Investor directory

Y Combinator

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator based in Mountain View, California, founded in 2005. It has pioneered a new funding model for early-stage startups by investing a modest amount of capital, typically around $150,000, in a large number of companies twice a year. Over a three-month program, Y Combinator collaborates closely with these startups to prepare them for investor pitches and enhance their business strategies. Each funding cycle concludes with Demo Day, where startups present to an exclusive audience of investors. Y Combinator focuses on various sectors, including business software, education, healthcare, and financial technology, among others. In addition to initial funding, it offers ongoing support through its extensive alumni network. Since its inception, Y Combinator has funded over 630 startups, contributing significantly to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Focus

Seed RoundPre Seed RoundSeries AEarly VentureScale StageShow more
http://ycombinator.com
https://angel.co/company/y-combinator
https://crunchbase.com/organization/y-combinator
https://facebook.com/ycombinator
https://linkedin.com/company/y-combinator
https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/40420-36
https://signal.nfx.com/firms/y-combinator
https://twitter.com/ycombinator
https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/company.aspx?companyId=32514318
https://www.privateequityinternational.com/database/#/profile?id=14195

Gustaf Alstromer

Group Partner

Matt Bogrand

Associate, YC Continuity Fund

Timothy Brady

Partner

Craig R. Cannon

Director of Marketing

Adora Cheung

Partner

Nic Dardenne

Principal

Aaron Epstein

Group Partner

Brad Flora

Group Partner

Jared Friedman

Managing Director, Software and Group Partner

Aaron Harris

Partner

Carolynn Levy

Partner

Bradford (Brad) Lightcap

Associate, YC Continuity

Kat Manalac

Managing Partner

Eric Migicovsky

Partner

Kirsty Nathoo

Partner

Verena Prescher

Director of Finance

Geoff Ralston

president

Ali Rowghani

Managing Partner

Arnav Sahu

Principal

Michael Seibel

Managing Director

Harj Taggar

Partner

Past deals in AR and VR

Ardis AI

Seed Round in 2020
Ardis AI develops a toolkit for natural language understanding that extracts structured information from raw text. Ardis AI's software builds a simulation, it understands the goals, beliefs, and assertions of the people discussed in the text, it reasons about spatial and temporal relationships, and stores and learns from its experiences.

Rosebud AI

Seed Round in 2020
Rosebud AI, Inc. is a company based in San Francisco that specializes in developing software for creating digital avatars and models tailored for various purposes. Their platform enables users to customize avatars based on demographic factors, age, and style, making visual content creation more accessible. The company aims to democratize visual storytelling for brands of all sizes, leveraging artificial intelligence to simplify the process of generating game assets and other digital visuals. Additionally, Rosebud AI facilitates the creation of non-fungible token (NFT) collections without requiring users to have extensive technical knowledge of smart contracts or Web3 technologies. By combining traditional computer graphics techniques with advanced AI research, the company empowers creators to animate historical photos and enhance artistic expression.

Museum of Future Experiences

Seed Round in 2019
Museum of Future Experiences operates a virtual reality (VR) stimulation museum. The company crafts and distributes multi-sensory theater services and allows customers to explore surroundings through cerebral exploration, including individual analysis, audio-visual stimulation, and VR stimulations. The company was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Ramen VR

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Design and development of computer game software and virtual reality software. Games and online worlds have great potential in shaping how people behave, both positively, and negatively. We are designing and developing software that will allow us to create virtual societies that enable citizens of our virtual worlds to discover themselves. We believe that friendships, positive experiences, and behaviors that are built in VR, will spill over to reality, allowing users to become more fulfilled, happy, and confident individuals. Our vision is to create connected virtual worlds that empower people to be their best, most authentic selves.

rct AI

Venture Round in 2019
rct AI is providing AI solutions to the game industry and building the true Metaverse with AI generated content. By using cutting-edge technologies, especially deep learning and reinforcement learning, rct AI creates a truly dynamic and intelligent user experience both on the consumers’ side and production’s side. The founding team ever built a company, Raventech together and helped make it acquired by Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) in 2017.

rct AI

Seed Round in 2019
rct AI is providing AI solutions to the game industry and building the true Metaverse with AI generated content. By using cutting-edge technologies, especially deep learning and reinforcement learning, rct AI creates a truly dynamic and intelligent user experience both on the consumers’ side and production’s side. The founding team ever built a company, Raventech together and helped make it acquired by Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) in 2017.

