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JustBacked vs YC Work at a Startup
Work at a Startup is Y Combinator's own board: one application is shared with YC companies, and only YC companies can hire there. JustBacked covers startups backed by any investor, YC included, as long as they raised in the last six months, and lists every role straight from their hiring systems. If you only want YC companies, Work at a Startup is the direct route; if you want the whole recently funded market, use JustBacked.
- Direct from each company's ATS
- No recruiters or middlemen
- No scams or fake jobs
- No stale postings
Side by side
| Work at a Startup | JustBacked | |
|---|---|---|
| Which companies | Y Combinator companies only | Only venture-backed startups that raised in the last six months, from any investor (YC included) |
| Where jobs come from | Posted by YC companies on the platform | Every opening is read daily from the company's own hiring system (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday and 20 more) or careers page |
| How you apply | One application that YC companies can browse and message you about | On the company's own site |
| Funding information | YC batch on each company | Round, amount, date and lead investors on every listing |
| Freshness | Managed by each company | Re-checked every morning; closed roles leave the same day |
| Cost to job seekers | Free | Free to browse (new roles appear after 48 hours); members see them immediately for $12/month |
| AI assistants | Not offered | Members can connect Claude, ChatGPT, Muse or any MCP agent |
Based on each site's public pages, checked October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected].
Choose Work at a Startup if…
- You specifically want a YC company.
- You want founders to reach out to you from a single application.
- Early-stage roles at companies that may not have raised a priced round yet.
Choose JustBacked if…
- You want startups backed by Sequoia, a16z, Accel, Index and everyone else, not only YC.
- You want to filter by round size, stage or lead investor.
- You want to know who raised this month and is hiring now.
Using both
Fill out one Work at a Startup application for YC companies, and use JustBacked to cover every other freshly funded startup. Filter JustBacked by "Y Combinator" as an investor to catch YC companies that just raised a follow-on round.
Right now on JustBacked: 892 startups that raised $81B in the last six months, with 19,441 open roles.
Questions
- Does JustBacked list YC companies?
- Yes, when they have raised in the last six months. You can filter by Y Combinator as an investor.
- Can anyone use Work at a Startup?
- Candidates can sign up for free; only Y Combinator companies can hire through it.