**The big picture:** Y Combinator has named Vivian Midha Shen and Raphael Schaad as new General Partners, bringing extensive founder, product, and engineering expertise to its leadership team. This move aims to strengthen mentorship for early-stage startups. **Why it matters:** These appointments signal YC's continued focus on hands-on guidance for founders, influencing the talent profiles and strategic direction of future high-growth companies. It underscores the value of entrepreneurial experience in shaping innovation. **Between the lines:** - Shen co-founded Juni Learning and Acely, building businesses to over $50 million in revenue with lean, AI-native teams. - Schaad founded Cron, which was acquired by Notion, and subsequently led design for growth at Notion. - Both bring deep technical and product judgment from roles at Google, McKinsey, and Flipboard. **Staffing & HR impact:** The emphasis on founders with proven build-and-scale experience will likely elevate demand for similar talent in the startup ecosystem. This also highlights a trend towards efficient, AI-native team structures, impacting talent acquisition strategies for lean operations. **The bottom line:** YC is investing in seasoned operators to cultivate the next wave of impactful startups, prioritizing practical, founder-led mentorship.