248 startups in this batch
YC S24 was the definitive pivot point where the "AI wrapper" era ended and Vertical AI was born. Operating under the shadow of "higher for longer" interest rates, this cohort prioritized hard-tech defensibility and mission-critical B2B workflows over speculative consumer moonshots. It was the first batch to move past the novelty of LLMs toward solving deep, structural inefficiencies in legacy industries.
This batch proved that unstructured data is the ultimate wedge into legacy sectors like law enforcement, mining, and patent law. By automating high-friction administrative burdens—such as police reports and affiliate compliance—these founders demonstrated that incumbents would pay a premium for tools that effectively manufactured labor. They validated that the market was ready for AI to move from a chat interface to a background operational layer.
The primary failure mode for this era was incumbent absorption, where basic AI features were quickly integrated into existing platforms like Salesforce or specialized legal suites. Founders learned that thin UI layers are not defensible; without a proprietary data loop or a unique hardware/bio component, the "AI advantage" evaporated as models commoditized. Success required owning the system of record, not just the generation layer.
In 2026, the opportunity lies in moving from copilots to autonomous agents. While S24 built tools to help humans write reports or manage compliance, a solo builder today can ship end-to-end autonomous systems for niche verticals like patent litigation or bio-mining. By leveraging agentic reasoning that wasn't stable in 2024, you can build a "company of one" that performs the work of an entire specialized department.
Engineering microbes for miners to unlock billions in trapped metal
We're training the next generation of protein foundation models.
Omnichannel AI agents that engage leads across SMS, voice, and email
AI document creation and data management for clinical trials
Highly customizable and blazingly fast analytics for asset managers.
Defect detection for manufacturing built from CAD and synthetic data.
Model-agnostic AI for enterprises: governed, embedded, decision-grade.
Developer APIs to let your AI/LLM understand videos and audio.
Corgi is building an AI financial infrastructure company
Software and hardware to run neural networks faster and cheaper
Tech and platforms for human creators and the entertainment industry
AI-driven platform providing personalized learning and practice tests for exam preparation.
AI app builder that turns your ideas into monetizable software.
AI platform that detects and resolves issues in data center engineering and operations to prevent outages.
Making Next-Generation Antibiotics that Outpace Bacterial Evolution
Help Institutional Investors manage, track & query their Excel models
Software Distribution Platform for On-Prem, Kubernetes, Docker & BYOC
The UI framework for AI agents and developers to build beautiful apps.
Intryc uses AI to automate quality assurance for customer support
Genetically engineered viruses that teach your immune system to kill…
We automate the person taking orders at drive-thrus with a voice AI
Building interfaces for managing AI coding agents to do good work
Turn diagrams, technical documents, and CAD into structured data
Automating flat-fee legal work, starting with work visas + green cards
Scale human-in-the-loop for AI workflows in regulated industries
Deploying secure and reliable AI agents across healthcare, retail,…
AI-powered platform that tracks, summarizes, and analyzes legislative and regulatory developments for compliance and advocacy teams.
AI platform that uses generative AI to draft technical reports for engineers and built environment professionals in construction projects.
AI-powered supply chain management platform that automates demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and replenishment planning for multi-channel CPG brands.
Spur is your AI QA Engineer. Test your websites with natural language.
Open source AI copilot that knows your company's code and its context
Foundation models for time series
Open-Source Reinforcement Learning (RL) & Fine-tuning for LLMs.
AI-powered clinical decision support for healthcare providers