Y Combinator S24 : Breaking Down the Top Startups

The companies for the YC summer 24 cohort have finally been announced. 

We decided to take a deeper dive into the companies that make up the current cohort of the world’s largest and most successful startup accelerator.

We tracked the YC companies from their inception and presented metrics below. 

Since all of these companies are early stage, we focused on the 3-4 most important areas that make sense at this stage: 

1. Monthly Web Traffic

2. Focus Areas

3. Founders’ previous companies

4. Founders’ previous universities

Let’s take a look at the web traffic which is one of the strongest indicators of a startup’s visibility.

Monthly Web Traffic:

1. NextUI: 665k

2. Wordware: 587k

3. Unriddle: 334k

4. Undermind: 36k

5. Comfy Deploy: 35k

6. BeeBettor: 22k

7. Merse: 20k

8. Laminar AI: 20k

9. Mito Health: 18k

10. Autarc: 17k

NextUI: A toolkit for building user interfaces in React using Tailwind CSS. It helps developers create responsive and customizable designs.

• Competitor Companies:

  Other UI libraries for React, such as Material-UI and Chakra UI.

  
  

• Differentiator:

  NextUI distinguishes itself by combining Tailwind CSS with React Aria to offer a fully-typed, developer-friendly experience with automatic dark mode and accessibility features built-in​

2. Wordware: An online platform where non-tech experts and AI engineers collaborate to build AI tools using a mix of plain English and code. It lets users create and share AI-powered apps.

   
   

   • Competitor Companies:

     Other platforms for AI collaboration and development.

   
   

   • Differentiator:

     Wordware's unique language, which merges plain English with programming concepts, sets it apart by making AI development accessible to non-technical users

3. Unriddle: A research assistant that helps academics find and understand insights in scientific papers, speeding up the research process.

   
   

   • Competitor Companies:

     Other AI-driven research tools, such as Semantic Scholar and Iris.ai.

   
   

   • Differentiator:

     Unriddle's differentiator lies in its ability to synthesize findings, highlight connections, and suggest related studies, significantly streamlining the research process

     
     

4. Undermind: A search engine designed for experts, such as research scientists and doctors, to find highly specific resources that address complex, high-stakes problems.

   
   

   • Competitor Companies: 

     Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, traditional academic search engines, and other AI-based retrieval platforms.

   
   

   • Differentiator: 

     Undermind differentiates itself by leveraging advanced LLMs that adaptively explore databases, providing search results that are 10-50x more effective than traditional keyword-based search and other modern AI retrieval methods. 

6. Comfy Deploy: A platform for teams to build and deploy AI-driven video and image projects. It turns custom workflows into scalable APIs.

   
   

   • Competitor Companies:

     Other platforms for AI  image and video workflow deployment 

   
   

   • Differentiator:

     Comfy Deploy differentiates itself by offering a managed platform specifically tailored to ComfyUI, providing features like one-click deployment of workflows as scalable APIs, team collaboration tools, version control, and access to cloud GPU resources, streamlining the process without the need for self-hosting​

   
   

7. BeeBettor: A platform where sports bettors can research, analyze, and sell their betting insights. It helps them create and share content to earn money from their expertise.

   
   

   • Competitor Companies:

     Other platforms that offer betting analytics and monetization

   
   

   • Differentiator:

     BeeBettor differentiates itself by combining research tools with built-in distribution features, enabling bettors to easily create and sell content

   
   

8. Merse: A platform for creating and experiencing comics with audio, where characters speak in different languages and sound effects are added. It lets creators generate comic panels, voices, and soundtracks.

   
   

   • Competitor Companies:

     Other platforms offering comics and creators to publish and earn money, such as WEBTOON.

   
   

   • Differentiator:

     Merse’s integration of audio-visual elements, including multilingual voiceovers and soundtracks, sets it apart by enhancing the storytelling experience.

   
   

9. Laminar: A tool for building and testing AI applications. It provides an interface, generates code, and offers features to manage and monitor projects.

   
   

   • Competitor Companies:

     Other platforms for AI application development, such as Streamlit and Gradio.

   
   

   • Differentiator:

     Laminar's unique feature is its ability to generate code directly into the user’s codebase, coupled with advanced evaluation tools and low-latency observability

   
   

10. Mito Health: A service that creates health plans based on your blood tests. It offers recommendations on supplements, diet, and exercise to improve health over time.

    
    

    • Competitor Companies:

      Other AI-driven health platforms, such as infervision and Arine

      
      

    • Differentiator:

      Mito Health stands out by focusing on personalized health insights based on blood biomarkers, with an emphasis on tracking biological age​

      
      

11. Autarc: A platform that integrates CRM, planning, and design tools to streamline the heat pump installation process using AI and LiDAR technology. It helps HVAC installers reduce project time by 50% and supports the transition to low-carbon homes.

    
    

    • Competitor Companies:

      Other process improvement and SaaS tools for HVAC operators like Stoercode, Edgar and Lichtbasis

    
    

    • Differentiator:

      Autarc stands out by offering an all-in-one platform that combines AI and LiDAR technology specifically for heat pump installations.

    
    

Now that we’ve seen the startups with the highest visibility, let’s take a look at the people that came up with these ideas. Where did they study and where did they work before deciding to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

Here’s what we found: 

Previous Companies of Founders:

A founder with confidence in their vision and possesses the ‘skills to pay the bills’ is the backbone of a successful startup. Nearly 50% of the founders in this cohort have worked at some of the world’s most renowned companies, with 27% coming from the big five tech giants—Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple. 

9% of founders have also worked in other prominent tech companies such as Tesla, Uber, SpaceX, Palantir and Stripe. 

Additionally, 10% of the founders have a history in investment banking or management consulting.

Alma Maters of Founders:

When it comes to education, Y Combinator continues to attract founders from top-tier institutions.

Approximately 15% of the cohort’s founders are alumni of leading tech universities like Stanford, MIT, CMU and Georgia Tech. Another 15% hail from Ivy League schools, emphasizing their preference for founders with prestigious academic credentials.

In conclusion, while AI is the star of the show in this year’s YC cohort, a large number of startups are led by founders with strong backgrounds - academically and professionally. It’s not groundbreaking, but it does reinforce the tried and tested formula: a solid product, industry expertise, and a strong educational foundation can still make all the difference if you're aiming for that elusive spot in YC.

About the data

The data seen above is from Crustdata - the most accurate realtime LinkedIn data source for growth and private equity investors. It indexes billions of public data points on companies every week to provide an edge over the private market