Y Combinator is investing €400,000 each in these 10 AI startups – you should know them before everyone else does

Christmas came early for Y Combinator (YC) this year. The legendary Silicon Valley accelerator had startups focused on AI agents at the top of its wish list—and the startup community promptly delivered.

When YC called on founders to develop AI agents – software that thinks independently and takes on tasks – the scene took notice at the beginning of the year.

Of the 144 companies in the Spring 2025 cohort, 70 are working on such AI agents, according to the accelerator's directory. Many presented their solutions at the Demo Day on Wednesday.

Several hundred early-stage startups undergo a three-month sprint of product development and mentoring in San Francisco per round. Tens of thousands apply – only a fraction are accepted.

YC invests $500,000 (approximately €430,000) per startup. Among its most well-known alumni are Stripe, Airbnb, DoorDash, Coinbase, and Instacart. In 2025, the company held its first spring round, which ran from April to June.

In this first round, YC focused particularly on creative applications of AI. Many startups are using agentic intelligence across industries—from cybersecurity to fintech to healthcare.

We sifted through YC's spring cohort and identified ten startups that could transform entire industries with AI agents. To reflect diversity, we selected several B2B startups, two from healthcare, and one each from fintech, consumer, and industrials.