February 3, 2026
USDC? More like US-Drama-C
Y Combinator will let founders receive funds in stablecoins
YC pays in “digital dollars”—commenters ask: gold bars or arcade tickets
TLDR: YC now lets startups take funding in USDC, a dollar-pegged digital coin, to speed payments and go global. Commenters mixed: some call it useless unless converted, others fear company “scrip,” and many cite YC’s past crypto stumbles—making this a bold step with trust issues.
Silicon Valley’s seed king Y Combinator just said founders can get their usual ~$500k in USDC, a “stablecoin” that tracks the US dollar, on Ethereum or Solana. And boom—the comments turned into a crypto roast. One camp mocked the move: “Why not pay in gold?” sneered grim_io, arguing you’ll still have to swap coins for rent or payroll. Another asked the practical question: if you’re not a crypto startup, what’s the point? Skeptics piled on with memes: catlikesshrimp warned of “feudal” company tokens, comparing it to airline miles or arcade tickets. Others dredged up YC’s crypto past, dropping Stablegains receipts and “remember the scammy cohort” vibes.
YC’s visiting partner Nemil Dalal says they want to “live and breathe” stablecoins and believes more startups will raise money on-chain. That vision clashed with a darker thread: CuriouslyC floated tinfoil-hat politics, wondering about YC’s affiliations after Canada drama and leadership changes. Meanwhile, posters noted big tech moves—Stripe, Cloudflare, Klarna—then shrugged: prices down, trust down, drama up. The vibe? USDC is the new paycheck, but the crowd’s torn between “fast, global money” and “corporate scrip with extra steps.” The jokes were savage, the skepticism loud, and the memes medieval. Welcome to the stablecoin paycheck era—complete with pitchforks and popcorn.
Key Points
- •Y Combinator will let founders receive funding in Circle-issued USDC, typically around $500,000.
- •Founders can choose to receive USDC on Ethereum or Solana, with potential expansion to other stablecoins based on demand.
- •YC identifies stablecoins as a key focus area and anticipates more startups raising capital on-chain.
- •Corporate adoption of stablecoins is rising; Stripe acquired Bridge for $1.1B and backs its own stablecoin-focused blockchain.
- •Despite Bitcoin’s recent downturn, YC’s Nemil Dalal says enthusiasm for stablecoins remains strong and price-agnostic.