On Sept. 23, 2025 Y Combinator, together with Coinbase and its Base network, published a Request for Startups called Build Onchain inviting founders to develop on‑chain products and signaling coordinated support for early-stage crypto-native companies.
- YC, Coinbase and Base issued a Build Onchain RFS to attract founders.
- The push highlights better regulatory clarity, rising user adoption and cheaper chains.
- Expect focus on crypto-native fintech and infrastructure that runs on‑chain.
What happened
Y Combinator published a Request for Startups titled Build Onchain in partnership with Coinbase and Base on Sept. 23, 2025. The announcement invites founders to propose companies that build on‑chain, with the stated goal of funding and supporting those teams. The post frames the effort as a coordinated push from an accelerator and a major exchange plus its layer‑2 network.
Why it matters
The effort arrives as the crypto ecosystem reports increased consumer activity, clearer regulatory signals in some jurisdictions, and many lower‑cost layer‑2 chains that reduce transaction frictions. Together, those factors lower some barriers to launching production‑grade on‑chain products, making this a potentially attractive moment for startups focused on payments, lending, wallets, tokenized assets and crypto infrastructure. A YC‑backed program that includes Coinbase and Base could concentrate capital, talent and attention on projects that seek to bridge traditional fintech and native crypto experiences.
What to watch next
Monitor the application and selection details YC and Coinbase publish, and which categories of projects they prioritize — consumer wallets, payments rails, regulated tokenization, or developer tooling will signal where they expect traction. Also watch for the first cohort of funded startups and how they perform on user growth, compliance posture and network economics; those outcomes will indicate whether coordinator backing translates into sustainable product‑market fit.