the Boost plan.

Credits are valid are not transferable, and don’t carry over or convert to cash. They are valid for 12 months and that timer begins at application. Once expired or fully used, teams are moved to standard billing.

### Partners

We currently partner with:

- Incident.io — $1,500 off a teams plan
- Speakeasy — 50% off for 6 months
- Chroma - $5,000 of credit

Discount codes are sent in the welcome email after signup.

If users run into issues with redemption, we can help liaise — though all offers are ultimately at partner discretion.

Contacts:

- Incident.io: Zain Mobarik
- Speakeasy: Nolan Di Mare Sullivan
- Chroma: Philip Thomas

We previously offered DigitalOcean credits ($25k) and a Mintlify partnership, but these were retired in Q2 2025.

### Program extensions

We don’t usually extend credits — the 12-month window is intended to be firm and fair. However, we’re open to requests in exceptional cases.

Founders must clearly explain why they couldn’t use the credit in time and provide evidence of recent progress or changes. Requests are reviewed manually by the Customer Success team.

### Reporting

We have a dashboard for this.

### Troubleshooting

If the Slack invite isn't sent or you discover founders did not receive it, you can manually invite users to the #posthog-founders-club channel. Make sure to select that they are "An external organization" when prompted right after adding their email address. A Slack admin will need to approve them before they're fully added to the channel.

If they did not receive an automated coupon to order the YC Kit from the merch store), you can generate a new coupon code manually in the Shopify admin view. The easiest way to do that is to duplicate an existing coupon, regenerate the coupon code, and save it. You'll have to repeat the process for every founder.

Credentials for Zapier, Shoify, etc. are available in the shared 1Password account.

Canonical URL: https://posthog.com/handbook/marketing/startups

GitHub source: contents/handbook/marketing/startups.md

Content hash: `32413f4aebe1e96f`

Static reader notes

- `MDX_COMPONENT_STATIC_ADAPTER`: Adapted interactive MDX components for static reading: TeamMember.