📝 Highlighting 5 YC Startups

In partnership with

1. Atum Works – 3D Nano‑Lithography for Next‑Gen Chips 🔬

What they do: Instead of the traditional 2D lithography used in semiconductor manufacturing, Atum Works prints transistors in three dimensions, enabling more density, performance, and potential cost savings.

Why it matters:

• As Moore’s Law slows, 3D stacking offers a path forward by scaling vertically, not just shrinking features.

• They report ~100 nm resolution across full-wafer prints and aim to cut chip production costs by up to 90%.

• Backed by NASA and Caltech engineers and already shipping products this year, with early interest from Nvidia.

Outlook:
This approach could be a paradigm shift in semiconductor fabrication—potentially positioning Atum Works as a future leader in chipmaking, bridging performance needs with cost-efficiency.

2. Den – AI‑Native Workspace with Agent‑Driven Workflows

What they do: A unified platform combining Slack, Notion, and AI agents to let knowledge workers interact naturally with company data and automate workflows via conversational prompts.

Why it matters:

• Functions as a “Cursor for knowledge workers,” enabling employees to offload repetitive tasks to AI.

• Investors label it one of the hottest companies in the batch.

• Already integrated at top-tier customers like YC itself, Firecrawl, and Cubic.

Outlook:
Den’s ability to fuse task automation, real-time collaboration, and natural language interfaces could disrupt how companies handle internal communication and productivity tools.

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3. Sim Studio – Open‑Source, Figma‑Style AI Agent Builder

What they do: Provides a drag-and-drop, visual interface for designing, testing, and deploying AI agent workflows, akin to Figma but for multi-step, automated processes.

Why it matters:

• Abstracts away code complexity behind intuitive canvas-based workflows.

• Rapid adoption: 4,000+ users on hosted platform, 2.5k+ GitHub stars.

• Supports actions like Slack/Gmail integration, scheduling, webhooks, and API deployment.

• Community feedback praises its ease of use, transparency, and flexibility .

Outlook:
Sim Studio could emerge as the go-to framework for democratizing the design of AI workflows—making agent building accessible to developers, teams, and enterprises alike.

4. Scalar Field – AI‑Powered Trading Terminal

What they do: Reinvents financial terminals (like Bloomberg) by enabling users to directly interrogate market hypotheses using intelligent agents and dynamically manipulate data.

Why it matters:

• Trusted by 800+ traders, generating ~US $74 k/mo revenue.

• Agents allow multi-step logic—e.g., alerting when ETF flows change and earnings dip—and can backtest and trigger trades.

• Reduces friction by enabling hypothesis testing within the tool versus sifting through static dashboards .

Outlook:
Transformative potential in fintech: shaping a new era where traders interact dynamically with data, focus on insights, and conduct smarter, faster decision-making.

5. Anvil – SEO for the AI Search Era

What they do: Tracks and optimizes brand visibility within AI-driven search platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity—akin to Ahrefs or Search Console but for LLMs .

Why it matters:

• As search shifts toward AI/chat interfaces, brands lose visibility unless optimized for AI, not just Google.

• Anvil provides monitoring, benchmarking, and optimization tools tailored to LLM output.

• Positioned as a critical tool for AI-native marketing strategies moving forward.

Outlook:
With AI search adoption accelerating, Anvil stands to become essential for companies aiming to maintain discoverability and growth in an AI-first web environment.

Are you looking to grow your business? Here is how I can help:

📱Book a Strategy Call to get 1:1 feedback on your pitch, pitch deck and/or fundraising strategy. (If you need general startup advice, then reply to this email, and I’ll let you know if/how I can help.)

Onwards and Upwards,

Liam Gill