Startups & Y Combinator

We run two special programs for early-stage teams.

1. PostHog for Startups is our program to support early stage companies.
2. PostHog for Y Combinator is our program to support companies in the Y Combinator accelerator.

Both programs give users some exclusive perks, as well as credit to use across any mix of PostHog products.

The YC Deal has its own page here. This page focuses on explaining how PostHog for startups works.

PostHog for Startups

Any company that is <2 years old and has raised $5m in funding or less is eligible for PostHog for Startups.

What happens after companies apply

1. Company applies by signing up to PostHog and then emailing us at startups@.
2. CS verify they meet the criteria and apply a $50k Stripe coupon to their account that expires in 12 months.
3. The user receives an automated email, via Zapier, which provides them with a link to claim their merch via Printfection, and informs them of the rest of the program.

The PostHog for Startups deal is also posted on our profile at F6S here. They still follow the same process as above.

Welcome merch

This is handled via Printfection. The automated email users receive contains a single Printfection link, connected to a giveaway campaign, which contains a pack of welcome merch.

Occasionally teams will reach out to request more merch for their co-founders. We use our discretion here, but generally offer more merch for co-founders.

Amplifying announcements

We encourage members of the PostHog for Startups program to inform us when they have an upcoming launch, or other announcement. We will then share that announcement with other members of the program (via the newsletter), as well as sharing it more widely on our socials and other channels.

We don't make guarantees about how we'll or if we'll share announcements, and do so only at our own discretion.

Monthly newsletter

Once a month, we send a short newsletter to all users in the program. We send the email as a Customer.io broadcast and there is a template setup in Customer.io.

Before the email is sent each month it is important to manually update the PostHog for Startups segment in Customer.io by importing all new email addresses from the mailing list.

The email is still evolving, but typically includes the following sections:

- A short intro and invitation for users to share important announcements with us
- A link to the most recent startup spotlight
- 'Our thoughts on:' a topic which is relevant to founders, e.g. pricing strategies
- Information on new features or launches

Startup spotlight

Each month, we'll pick a startup to highlight.

The way this works is that Joe chooses a candidate and approaches them to discuss a topic in a Zoom call. Ideally this topic is chosen in parallel to the Product for Engineers newsletter so that we can explore using the content/comments there too - but if the timing doesn't pan out then this isn't a blocking issue.

Previously Spotlights were done with a set of prescribed questions. Now we have a 20 minute discussion about the topic, which we then write up into a piece on behalf of the startups' CEO.

We are very selective about the startups and topics we choose, to ensure that we're talking to people who can be authoritative sources on a topic and who can generate high-quality opinions that are worth sharing with our users.

Referral program

Users who are accepted into Posthog for Startups can refer in other customers in order to unlock extra credit for both parties. This referral program is currently only open to users who have been accepted into PostHog for Startups.

We keep a list of referral partners here. Teams which cite one of these teams are eligible to get an extra $5,000 of credit.

Referred customers should apply for the PostHog for Startups program as normal, but specify in the sign-up form the team which referred them into the program. The Customer Service team will issue an additional $5,000 of PostHog credit to both the referred customer and the referrer if the customer is accepted into the program.

There are currently no limits on how many startups can be referred into the program successfully.

Customer can also refer an investor, or startup accelerator. If an investor or accelerator signs up as a PostHog for Startups partner, we will double the credits of the referring customer to a total of $100,000.

Program extensions

Extensions aren’t something we usually do because we set the initial terms to keep things fair and consistent for everyone. We recommend using your credits within the deal period to make the most of the program. If you’ve had some unusual circumstances, we’re open to hearing about them. Please make sure your request clearly explains why you couldn’t use the credits as planned and shows recent growth or a change in direction that makes the extension necessary. Our Customer Success team reviews each request on a case-by-case basis.