Y Combinator’s inaugural spring cohort delivered exactly what Silicon Valley was hoping for: a surge of AI agent startups ready to transform how businesses operate. The legendary startup accelerator, which has launched companies like Stripe, Airbnb, and DoorDash, made its priorities clear when it issued a call earlier this year for founders building “agentic” AI—software systems that can think, reason, and perform complex tasks autonomously without constant human oversight.
The response was overwhelming. Of the 144 companies selected for YC’s spring 2025 batch, 70 focus on building AI agents, according to the accelerator’s startup directory. This represents nearly half of the cohort, signaling a fundamental shift in how entrepreneurs view artificial intelligence’s commercial potential.
These startups showcased their technology at YC’s Demo Day, a high-stakes presentation event where early-stage companies pitch to investors after completing YC’s intensive three-month program. The accelerator invests $500,000 in every selected company and provides mentorship from Silicon Valley veterans. With tens of thousands of applications for each batch and only a small fraction making the cut, YC’s seal of approval carries significant weight in the startup ecosystem.
The timing of YC’s first spring cohort—running from April to June 2025—coincides with growing enterprise demand for AI systems that can handle complex workflows independently. Rather than simple chatbots or basic automation tools, these AI agents can navigate multiple software systems, make decisions based on context, and complete multi-step processes that previously required human intervention.
The spring cohort’s AI agent startups span diverse industries, from healthcare and cybersecurity to manufacturing and consumer finance. Each addresses specific pain points where manual processes create bottlenecks or where human expertise is scarce and expensive. Here are the 10 most promising AI agent startups from YC’s inaugural spring batch.
What it does: Automates the insurance appeals process for healthcare providers to challenge and win denied health insurance claims
Healthcare providers lose billions annually to denied insurance claims, often because the appeals process is too time-consuming and complex for staff to handle effectively. Aegis addresses this by deploying AI agents that can analyze denial reasons, gather supporting documentation, and craft compelling appeals that follow insurance companies’ specific requirements.
The San Francisco-based startup, founded in 2025 by Krishang Todi, Aarav Bajaj, and Dhanya Shah, targets a massive problem: studies show that 60-80% of initially denied claims can be successfully appealed, but most healthcare providers lack the resources to pursue these appeals systematically.
What it does: Transforms company productivity applications into searchable, AI-accessible databases
Modern businesses use dozens of software tools—from Slack and Notion to Salesforce and Jira—creating information silos that AI agents struggle to navigate. Airweave solves this by creating unified interfaces that allow AI agents to search across all company tools simultaneously, turning fragmented data into actionable intelligence.
Founded in 2025 by Lennert Jansen and Rauf Akdemir in San Francisco, Airweave essentially creates a “universal translator” for AI agents, enabling them to access and analyze information regardless of where it’s stored within a company’s tech stack.
What it does: Provides AI-powered assistance throughout the mortgage application process, from rate comparison to paperwork completion
The mortgage industry remains notoriously complex and time-consuming, with borrowers often struggling to navigate rate shopping, document preparation, and lender negotiations. Approval AI deploys intelligent agents that can compare rates across multiple lenders, identify the best loan products for specific situations, and even handle much of the paperwork process.
San Francisco-based founders Arjun Lalwani and Helly Shah launched the company in 2025, targeting a mortgage market where inefficiencies cost borrowers thousands of dollars and months of time. The AI agents can analyze a borrower’s financial profile and automatically match them with optimal loan products while handling the bureaucratic complexity.
What it does: Deploys AI voice agents to handle sales calls and payment collection for furniture rental companies
The furniture rental industry faces unique challenges in customer communication, particularly around payment collection and sales follow-ups. Atlog addresses this with AI voice agents sophisticated enough to handle nuanced conversations about rental agreements, payment schedules, and customer concerns.
Founded in 2024 by Vraj Parikh, John Bettinger, and Shaun Karakkattu, Atlog’s agents can conduct natural-sounding phone conversations, process customer responses, and even negotiate payment arrangements—tasks that typically require human sales representatives.
