Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator held its second Demo Day for its Summer 2024 cohort on Thursday, and as we saw on Day 1, AI remains a focus for most startups in this cohort.
But we also discovered some interesting startups working on cool technologies like unobtrusive drones, cargo carpooling, and weather forecasting.
Some companies that stand out are:
function: Detect errors in engineering projects, propose solutions, and even implement them yourself.
Why it’s popular: I was intrigued when Entangl said he spoke with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy about automating data center validation. The fact that the startup already has deals in place with AWS and Vodafone is a huge plus.
function: Energy efficient chips for AI
Why it’s popular: One of the problems with AI is that it consumes enormous amounts of energy. Early tests of the Exa chip show it to be nearly 28 times more efficient than NVIDIA’s H100. What’s even better is that these chips are adaptable to a variety of models. All you have to do is configure it with software. Exa hopes to have it ready for use by early 2025.
function: Development of autoimmune treatment that kills cancer
Why it’s popular: Keytruda and other autoimmune drugs have made a world of difference for many cancer patients, but there is still a long way to go. CopraBio is developing a drug that can change this. While most in early animal studies were still alive after 250 days, animals treated with the FDA-approved drug died after just 50 days. If the drug works the same way in humans, it could be a major breakthrough in survival.
function: AI bookkeeping for startups
Why it’s popular: LedgerUp’s AI promises to make business bookkeeping easier. You can categorize your transactions, find discounts and credits you may have missed, manage your invoices, and even manage your taxes. I hope bookkeeping becomes a job that no one misses.
function: Provides a suite of productivity apps for growing organizations
Why it’s popular: Wayne Crosby, founder of OrgOrg, says his company can help businesses streamline their use of apps. Many companies are ready to integrate app providers, but what caught my eye about OrgOrg was Crosby’s background. A three-time entrepreneur, he acquired his first company through YC in 2007 and then sold it to Google, which became Google. slide. This experience will attract the attention of investors.
function: cargo carpool
Why it’s popular: I’m a huge fan of Uber Pool, so I was excited to learn about Oway. The startup allows small and medium-sized businesses to share truck space and save on transportation costs. It’s basically a cargo sharing service. It’s faster and cheaper. Why don’t you like this?
function: Basic model for weather prediction
Why it’s popular: Silurian’s founders previously helped build Microsoft Research’s Aurora, one of the world’s most accurate weather forecast models. But four months ago they left the tech giant to build their own weather prediction engine. They claim that this engine is a much better predictor than the Aurora. The company is building a baseline model to simulate the entire Earth and is targeting weather first.
function: Development of uninterrupted drones
Why it’s popular: Drones have changed the landscape of warfare. It can monitor enemies in real time and attack targets with pinpoint accuracy, while reducing the need to put pilots at risk. But there’s a problem. There are many ways to sabotage a drone, rendering it useless. This became a big problem during the Russia-Ukraine war. Theseus claims that the drones can avoid jamming even when the enemy is Russia.
function: Reduce congestion and accidents with smart traffic lights
Why it’s popular: Controlling traffic lights with AI sounds like a perfect application for this technology. Xtraffic says it’s already doing this in several cities in Texas. I hope they get to my town in California too. Because you are definitely tired of waiting for the traffic light to turn green when there are no other cars around.
