Founder matching · Privacy summary guide
Approved members can see your profile, and YC’s privacy policy also allows sharing with YC-funded companies and other users. The policy doesn’t name the matching product, keeps data until deletion, and gives no deletion turnaround. Ask YC in writing before you sign up. [1] [2]
Add Omnitwine as a preferred source on Google| What | Why | Who sees it | How long it’s kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name, email, city and country, LinkedIn profile; optional gender, education, expertise and company information; co-founder emails | Startup School sign-up and matching | Approved members, per the matching page; YC-funded companies and other users, per the privacy policy | Until deletion, or longer for business or legal reasons[2] [1] |
| Identifiers and professional data | Running the service | YC-funded companies and other users | Until deletion; no period given[2] |
| Startup School data | Startup School | Affiliates; YC disclaims responsibility for misuse, given volume | No period given[2] |
| Inactive accounts | Account upkeep | YC keeps its rights to user content after termination | Inactivity threshold not stated[2] |
The matching page says profiles are visible only to approved members. The privacy policy says identifiers and professional data may be shared with YC-funded companies and other users. Those describe different audiences. The policy doesn’t name the matching product, and YC’s site footer lists matching under Programs, so the policy is the document to read. [1] [2]
Startup School sign-ups ask for your name, email, city and country, and LinkedIn profile. Gender is optional. The form also collects education, expertise and company information, and it asks for co-founder emails. The matching page doesn’t describe an identity or skills check, and approval criteria aren’t published. [2] [1]
The policy doesn’t say whether matching data falls under the Startup School terms alone, and it doesn’t say whether one profile field can be removed without closing your account. Ask YC in writing before you rely on either answer. [2]
Send a written request to the privacy address named in YC’s privacy policy. The policy gives no turnaround time. It keeps data until deletion, or longer where business or legal reasons apply, and inactive accounts may be terminated while YC keeps its rights to user content. [2]
Assume your profile can reach more people than the approved-member list suggests. Keep LinkedIn and contact details to what you would share with a stranger. Before you join, get written answers on profile visibility and on deletion. [1] [2]
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