YC AI Startups 2026
A directory of the most interesting AI startups from Y Combinator.
How to Use This Guide
This page lists notable AI companies that have gone through Y Combinator. For each company, I've included:
- What they do - Product description
- Batch - When they participated
- Funding - Known rounds
- Why they matter - Competitive positioning
Winter 2026 Batch (W26)
Notable AI Companies
| Company | Description | Website | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon Health | AI agents for primary care | beaconhealth.ai | HealthTech |
| Lucid | AI workflow orchestration | lucid.so | DevTools |
| Motion | AI project management | usemotion.com | Productivity |
| Pace | AI accounting | paceup.io | Fintech |
Fall 2025 Batch (F25)
Notable AI Companies
| Company | Description | Website | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcade | AI-powered CRM | arcade.ai | Sales |
| Norm AI | AI compliance | normai.io | Legal |
| Commission | AI sales commissions | commission.io | Sales |
| Truefit | AI fitness coaching | truefit.io | HealthTech |
Summer 2025 Batch (S25)
Notable AI Companies
| Company | Description | Website | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manus | AI general agents | manuscripts.im | DevTools |
| Bounti | AI bounty hunting | bounti.io | Security |
| MindEye | AI consciousness research | mindeye.ai | Research |
Previous Batches - Notable AI Companies
YC W24-F24
| Company | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Anysphere (Cursor) | Coding | $100M+ ARR |
| Codestral (Mistral) | Coding | Acquired |
| Adept | Agents | $650M+ raised |
| Harvey | Legal AI | $100M+ raised |
| Glean | Enterprise Search | $300M+ raised |
| Scale AI | Data | $1B+ raised |
YC W23-F23
| Company | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Perplexity | AI Search | $500M+ raised |
| Runway | Video AI | $200M+ raised |
| Character AI | Consumer | Acquired |
| Hugging Face | ML Platform | $1B+ raised |
Company Profiles
Anysphere (Cursor)
- What: AI-first code editor
- Batch: YC S22
- Funding: $100M+ Series A
- ARR: $50M+
- Why it matters: Changed how developers write code
- Competition: VS Code, Zed
Adept
- What: AI agents for enterprise automation
- Batch: YC W23
- Funding: $650M+ total
- Why it matters: Pioneer in enterprise agents
- Competition: Microsoft, Salesforce
Harvey
- What: AI for legal professionals
- Batch: YC W22
- Funding: $100M+ Series B
- Why it matters: First major vertical AI success
- Competition: Casetext, LegalZoom
Glean
- What: Enterprise AI search
- Batch: YC S20
- Funding: $300M+ Series C
- ARR: $50M+
- Why it matters: Enterprise search redefined
YC AI Statistics
By the Numbers (2025)
- Total AI companies: 400+
- Average batch size: 250 companies
- AI percentage: ~60% of each batch
- Total funding raised: $10B+
Success Rate
- Became unicorns: ~2% of batch
- Raised Series A: ~20%
- Active after 2 years: ~40%
How to Get Into YC
For AI Startups
- Apply early - YC rolls, apply anytime
- Build in public - Share demos, metrics
- Focus on growth - Show clear trajectory
- Demo day matters - Prepare extensively
What YC Looks For
- Founder quality - Can you execute?
- Large market - Can this be big?
- Technical differentiation - What's your moat?
- Traction - Users, revenue, growth
YC Alternatives
| Program | AI Focus | Batch Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Techstars | 20% AI | 200/year | More hands-on |
| Founder Institute | 15% AI | 500/year | Global reach |
| a16z Speedrun | 100% AI | Rolling | For AI startups |
| Alchemist | 30% AI | 20/batch | Enterprise |
Resources
Last updated: February 2026