Aura Vision

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Aura Vision Labs Ltd develops a video AI platform designed to enhance in-store analytics for retailers and brands. By utilizing existing security cameras, the platform transforms video feeds into actionable insights that inform critical retail decisions. It enables users to track customer journeys, analyzing how customers and employees navigate stores and interact with products, which helps identify factors influencing conversion rates. The platform also measures the impact of marketing campaigns over various locations and time periods, providing a comprehensive view of store performance. Established in 2017 and headquartered in London, with additional offices in San Francisco, Aura Vision's solutions cater to retail operations and shopping malls, ultimately aiming to improve the overall shopping experience.

echo3D

Pre Seed Round in 2018
EchoAR is an AR-first content management system (CMS) and delivery network (CDN) which helps companies scale their AR solutions. The company enables developers to build their AR app backend in minutes and allows their clients to easily upload, manage, and publish content to the AR app without involving development teams. Founded in 2018 by Alon Grinshpoon, Ben Pedazur, and Koren Grinshpoon, echoAR is headquartered in New York.

Augmented Radar Imaging

Seed Round in 2018
Augmented Radar Imaging is building safety and autonomy-enabling next-generation radar systems. Augmented Radar Imaging delivers radar and advanced machine learning algorithms to power autonomous vehicles and warehouse robots.

Ixora

Seed Round in 2018
They build highly detailed, immersive virtual environments for all forms of digital media. Ixora is a service designed for creators -- no technical ability required.

Miru

Seed Round in 2018
Miru is a United States-based company that specializes in augmented reality technology, offering an application that enables users to visualize how various pieces of furniture will appear in their homes. The application facilitates this experience by allowing users to select items from multiple retailer websites, enhancing the decision-making process for home furnishings.

Plexus Immersive Corp

Seed Round in 2018
Plexus Immersive Corp. provides high performance VR/AR gloves to feel the digital reality. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in San Francisco, California with additional office in London, United States with additional office in London, United Kingdom.

Send Reality

Seed Round in 2018
Send Reality Inc. develops 3D-modeling for virtual walkthroughs of residential real estate listings. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in Stanford, California.

Supermedium

Seed Round in 2018
Supermedium is building a space of immersive VR utilities starting with a comic book reader. From the pioneers of WebVR and creators of A-Frame (https://aframe.io).

Arrow

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Arrow is a platform for augmented reality video sharing.

Psylaris

Seed Round in 2018
Psylaris offers Innovative VR solutions to boost mental well-being.

Sketchbox

Seed Round in 2018
Sketchbox Inc. specializes in designing and developing software tools for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) storyboarding. Founded in 2017 and based in San Francisco, California, the company offers a platform that enables users to create storyboards and prototypes while importing models, images, and 3D content. The software supports vector drawing and scene building specifically for VR and AR environments. With a growing user base of over 2,000 designers, Sketchbox has identified that its most engaged users spend an average of 3.5 hours per week on the platform. Notable companies, including Microsoft and Oculus, have tested the software, highlighting its potential in a burgeoning market that Sketchbox estimates to be worth $6 billion. The company envisions a future where AR and VR designers become as prevalent as web and graphic designers today.

Jido Inc.

Seed Round in 2018
Jido is bringing in the next wave of AR where digital content can have a shared and persistent life in the real world. Our API uses intimate understanding of a users spatial context to preserve AR experiences across users and devices. Our research team came out of the Stanford Artifical Intelligence Labs and the Cornell Robot Learning Lab.

Escher Reality

Seed Round in 2017
Escher Reality, Inc develops augmented reality API. It builds a cross-platform toolkit and custom backend for mobile AR developers. The company was incorporated in 2016 and is based in Sunnyvale, California. As of February 1, 2018, Escher Reality, Inc operates as a subsidiary of Niantic, Inc.

Wavy Music

Seed Round in 2017
Wavy Music is an app that gives people a new way to experience music through AR. We work with musicians to create AR experiences set to their songs, empowering them to connect with their fans on a deeper level.

Pantheon

Seed Round in 2017
Pantheon is a virtual reality app that allows anyone to create and share their own VR games.

