In a first, Y Combinator to hold interviews in India for accelerator programme

Silicon Valley-headquartered accelerator Y Combinator, which has spawned a number of prominent startups including accommodation-sharing company Airbnb and social network Reddit, is set to conduct interviews in India for the first time.

In a blog post, Y Combinator said that it will screen applicants in Bengaluru next month for its Summer 2019 batch.

The decision to hold interviews in India was prompted by the large volume of applications from the country, it added.

Interested startups can apply by April 12 and the interviews are slated to take place from May 7-9.

The interviews are open to startups from outside Bengaluru as well. Y Combinator emphasised that there would be no change in its interview and shortlisting processes.

The selected startups will immediately join Y Combinator’s Summer 2019 batch. While the in-person programme will start in June in Mountain View, California, selected companies will get funding and access to Y Combinator partners and resources the moment they crack the interview, it added.

Startups that don’t make the cut for the Bengaluru interviews could still be considered for evaluation in the US, Y Combinator said.

Y Combinator has funded more than 40 companies from India including ClearTax, Meesho and Razorpay.

The accelerator had last month selected four Indian companies for its 2019 winter batch.