Comment by byoung2

1 day ago

The recent batches all use the following formulas which I don't find particularly interesting:

  AI native ______ for _______
  ______ for AI agents
  AI _______ for _______

https://www.ycombinator.com/companies?batch=Winter%202027&ba...

9 comments

byoung2

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dang  1 day ago

Isn't that how every major tech wave works? "Thing, but for $X" is what everyone was doing when $X was personal computing, the web, mobile.

  • AnimalMuppet  1 day ago

    Sure, but how many of those were YC-worthy?

    • byoung2  1 day ago

      Exactly, and the formula in the past was less "[hot new tech] for [some industry]" back in the day, and more "[problem solved] for [target audience]". Maybe it is just the wording that I object to, and not the substance of the startup's solution to the problem?

      I guess I don't care about today's "AI agent for the agricultural industry" as much as I cared about yesterday's "Tool to help farmers plan crop rotation".

    • dang  1 day ago

      "$Foo for $Bar" has always been a common formula for startups that are just getting going, including in YC. I think you guys are rewriting the past a bit here.

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