Y Combinator updated its Requests for Startups (RFS), a recurring set of ideas the famed startup accelerator would love to see founders tackle next. It’s more than a wish list. It’s a market signal about where top investors believe the next wave of transformative companies could emerge.
Applications still open
Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Spring 2026 Batch funding cycle. The batch will take place from April to June in San Francisco.
You can also apply to future batches (Summer, Fall, and Winter) now – see more at Early Decision.
The deadline to apply on-time was February 9 at 8pm PT, but Y Combinator is still accepting late applications.
If you applied before the deadline, you will get a decision by March 13. If you apply after the deadline, your application will still be considered, but there is no promise of when you will receive a response.
What the RFS actually is
YC’s RFS is a tradition dating back to 2009: a public list of specific problem spaces and opportunities YC partners think are ripe for innovation. These ideas don’t replace YC’s open application process, but they serve as inspiration and validation for founders unsure where to focus.
YC emphasizes that you don’t need to build something on the list to apply, and most funded startups don’t, but the RFS highlights trends that insiders believe are under-served or accelerating.
The current RFS themes: AI, finance, and systems redesign
The Spring 2026 RFS spans a range of ideas that signal where YC thinks the next opportunities lie, including:
- AI for product discovery, tools that help teams decide what to build next using user data and insights, not just how to code it.
- AI-native hedge funds, fund strategies built around autonomous agent analysis and real-time market reasoning.
- AI-powered agencies, service businesses with software economics baked in, scaling output with AI rather than headcount.
- Stablecoin financial services, compliant crypto services bridging decentralized finance with regulated products.
- AI for government efficiency, tools to modernize public-sector processes, from applications to case handling.
- Modern industrial tooling, rethinking metal production and manufacturing with automation and software.
- AI guidance for physical work, real-time multimodal systems that coach workers in the field.
- Spatial reasoning models, AI models capable of deep 2D/3D understanding for design and interaction.
These categories collectively signal a thesis: AI is no longer a feature, it’s becoming the core of product, finance, and physical infrastructure innovation.
What this says about the broader innovation landscape
Here’s the interesting part: the RFS acts as a kind of informal roadmap from one of the most influential early-stage investors in tech. A few takeaways:
1. AI-first is now the default expectation
Instead of “AI-enabled,” the RFS favors companies that must be AI-native, where removing AI would break the product.
2. Redesigning legacy systems matters
From government services to industrial mills, YC is pushing founders to think beyond screens and into real-world infrastructure.
3. Finance is still fertile ground
Stablecoins and AI-driven funds show that financial innovation, especially where traditional frameworks and new tech intersect, remains a priority.
4. The list doubles as a thesis for investors and builders
Even founders not planning to apply to YC can treat the RFS as market intelligence insight into where a major accelerator believes unmet demand exists. (Superframeworks)
Why founders should care
The practical value of the RFS isn’t obligational. It’s directional:
- It highlights problems that ecosystem insiders think are important but under-served
- It helps signal to early-stage talent where capital attention could trend
- It gives founders confidence that someone out there cares about hard problems, not just what’s “trending”
If you’re ideating or entering a funding cycle, treating RFS lists as trend signals, not prescriptions, can inform smarter opportunity evaluation.
So here’s the question for founders and builders:
Which part of this RFS list aligns with both real demand and your unique insight and are you building toward it?
Source :Y Combinator
