Former Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel Announces Departure

Michael Seibel, one of Silicon Valley’s most influential Black entrepreneurs and investors, announced on Wednesday that he is transitioning to a “partner emeritus” role at Y Combinator (YC) after more than 12 years with the startup accelerator.

“This role allows me to continue to do office hours with the 1000+ companies I’ve worked with in the past decade while giving me the free time to explore new adventures,” he shared on X. “It also means that the W25 batch was my last batch funding new YC companies.”

Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, confirmed the news in a company blog post, noting that while Seibel will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations or directly working on funding new startups, “he’ll continue to support our community in meaningful ways.” Tan praised Seibel’s contributions, stating, “He’s been instrumental in shaping our program, our culture, and our values.”

A Trailblazer in Tech and Investment

His journey into startups began after he earned a political science degree from Yale University in 2005 and spent a year as the finance director for a US Senate campaign.

He entered the tech world as the co-founder and CEO of two YC startups, Justin.tv (which became Twitch) and Socialcam. In 2012, Socialcam was acquired by Autodesk Inc. for $60 million; in 2014, under Emmett Shear’s and Kevin Lin’s leadership, Twitch sold to Amazon for $970 million.

Seibel became YC’s first Black partner in 2014 and later served as Managing Director/ CEO from 2016 to 2024. Under his leadership, YC expanded its reach, significantly increasing diversity among its funded startups. In a 2021 interview with Reuters, Seibel highlighted that since 2015, Y Combinator had funded over 500 female founders, over 200 Black founders, and almost 300 Latine founders. “You change the stats by funding people,” he said.

In 2020, Seibel became Reddit’s first Black board member after co-founder Alexis Ohanian resigned and urged the company to replace him with a Black candidate amid global anti-racism protests. That same year, he also joined the board of Dropbox.

Shifting Focus

In 2024, Seibel stepped down as YC’s Managing Director and returned to a partner role, focusing on mentoring early-stage startups. His transition followed reports that he was disappointed not to be named YC CEO after Geoff Ralston’s departure in 2022. Instead, the role went to Garry Tan, a longtime YC figure. Seibel later told Wired that while he would have accepted the position, he did not feel slighted.

Now, Seibel is embarking on a new journey. “The next adventure I’m excited to pursue (after taking the summer to relax) is how I can help government better serve its citizens,” he wrote on X. “Thank you to the countless friends who have been pushing me in this direction for years. Government was the passion of my youth and I’m excited to reengage.”

Image: YC