Y Combinator was set to host an event for female founders at the beginning of August, and Elena Brandt was looking forward to it.
She's not a YC-backed founder but had been gifted a ticket to the accelerator's "Female Founders Conference" and flew from Florida to San Francisco with her infant son, Darwin.
"Excited about this one!" Brandt wrote on LinkedIn four days before the event.
Instead, the experience mushroomed into a controversy that has rumbled across social media, one that has sparked a conversation about whether one of the most powerful startup accelerators in the world is an inclusive space for women founders with children.
Brandt, who founded a market research startup last year called Besample, is used to bringing her children to business events. Earlier this year, she said, she was accepted into a Techstars accelerator in Columbus, Ohio, attending when Darwin was just a few weeks old.
Techstars quickly accommodated her with childcare and a nap room, Brandt told me, even though the accelerator hadn't planned ahead for it.
She assumed it would be a non-issue at YC, as well, especially at an event for women. Brandt said the mood soured after YC partner Surbhi Sarna approached her while Darwin was making "cooing" noises, suggesting that she move outside. Brandt declined and said she remained at the back of the room for most of the event.
They disagree on the exact details of the interaction and what was said, but Brandt's series of LinkedIn posts on the episode has gone viral.
"I can see that it's not just me. It's an overdue problem for women worldwide. There was indeed irony in this specific situation, but the problem is not in YC or Surbhi specifically," Brandt told me. "It's about the place for women in the industry and in society in general. It's about walking the walk rather than talking the talk."
Women raise a tiny sliver of all the venture capital deployed in the U.S. In 2023, it amounted to just 2.2%, according to PitchBook, and that figure was 1.8% in 2008.
Techstars is the top investor in women-founded companies overall with 875 investments, and YC is number two with 681. However, those totals represent 14% and 10% of their respective totals.
"There are fewer women in the tech world because we have to make these choices between kids and doing business," Brandt said.
Sarna and YC declined to comment for the record about the incident, but on Monday afternoon, Sarna posted her own statement about the incident on LinkedIn — 10 days after the event, and hours after the San Francisco Business Times reached out for comment.
"I didn’t want to jump into the fray because, as any female founder who’s ever worked with me knows, I don’t believe in publicly speaking out against other women," Sarna wrote. "I will continue supporting female founders and moms at every opportunity, and nothing will change that."
In her post, Sarna did not name Brandt, but acknowledged approaching a woman with an infant when the baby "started making noise, and it was apparent that people across the room could hear the noise." Sarna suggested that Brandt and Darwin could move to a different area but "not once was she asked to leave by anyone, let alone myself," Sarna wrote in the post.
Brandt and others have also alleged that Sarna later blocked social media accounts and deleted others' posted comments about the incident. Y Combinator did not respond to questions about this subject, directing the Business Times back to Sarna's LinkedIn post, which does not address it.
"As the No. 1 accelerator in the world that people look up to, they should be more open to feedback," Brandt said.
Despite saying she felt frustrated with how YC handled the situation, Brandt acknowledges that the issue is bigger than one accelerator or investor.
"There's no consensus in the U.S. about should you or should you not take your child to a business event," Brandt told me. "I believe it's on the parents to make sure they don’t disturb the audience, but female founders have babies and babies need to be with moms. Biology should not be a reason for women to miss out on professional events or networking opportunities."
