Y Combinator said on October 1, 2026 that Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad have joined the accelerator as its newest General Partners. The announcement was written by Garry Tan, who is described in the post as President and CEO of Y Combinator.
What changed
In a post on the Y Combinator blog, Tan wrote that the firm is "thrilled to announce" the two appointments. According to the post, both have spent the last two batches working closely with YC founders as Visiting Partners.
Y Combinator said the pair combine deep technical experience with strong product judgment and know how to help ambitious founders turn an early idea into something users love. As General Partners, the firm said, they will work with companies from their first weeks in the batch through the years of building that follow.
Who Vivian Midha Shen is
Y Combinator said Shen co-founded Juni Learning (YC W18), an online academy for kids' coding and math, and later founded Acely, an AI tutor for college readiness.
Across the two companies, according to the post, she built businesses with more than $50 million in revenue and millions of users, and Acely alone grew from zero to $10 million in run rate with a lean team.
The firm said Shen previously worked as a software engineer at Google, a consultant at McKinsey and Director of Product at Operator, and studied computer science and creative writing at Stanford.
Who Raphael Schaad is
Y Combinator said Schaad founded Cron (YC W20), a calendar product it described as beloved for its craft, speed and attention to detail. Notion acquired Cron in 2022, according to the post, after which Schaad grew Notion Calendar to millions of users and then served as Head of Design for Growth and new products.
Before Cron, the post said, he worked on the news reader Flipboard and the Markdown editor iA Writer. Y Combinator said he holds a BS in Computer Science from Bern University of Applied Sciences and an MS in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT.
Key facts and where they come from
- Y Combinator announced two new General Partners on October 1, 2026.
We’re thrilled to announce that Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad are joining Y Combinator as our newest General Partners.
- Both previously served as Visiting Partners for two batches.
Vivian and Raphael have spent the last two batches working closely with YC founders as Visiting Partners.
- YC says Shen's two companies generated more than $50 million in revenue.
Across the two companies, she built businesses with more than $50 million in revenue and millions of users.
- YC says Acely reached a $10 million run rate from zero with a small team.
Acely alone grew from zero to $10 million in run rate with a lean team
- Schaad founded Cron, which Notion acquired in 2022.
Notion acquired Cron in 2022, and Raphael went on to grow Notion Calendar to millions of users.
- The two will work with batch companies from the start and afterward.
they’ll work with companies from their first weeks in the batch through the years of building that follow