Garry Tan
Garry Tan
President & CEO of Y Combinator. Designer, engineer, founder turned early‑stage investor; co‑founder of Initialized Capital and Posterous. Stanford BS in Computer Systems Engineering.
Projects
Ideas brought to life. A look at the products, companies, and creative works built from the ground up.
Posterous
YC‑backed blogging platform co‑founded by Garry Tan (YC S08). Posterous gained traction as a simple publishing platform and was acquired by Twitter (service shut down in 2013).
Posthaven
Co‑founded by Garry Tan as a paid, sustainable continuation/service for Posterous users after Posterous shut down. Focuses on preserving and hosting users' sites.
Initialized Capital
Co‑founder of Initialized Capital, an early‑stage venture fund that invested in companies such as Coinbase, Instacart and Flexport and raised multiple funds (largest close ~$700M in 2021).
YC founder tools (Bookface, Demo Day site)
Built core parts of the YC founder experience (internal tools like Bookface and the Demo Day website) during his earlier YC partnership, improving founder community and demo operations.
Content / YouTube & public education
Produces educational content for founders and builders (YouTube interviews, talks, and written posts) to demystify startups and early‑stage fundraising.
In the Spotlight
A collection of articles, interviews, and viral content where achievements have been shared.
Recognitions
Formal validation from the top. A showcase of official awards, grants, and government acknowledgements.
Forbes Midas List (Top 100 / Midas Seed List)
2018–2023Repeatedly listed on Forbes' Midas List (2018–2023); ranked #6 on the 2023 Midas List seed/top tech investors list.
Fortune: Top 100 Most Powerful People in Business
2024Included in Fortune's Top 100 Most Powerful People in Business (listed on LinkedIn profile as 2024).
San Francisco Power 100
2023Named to the San Francisco Power 100 by the San Francisco Business Times.
Business Insider: Top 100 Seed Investor
2021Named to Business Insider's Top 100 Seed Investors list.
CB Insights: Top Angel (2014)
2014Recognized by CB Insights as a Top Angel investor (2014).
Silicon Valley Business Journal: 40 Under 40
2013Named to the Silicon Valley Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list.
Work Experience
Key roles that defined the journey.
President & CEO
Leads YC's accelerator, products, and community strategy. Returned from initialized to lead structural changes and long‑term strategy.
Co‑founder / Managing Partner (Founder & Board Partner)
Co‑founded and helped build Initialized into a leading early‑stage fund with notable early investments (Coinbase, Instacart, Flexport). Led fundraising across multiple funds.
Partner / Designer in Residence
YC partner where he helped build founder tools (Bookface, Demo Day site) and advised hundreds of startups.
Co‑founder
Co‑founded Posterous, a blogging platform that simplified publishing. Posterous later shut down after acquisition by Twitter.
Co‑founder
Launched to provide continuity and archival hosting for Posterous users.
Lead Engineer / Designer (early employee)
Early engineering and design work at Palantir; credited with design contributions including the company logo and product work.
Program Manager
Program management role early in career after graduating from Stanford.
Membership
Affiliations and memberships in prestigious organizations and communities.
Longstanding involvement with YC as alumnus founder (Posterous), partner (2011–2015) and now President & CEO (2023–present).
Co‑founder of a leading early‑stage VC firm and active investor/advisor to numerous startups.
Alumnus of Stanford University (BS Computer Systems Engineering), member of the alumni community.
Education
Academic foundation and learning journey.
Bachelor of Science (BS), Computer Systems Engineering
Undergraduate studies in Computer Systems Engineering.
Socials
Connect and explore.