Y Combinator F25: The Full Batch
Discover the latest 150+ YC companies before Wednesday’s demo day. One trend is clear...
YC’s newest batch has more AI-native startups than any other batch in history — 52% literally include AI in their company description…
Hey Readers 👋
YC’s latest demo day kicks off this Wednesday, and this may be the strongest batch yet. After meeting several founders in recent weeks, one trend is very clear: the founders are doubling down on AI — the same trend as the previous batch.
Ask any founder or investor, and they have undoubtedly heard of Y Combinator — one of the world’s most renowned startup accelerators, with a mighty track record. Founders who raise from them are 45% more likely to raise a Series A and the accelerator turned 20 years old earlier this year. Throughout that time, they have achieved some incredible stats, including:
$800B in combined market value has been created.
6.5% of YC startups become unicorns.
A quarter of all YC-backed unicorns achieve a valuation of over $10 billion.
All within just 20 years. So with the latest batch wrapping up, many of these startups are poised to rise.
As with every cohort, we’re sharing the key trends and a full overview of the startups. Here are a few trends we’re already seeing:
AI continues to dominate — and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Marketing tools are also in the spotlight, with a notable number of startups entering the space.
Founder demographics are shifting too, with an unusually high number of participants in their early 20s — great to see.
Before we dive deeper, a quick word from our partner: Vanta
Knowledge Gaps = Security Gaps
AI is advancing faster than security teams can keep up — 59% say AI risks are outpacing their expertise.
That’s according to Vanta’s new State of Trust report, based on a survey of 3,500 business and IT leaders worldwide.
Discover the report to learn how organizations are addressing this gap — and what early adopters are doing to stay ahead.
Every startup needs a great support network behind them to get going.
Meet YC’s Partners
The people behind YC play a crucial role in shaping every batch. This batch, a dedicated group of YC Partners has been hands-on — mentoring founders, refining ideas, and helping companies push toward product-market fit.
Alongside them are the broader YC Partners whose experience and guidance continue to strengthen the program even if they are not actively advising this batch. Together, they form the backbone of YC’s support for founders.
The image below shows the YC Partners and the number of companies they’re mentoring (in brackets), along with the partners who have been supporting this batch behind the scenes.
Now, let’s dive into the startups themselves!
Meet YC’s F25 Batch
This batch is unusually diverse, with a notable wave of very young founders — many just 18–25. It’s a trend we expect to continue as more students skip university to build. Other trends include:
13% of the batch are building dev tools.
Notable sectors include: FinTech, Healthcare, Marketing & Sales, Hardware & Robotics as well as AI Employees.
52% of startups have ‘AI’ in the company descriptions.
We’ve grouped the startups in this market map as follows:
Disclaimer: YC has not paid us to publish this. Some startups may also fit into multiple categories.
FinTech
Marketing & Sales
Healthcare
Hardware, Drones & Robotics
AI Employees
Product
Defense
Build AI Agents
Research
Machine Learning
Voice
Coding & Dev Tools
Consumer Social & Commerce
Privacy & Security
HR
Compliance & Legal
Computer Vision
Data
Video
Collaboration & Productivity
Construction & Real Estate
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