11 startups from YC Demo Day that investors are talking about

At Y Combinator’s Spring 2025 Demo Day, the majority of startups showcased were focused on AI, either developing AI agents or tools to support AI development. A notable trend was the emergence of startups creating specialized AI assistants modeled as “Cursor for X,” targeting specific professional domains such as knowledge workers (Den) and lawyers (Vessence). Besides AI, robotics also featured as a resurging area of interest. Among the startups attracting significant investor attention were Anvil, which offers SEO optimization tailored for AI-driven content discovery platforms; Atum Works, innovating 3D-stacked chips to overcome transistor scaling limits with potential to rival NVIDIA; and Auctor, which automates enterprise software implementation and has already drawn interest from major vendors like SAP and AWS. Other highlighted startups include Cactus, providing an AI copilot to help solopreneurs manage calls and payments; Den, considered one of the hottest companies for its AI agents designed to replace tools like Slack and Notion for enterprise