What it does: Provides comprehensive financial management for content creators using AI agents to organize income, expenses, and tax optimization
Content creators face complex financial challenges, managing income from multiple platforms while tracking deductible expenses and optimizing tax strategies. Beluga Labs positions itself as “Rippling for content creators,” referencing the popular HR platform, but with AI agents handling the specialized financial needs of influencers and digital creators.
Founded in 2024 by Fernando Young and Jack Swisher in San Francisco, the company uses AI agents to automatically categorize creator expenses, identify tax deductions, and provide financial insights tailored to the unique economics of content creation.
What it does: Conducts simulated cyberattacks on company AI systems to identify vulnerabilities and security gaps
As businesses deploy more AI agents into critical workflows, cybersecurity becomes increasingly complex. Casco addresses this by using AI agents to attack other AI systems, identifying weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them. This “red team” approach helps companies understand how their AI agents might be compromised or manipulated.
Founded in 2025 by René Brandel and Ian Saultz, Casco targets the growing market for AI security testing, where traditional cybersecurity approaches may not account for the unique vulnerabilities of AI-powered systems.
What it does: Integrates healthcare records and fitness data to provide personalized health recommendations through AI agents
Healthcare data remains frustratingly fragmented, with medical records, fitness trackers, and wellness apps operating in isolation. Galen AI connects these data sources and deploys AI agents that can analyze comprehensive health pictures to provide personalized recommendations for wellness and preventive care.
Founded in 2025 by Viraj Mehta and Priyanka Shrestha, Galen AI addresses the growing consumer demand for personalized health insights while navigating the complex regulatory requirements of healthcare data management.
What it does: Teaches existing industrial robots new capabilities using natural language commands and AI agents
Manufacturing companies often struggle to reprogram industrial robots for new tasks, typically requiring specialized programming expertise and significant downtime. Mbodi AI changes this by enabling workers to teach robots new skills using plain English instructions, with AI agents translating human language into robot actions.
The New York-based startup, founded in 2025 by Xavier (Tianhao) Chi and Sebastian Peralta, targets the massive installed base of industrial robots that could become far more versatile with better programming interfaces.
What it does: Creates open-source AI agents that build predictive machine learning models from natural language descriptions
Data science remains a bottleneck for many businesses that need predictive models but lack specialized expertise. Plexe democratizes this process by providing AI agents that can create sophisticated machine learning models based on simple English descriptions of what businesses want to predict.
Founded in 2025 by Vaibhav Dubey and Marcello De Bernardi in San Francisco, Plexe’s open-source approach aims to make advanced analytics accessible to businesses without dedicated data science teams.
What it does: Replaces traditional typing with AI-powered voice dictation that adapts to individual communication styles
While voice-to-text technology exists, most solutions produce generic transcriptions that require significant editing. Willow’s AI agents learn individual communication patterns and can craft messages that sound authentically like the user, whether for emails, texts, or social media posts.
Founded in 2025 by Allan Guo and Lawrence Liu in Palo Alto, Willow targets the growing market for voice-first computing, particularly among professionals who want to communicate more efficiently without sacrificing personal voice and style.
The concentration of AI agent startups in YC’s spring cohort reflects broader market dynamics. Enterprise buyers are moving beyond simple AI chatbots toward systems that can handle complex, multi-step workflows. These startups address specific industry pain points where manual processes create bottlenecks or where specialized expertise is scarce.
The diversity of applications—from healthcare appeals to robot programming—demonstrates AI agents’ versatility across industries. However, success will likely depend on each startup’s ability to navigate industry-specific regulations, integrate with existing workflows, and prove measurable return on investment.
For investors, this cohort represents both opportunity and risk. While AI agents promise significant productivity gains, the market remains early-stage, with unclear winners and substantial technical challenges ahead. The companies that can demonstrate clear value propositions and sustainable competitive advantages will likely attract significant follow-on funding in the coming months.
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