PANews reported on February 3rd that, according to Fortune magazine, Y Combinator, a well-known Silicon Valley startup incubator, announced it will allow founders of its Spring 2026 cohort of startups to choose to receive funding in the stablecoin USDC, typically around $500,000. Nemil Dalal, Y Combinator's crypto-focused visiting partner, stated that founders choosing stablecoins can receive tokens on multiple blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana, with the possibility of expanding to other stablecoins in the future based on demand. He pointed out that stablecoins are one of the key areas where the institution wants to see more entrepreneurial ideas, and therefore, it wants to actively implement this approach.

Dalal stated that Y Combinator expects more startups to raise funds on-chain in the future. He believes that despite the current low sentiment in the crypto market, enthusiasm for stablecoins continues to grow, regardless of the volatility of crypto asset prices.