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YC Arena’s Partner Simulator lets you watch real, publicly available Y Combinator applicant pitch videos and guess whether YC accepted or rejected each startup. It is a test of how well you can predict YC’s recorded decisions from a short pitch—not a replica of the application review or a reliable way to predict whether a company will get into YC.
How YC Arena’s Partner Simulator works
Each round identifies the application year and plays a startup’s pitch video. You choose accept or reject, then see whether your call matched YC’s decision. The format is simple: watch the pitch, make the call, and compare your answer.
The game draws on public applicant videos, but you are judging from the video rather than the full application or YC’s complete deliberation. YC’s application guidance discusses the application, video, demo, and other answers when assessing promising companies. That makes the game a narrow comparison between your reaction to one pitch and YC’s eventual recorded outcome.
What the game can—and cannot—tell you
A correct guess shows that your call matched the outcome for that startup; it does not reveal why YC made its decision or establish a dependable admissions strategy. A wrong guess is not proof that the pitch was bad, either. YC Arena notes that many founders it rejected later built successful companies.
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TechCrunch estimated YC’s acceptance rate at around 1% in its October 3, 2025 report. That is a qualified estimate reported at that time, not a current official YC statistic or a precise rate. The underlying decisions are also subjective: TechCrunch’s reporter described the judgments as difficult and found that her guesses improved after she read Paul Graham’s application guide and paid closer attention to clarity. That is one reporter’s experience, not evidence that a single technique predicts admissions. TechCrunch’s report on the game.
What YC’s own guidance says about a clear pitch
Paul Graham’s guide tells applicants to explain what their company will make in clear, concise, matter-of-fact language rather than marketing-speak. As Graham puts it: “Whatever you have to say, give it to us right in the first sentence, in the simplest possible terms.” Read “How to Apply to Y Combinator.”
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That advice is useful context for playing, but it should not be mistaken for a scoring formula. A concise explanation can make a pitch easier to understand; the game does not establish that clarity alone determines YC’s decisions.
Don’t confuse the application video with a demo or ad
YC’s official instructions distinguish its application video from a product demo or promotional video. The one-minute video should let founders explain what they are doing and why, and should contain only the founders talking. See YC’s application instructions.
That distinction matters when you judge a round: the format is meant to introduce the founders and their work, not deliver a polished commercial or fully demonstrate a product. A short video cannot show everything YC may consider in an application.
Other YC Arena games
The Partner Simulator is one of several ways to test your familiarity with YC startups. YC Arena also offers:
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- Batch-year guessing: Guess a company’s YC batch year from its description.
Those modes test recognition and recall; the Partner Simulator asks you to make a judgment call. TechCrunch’s reporter found that decision-making challenge the most compelling of the three.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to know about the video collection
YC Arena’s page displayed a notice saying, “Over 400 new YC application videos to be added on 01/30/26.” That notice does not confirm whether the videos were added or establish the game’s current video count. Check the game page for its current experience.
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