After over 12 years, 25 batches, and collaboration with more than a thousand startups, Dalton Caldwell is transitioning to Partner Emeritus at YC.
Dalton joined YC in 2011 and has contributed in various roles over the years, most recently as a Managing Partner. During his time, he worked closely with founders and played a consistent role in supporting companies at their earliest stages.
He was deeply involved in YC’s application process, helping to refine the evaluation of early-stage teams and identify founders with clarity, strong ideas, and product instincts. Over the years, he’s been a steady presence for founders navigating the earliest and often toughest parts of company-building.
Dalton is now stepping into a new role as co-founder of Standard Capital, an AI-native Series A firm he’s launching with Bryan Berg and Paul Buchheit. It’s a natural next step for him, and we’re excited to support this move.
While stepping back from daily work at YC, Dalton will remain part of the community as Partner Emeritus, continuing to be a resource for founders and alumni in a more limited capacity.
We appreciate Dalton’s contributions to YC over the past decade and look forward to cheering him on in this next chapter and beyond.