Redesigning YC's Website: From Utilitarian to Inspiring
Y Combinator redesigned its website to shift from a utilitarian B2B template to an inspiring, founder-centric storytelling platform. The new site emphasizes founder faces and transformation stories, uses AI-animated partner photos, and was built using Claude Opus 4.5 in Cursor for rapid prototyping rather than traditional design tools—prioritizing interaction and animation to communicate meaning rather than decoration.
The Old Website: What Needed to Change
Original Design Was Utilitarian and Generic
The old YC homepage, designed 4-5 years ago during COVID, felt like a standard B2B SaaS template with generic call-to-actions, hero images, text blocks, stats, and company logos. It failed to capture YC's unique brand story or inspire visitors.
Founders Were Invisible in Company Showcase
The original site displayed logos of top YC companies but didn't highlight the founders who built them or YC's pivotal role in their success. This missed an opportunity to show that ordinary people created extraordinary companies.
Headlines Lacked Specificity and Impact
Vague headlines like 'We help founders make something people want' and 'The results speak for themselves' didn't quantify outcomes or clearly state YC's value proposition. The site needed concrete claims like 'dozens of billion-dollar companies started at YC.'
Messaging Was Negative Rather Than Positive
The section 'We put founders first' was followed by a list of what YC doesn't do (doesn't take board seats, doesn't take months to decide) rather than articulating positive benefits. The redesign needed to flip this to affirmative messaging.
New Design Philosophy: Storytelling Over Selling
Shift from Selling a Product to Inspiring Dreams
The new site was built around the principle of making visitors dream rather than pitching a program. This required studying YC's roots, including Paul Graham's essays, to capture the essence of what makes YC special.
The Word 'Formidable' as Brand North Star
The term 'formidable,' used by Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston to describe extraordinary early YC founders, became a key word in the new design. It's still used internally at YC today and appears on the site with a footnote definition—a nod to PG's essay style.
Preserved Original Copy from 15 Years Ago
The new site kept the exact same descriptive copy from the original YC website created by Paul Graham over 15 years ago, updating only details like funding frequency and location. This preserved YC's founding message while modernizing the presentation.
Before-and-After Founder Transformation Section
The redesign features side-by-side photos showing successful founders in their humble beginnings (left) and their current success (right), helping new applicants see themselves in these stories and realize 'this could be me.'
Key Design Elements and Sections
Founder Testimonials Woven as Continuous Text
Rather than YC claiming how great it is, the site features quotes from recent YC founders about their experience, stitched together to read as continuous prose. Hovering reveals each founder's name, company, and photo, making testimonials credible and founder-centric.
AI-Animated Partner Photos for Engagement
YC partners' headshots were animated using AI (specifically a tool called 'one' recommended by a YC startup) to make them feel alive and engaging. The animation was carefully tuned to keep faces recognizable frame-by-frame, avoiding the uncanny valley effect.
Partner Transformation Cards Show YC Roots
Each YC partner card displays their photo from when they went through YC as founders, with a hover state revealing their current picture. This visually communicates that all YC partners were once in applicants' shoes and understand the founder journey.
Minimal Hero Section Prioritizes Message
The hero section is extremely minimal and simple—no unnecessary animations or images—to keep focus on the core message. This airy, breathable design removes distractions and lets the content float on the page.
No Apply Button in Hero—Trust the Story
Unlike typical B2B SaaS sites optimizing conversion rates, the new YC site deliberately omits an apply button in the hero section. The team believed that inspiring storytelling, not a call-to-action button, drives applications.
Final CTA: 'It's Never Too Early to Apply'
The site's closing message directly addresses a common founder concern—that they're too early or lack revenue. It emphasizes that YC funds people without jobs, still in school, or without even a full idea yet.
Design Process: From Figma to AI-Assisted Development
Started with Mood Boards and Figma Frames
The team began by exploring directions and aesthetics in Figma, creating mood boards to establish the vibe. Once a direction was chosen, they mocked up a few frames but quickly realized static design tools were limiting.
Switched to Live Coding with Claude Opus 4.5
Rather than staying in Figma, the team created a new code repository and used Claude Opus 4.5 in Cursor to prototype live. This allowed rapid iteration on animations and interactions that would have been difficult in static design tools.
Used AI as a Co-Worker for Creative Exploration
Claude Opus 4.5 was treated as a team member, not just a tool. The team gave it prompts like 'Display this information creatively' and iterated on its suggestions, sometimes finding kernels of good ideas that evolved into final designs.
Animation-First Approach to Communication
Rather than designing static layouts first, the team focused on how animations and interactions could better communicate each section's message. For example, they explored different ways to show founder transformation through scrolling and carousel mechanics.
Preserved Brand Continuity with Background Color
The team kept the same background color from the old YC homepage to maintain brand continuity, as it's such an important part of the YC visual identity.
Broader Design Trends and Takeaways
Interaction Over Decoration as Design Trend
The team expects web and product design to evolve toward using interactivity and animation to communicate meaning, not for decoration's sake. This shift is now possible because AI tools make it easier to prototype and implement complex interactions quickly.
AI Tools Enable Focus on Higher-Level Storytelling
By using Claude Opus 4.5 to handle basic coding tasks, the team freed up bandwidth to focus on storytelling and messaging—the most important part of the project. This represents a shift in how designers and developers allocate their time.
Live Prototyping Beats Static Design Tools
The team found that building and iterating on a live site was far more effective than designing in Figma for exploring animations, interactions, and how sections flow together. This approach led to solutions they wouldn't have discovered in static mockups.
Notable quotes
We didn't want to sell you a program, but instead make you dream. — Evard
It's never too early to apply. Don't overthink it. — Host
We spent so much time on interactions because the new tools make it possible. — Host