Y Combinator has appointed Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad as its newest General Partners, bringing their deep technical and product expertise to help founders scale innovative startups.
- Vivian Midha Shen co-founded Juni Learning and Acely, generating over $50M in revenue
- Raphael Schaad founded Cron, acquired by Notion, and led Notion Calendar product growth
- Both bring multidisciplinary expertise spanning engineering, design, and product leadership
What happened
Y Combinator announced the addition of Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad as new General Partners. They previously acted as Visiting Partners for two YC batches, collaborating closely with early-stage founders in the program. The move formalizes their roles in mentoring and guiding startups through product development and growth phases.
Vivian’s experience includes co-founding Juni Learning, an online educational platform for kids, and Acely, an AI-powered college readiness tutor. Raphael founded the calendar app Cron, later acquired by Notion, where he continued to lead product efforts including scaling Notion Calendar.
Why it matters
Both Vivian and Raphael have built successful companies themselves and understand the challenges of scaling early-stage startups. Their hands-on expertise in engineering, product design, and marketing positions them to offer practical and empathetic guidance to YC founders.
Their diverse backgrounds – combining strong technical skills with a deep product focus – align well with YC’s mission to help founders turn ideas into compelling products that users love. Welcoming them as General Partners strengthens YC’s ability to nurture the next generation of high-impact startups.
What to watch next
As General Partners, Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad will work closely with companies from their earliest weeks in YC batches and continue to advise through their growth journeys. Observers can expect YC startups to increasingly benefit from their expertise in AI, education technology, and productivity software.
Industry watchers should monitor how their presence influences YC’s portfolio development, particularly startups focused on education, AI-native applications, and productivity tools. Their track records suggest they will help accelerate product-market fit and user adoption for emerging YC companies.