234 startups in this batch
This cohort launched during the definitive end of the zero-interest-rate era, navigating the immediate aftermath of YC's famous "RIP Good Times" warning. Founders in S22 were the first to be judged on "default alive" metrics rather than raw growth, resulting in a batch focused on high-utility B2B tools and early climate-tech resilience. It was the final major cohort to ship before ChatGPT fundamentally shifted the barrier to entry for software.
This batch proved that enterprises were reaching a breaking point with SaaS sprawl, creating a massive market for automated access management and compliance orchestration. They validated that open-source business automation could compete with proprietary giants by offering better developer extensibility. Furthermore, S22 established the first real commercial blueprints for monetizable AI agents and carbon-neutral industrial materials, proving that "hard tech" could find product-market fit even in a tightening economy.
Many startups from this era struggled because they built rigid workflow engines that relied on manual logic gates and complex no-code configurations. As LLMs evolved, these "brittle" automations became technical debt; the market shifted from wanting tools that helped humans work to wanting agents that replaced the workflow entirely. Modern builders should avoid building UI-heavy wrappers for problems that can now be solved via headless, agentic reasoning.
The biggest opportunity today is to take the compliance and identity frameworks pioneered in S22 and rebuild them as autonomous auditors. While S22 founders built dashboards to help IT managers track access, a 2026 solo builder can ship an AI agent that proactively manages security permissions and regulatory filings in real-time. The wedge is no longer "better visibility," but total delegation of the administrative burden.
We make it easy to get great ObGyn care in-person and over telehealth
Biodegradable and carbon neutral textiles, engineered from food waste.
Helping realtors showcase the full potential of their properties
We're building satellites to create a real-time 3D map of the world.
A search technology that actually finds what you’re looking for.
Scheduling automation platform between trucking and warehousing
Engineering enzymes using AI for sustainable plastic recycling to enable circular economy.
Expanding Payment Flexibility and Lowering Rates for Merchants
AI sales rep platform that automates outbound prospecting, personalization, and multi-channel outreach.
India's Telemedicine Platform & Online Pharmacy for Dermatology Care
Building a compensation graph to help companies optimise people spend
Open source version control for metadata to track data lineage across databases, pipelines, warehouses, APIs, and dashboards.
AI Diagnosis of Heart Disease
Making doctors 2x more efficient with AI note-taking & charge capture
Landeed is India’s digital infrastructure for property intelligence,…
Engineering the future of chemistry for natural resource extraction
Neosync is an open-source anonymization and synthetic data platform.
Enterprise software for strategic, risk, and cyber fraud intelligence
AI powered reconciliation for accountants
Fully automated should-cost analysis for precision manufacturers.
AI Sales Assistant to increase playbook adoption and win more deals
AI for professional PowerPoint presentations, available in PowerPoint
AI software that analyzes medical bills to identify errors, negotiate costs, and reduce patient expenses.
Bringing fans closer to the world’s greatest athletes
Document Collection Software for Accountants, Auditors, and Lawyers
Hypersonic space plane that can take-off from any location and weather
First LatAm W3 WealthTech for AutoInvesting in securities & crypto