After 12+ years, 25 batches, and working with more than a thousand startups, Dalton Caldwell is transitioning to Partner Emeritus at YC. Dalton joined YC in 2011 and has contributed in a number of roles over the years, most recently as a Managing Partner. During his time here, he worked closely with founders and played a consistent role in how we support companies at the earliest stages. He was also deeply involved in YC’s application process, helping to refine how we evaluate early-stage teams and identify founders with clarity, strong ideas, and product instincts. Over the years, he’s been a steady presence for founders navigating the earliest and often hardest parts of company-building. Now, Dalton is stepping into a new role as co-founder of Standard Capital, an AI-native Series A firm he’s launching with Bryan Berg and our very own Paul Buchheit. It’s a natural next step for Dalton, and one we’re excited to support. While he’s stepping back from day-to-day work at YC, he’ll remain part of the community as Partner Emeritus, continuing to be a resource to founders and alumni in a more limited capacity. We appreciate Dalton’s many contributions to YC over the past decade and look forward to cheering him on in this next chapter and beyond.
Easier Bets to Get Early Customer Validation and VC Attention