Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator held the second Demo Day for its Summer 2024 cohort on Thursday, and just like we saw on Day 1, AI is the focus of most startups in this cohort.
However, we did also find a few interesting startups that are working on cool tech like drones that can't be jammed, carpooling for freight, and weather prediction.
Here are the companies that stood out:
Entangl
What it does: Detects errors in engineering projects, proposes solutions and can even implement them itself
Why it’s a fave: I was intrigued when Entangl said it has talked to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy about automating data center verification. The fact that the startup already has deals with AWS and Vodafone is a big plus.
Exa Laboratories
What it does: Energy-efficient chips for AI
Why it’s a fave: One of the problems with AI is that it consumes a ton of energy. Early tests of Exa's chips purportedly show that they are nearly 28 times more efficient than Nvidia’s H100s. What’s better, says the startup, these chips can adapt to different models — you just need to configure them with software. Exa hopes to have them ready for usage by early 2025.
Kopra Bio
What it does: Developing an autoimmune therapy that kills cancer
Why it’s a fave: Keytruda and other autoimmune drugs have been a game-changer for many cancer patients, but there's still a long way to go. Kopra Bio says it's working on a drug that could change that. According to its founders, in early tests on animals, most were still alive after 250 days, while animals on an FDA-approved drug died in just 50 days. If the drug works the same way in humans, it could be a huge breakthrough for survival.
LedgerUp
What it does: AI bookkeeper for startups
Why it’s a fave: LedgerUp's AI promises to make bookkeeping easier for businesses. It can categorize transactions, find discounts and credits that you may have missed, manage invoices, and even manage taxes. I hope bookkeeping becomes a job nobody will miss.
OrgOrg
What it does: Offers a suite of productivity apps for growing organizations
Why it’s a fave: Wayne Crosby, OrgOrg’s founder, says that his company can help businesses streamline their app usage. While many businesses may be ready to consolidate their app vendors, what caught my eye about OrgOrg was Crosby’s background: The three-time founder took his first company through YC all the way back in 2007, and later sold it to Google, where it became Google Slides. This experience is bound to attract investor interest.
Oway
What it does: Carpooling for freight
Why it’s a fave: I’m a big fan of Uber Pool, so I was excited to learn about Oway. The startup lets small businesses share truck space and save money on shipping — ridesharing for freight, essentially. It's faster and cheaper — what's not to like about this?