Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad Join YC as General Partners

ycombinator.com Oct 2, 2026

Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad Join YC as General Partners

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Oct 2, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Y Combinator announced that Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad will join the firm as General Partners on October 1, 2026. Both have served as Visiting Partners for two batches, demonstrating strong technical and product expertise. Shen co‑founded Juni Learning (YC W18) and Acely, an AI tutor that grew to a $10 million run rate and generated over $50 million in revenue across her ventures. Schaad founded Cron (YC W20), later acquired by Notion, and has led design for growth at Notion Calendar. Their combined experience spans engineering, design, and product strategy, positioning them to guide new startups from inception through scaling.

💡 Why It Matters

· Their arrival signals YC’s focus on founders who blend deep technical skill with user‑centric product design, a combination that can accelerate the success of early‑stage companies.

Capsules Entrepreneurs

Read full article on ycombinator.com

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techcrunch.com · Oct 1

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