The Y Combinator Media Playbook

YC has built the most powerful media machine in tech.

YC has quietly constructed a content ecosystem that is their brand.

70+ million YouTube views, 1.6 million subscribers, and a position as the default information source for aspiring founders worldwide.

Here's what every VC fund should learn from YC's content strategy.

You can also watch a 20-minute breakdown of all phases of YC’s media evolution - from PG’s essays (2009) to multimedia infrastructure (2026).

1. Founder-Led Content as Distribution

YC's partners are the front line of the brand. In 2005 when PG was CEO his essays led the way, Sam Altman in 2014 ran a consistent office hours and now Garry Tan's YouTube videos are leading.

When your partners create content, it carries authenticity that institutional content can't match. It signals genuine expertise.

The personal journeys of YC partners - former founders who've experienced the startup gauntlet - become the most compelling marketing possible.

Garry came in as a creator himself and understood the codes. He knew how to launch YC into today's era of information consumption.

The lesson: Partner-led content creates authenticity that no brand account can match. Encourage your partners to share their genuine expertise and stories.

2. Clear, Consistent Messaging

"Make something people want." "Build fast. Talk to users." "Ramen profitable."

These are the stickiest mantras in tech. PG’s legacy and genius lies in distilling complex startup wisdom into memorable phrases that spread organically.

These mantras create both internal alignment (every YC partner speaks the same language) and external clarity (founders know exactly what YC values).

To build on that, they created a visual language too - that iconic orange wall behind countless startup lectures has become as recognisable as any industry logo

The lesson: Develop a signature vernacular for your firm. Create phrases that encapsulate your approach and repeat them consistently until they become associated exclusively with you.

3. Content That Compounds

YC understood that content should compound in value over time:

• Old essays and videos continue generating views years later

• Graham's essays from 2005 still influence founders in 2025

• Their back catalog drives awareness without additional investment

When Garry Tan took over as CEO, he built on this foundation. Rather than starting fresh, he doubled down on existing formats while improving production quality. By not removing old content a video uploaded five years ago received 30% of its views in the past year alone.

The lesson: Content is an appreciating asset. Build with longevity in mind, and your past work will continue generating returns indefinitely.

4. Investments as Content Loops

Every breakout YC company becomes a walking case study.

The lore grows with each success: Airbnb founders selling cereal to survive, Stripe's teenage founders, Coinbase's contrarian bet on crypto. These stories become part of YC's brand narrative.

This creates a flywheel: successful companies enhance YC's reputation, attracting better founders, creating more success stories, further strengthening the brand.

The lesson: Your portfolio is content. Document founder journeys, capture origin stories, and turn investments into narratives that reinforce your firm's approach.

5. Media Production as Core Competency

YC treats content production as a core function:

• A dedicated 13-person media team

• A 3,000 square foot film studio in San Francisco

• Professional production values with custom sets

• Proper series development rather than one-off videos

YC has moved beyond ad-hoc content to a professional media operation with defined formats, production schedules, and distribution strategies.

The lesson: Amateur content gets amateur results. Invest in production quality and dedicated media talent if you want professional outcomes.

6. Format Innovation

YC has evolved and experimented:

• Started with Startup School lectures in 2012

• Added Office Hours in 2016

• Developed podcast formats with Dalton & Michael

• Created documentary-style episodes

• Launched "Decoded" series

Each format targets different audience segments and consumption habits, expanding YC's reach.

The lesson: No single content format serves all purposes. Develop a portfolio of formats that reach different audiences at different moments in their journey.

7. Distribution Mastery

YC realised that great content without distribution is worthless:

• They transformed YouTube thumbnails and titles after feedback from Mr. Beast himself

• Repurposed longform content into short clips for social platforms

• Built series that keep viewers coming back

• Used Hacker News as both a distribution channel and content source

The results = YC doubled their YouTube views after Garry Tan took over, took 9 years to go from 0-40M then they went to 70M+ in just two years.

The brand has grown so strong that other people now distribute their message for them.

The lesson: Content quality matters, but distribution determines impact. Master the mechanics of each platform rather than treating them as passive repositories.

The Cost of Ignoring Content

The competitive gap in VC content is striking. Look at this for a before an after…

I really rate YC’s dedication to doing it properly. A quick review of YC’s equally lofty competitors below, are funds with A* guests and A* content, but their channels are dead in the water with something that would cost them very little to improve drastically.

This is a strategic failure imo. The next generation of founders is emerging from YouTube, not finance classes. Greg Isenberg, Garry Tan, Marc Lou are tech’s biggest influencers through taking this seriously.

The opportunity cost of poor content is enormous. In Techstars case, what's the cost of not investing a modest amount in content?

• 3000 founders applied to join the Techstars London Spring program

• 20,000 applied to YC last batch. 

Building Your Media Machine

Starting doesn't require YC's resources. Begin with these steps:

1. Identify your natural content creators: Which partners have the authentic voice and willingness to share?

2. Develop your mantras: What are the 3 key principles that define your firm's approach?

3. Start with one high-quality series: Better to execute one format well than many poorly. You can always repurpose.

4. Document your journey: Turn your firm's day-to-day into content - meetings, decisions, successes.

5. Hire for distribution: Part-time specialist or hire externally (hello hello).

YC understood early that attention is leverage. By making it easy for founders to find them, trust them, and adopt their way of thinking, they've created the most powerful flywheel in VC.

The gap is still wide open for funds willing to learn from their playbook.