SkyLights

Seed Round in 2017
SkyLights Inc. specializes in developing cinematic virtual reality (VR) solutions aimed at enhancing passenger entertainment during flights, in lounges, on trains, and aboard cruises. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional offices in Paris and Toulouse, the company operates as a subsidiary of Skylights SAS, which was established in 2014. SkyLights designs VR headsets and software that allow passengers to enjoy both 2D and 3D movies, effectively creating an immersive experience that helps them disengage from their travel environment. The company offers a subscription service to airlines, which includes content licensing, software development, and headset integration, ensuring a comprehensive in-flight entertainment solution. By providing multilingual audio and subtitles, SkyLights aims to deliver an engaging cinematic experience tailored for diverse audiences.

InsiteVR

Seed Round in 2016
InsiteVR helps architects and 3D designers easily create immersive virtual reality experiences. At InsiteVR.com architects and 3D designers can upload existing 3D models, which are then converted and optimized for viewing in virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard or simply on mobile devices. Trying to understand 3D spaces by looking at static two-dimensional pictures is not intuitive. Communicating those 3D designs to a client, friend or colleague who isn't trained to understand 3D space isn't always trivial either. With virtual reality, architects and designers can effortlessly communicate the essence of their designs, save time and feel confident their viewer understands the design.

ConstructVR

Seed Round in 2016
The simplest way for businesses to test, manage, and deploy enterprise in-house VR apps at scale.

ScopeAR

Seed Round in 2015
Scope AR provides the world’s most advanced Augmented Reality Training Solutions. They are leading the way in this emerging market, using the latest in augmented glasses and software to provide an incredible real-time 3D overlay training solution. Scope AR is working with some of the world’s leading multi-national companies and government agencies to provide custom state-of-the-art training systems while continuing to innovate and create novel Augmented Reality Training Solutions.

InsiteVR

Seed Round in 2015
InsiteVR helps architects and 3D designers easily create immersive virtual reality experiences. At InsiteVR.com architects and 3D designers can upload existing 3D models, which are then converted and optimized for viewing in virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard or simply on mobile devices. Trying to understand 3D spaces by looking at static two-dimensional pictures is not intuitive. Communicating those 3D designs to a client, friend or colleague who isn't trained to understand 3D space isn't always trivial either. With virtual reality, architects and designers can effortlessly communicate the essence of their designs, save time and feel confident their viewer understands the design.

Meta View

Series A in 2015
Meta View is an electronic company that provides augmented and virtual reality solutions for various businesses in the United States. It offers wearable devices that provide augmented and virtual reality experience and other gadgets based on machine learning and artificial intelligence. Ben Sand, Meron Gribetz, and Raymond Lo founded Meta View in 2019. It has its headquarters in San Mateo in California.

Avametric

Seed Round in 2014
Avametric, Inc., a fashion software company, develops cloth simulation technology that creates digital garments for the fashion and apparel industries. The company’s platform reproduces real world equivalents from the estimates of body size and shape measurements that users share online. Its technology enables brands to deliver 3D renderings of their apparel and accessories on customizable digital body models for web, mobile, and AR. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. As of October 4, 2018, Avametric, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Gerber Technology LLC.

Meta View

Seed Round in 2013
Meta View is an electronic company that provides augmented and virtual reality solutions for various businesses in the United States. It offers wearable devices that provide augmented and virtual reality experience and other gadgets based on machine learning and artificial intelligence. Ben Sand, Meron Gribetz, and Raymond Lo founded Meta View in 2019. It has its headquarters in San Mateo in California.

MyVR

Seed Round in 2012
MyVR is a cloud-based platform designed for vacation rental businesses, enabling them to manage multiple marketing channels such as Airbnb, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, and Booking.com from a single dashboard. The platform helps streamline and automate daily operations, allowing businesses to save time and reduce errors while enhancing the overall traveler experience. Additionally, MyVR provides users with the ability to create their own online presence, fostering direct sales opportunities. Its open architecture allows for seamless integration with various applications and services, making it a versatile solution for short-term rental management.

Arc

Seed Round in 2012
Arc is an autonomous drone company.

OmniVirt

Seed Round in 2012
OmniVirt's technology enables any digital marketer to create and distribute immersive ads (360° / 3D / VR / AR) that deliver 10X greater performance than traditional advertising. OmniVirt’s advanced technology in 360° / 3D rendering is ad platform agnostic, 99% browser compatible, and trusted by world-class publishers such as The New York Times, WSJ, Washington Post, Forbes, and more.