3
AI tools in use at Y Combinator
Y Combinator uses 3 AI tools: Cursor (AI Code Editors), Shortwave (AI Email Clients), and Motion (Operations). 2 are confirmed by a published story, quote or press release; 1 is listed on the vendor's own pages.Latest check Oct 4, 2026: 3 of 3 tools checked, from 4 public sources.
- Industry
- Investment & VC
- Website
- ycombinator.com
- AI tools in use
- 3Median for the 67 Investment & VC companies on usedby: 1
- Latest check
- October 4, 20263 of 3 tools checked so far
Every AI tool at Y Combinator
3 lines, each linked to the public page behind it. Open a row to see the dated capture.
| Tool | Team | First public proof | Proof | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cursor | AI Code Editors | On or before Mar 2025 | cursor.com | |
 Shortwave | AI Email Clients | — | shortwave.com | |
 Motion | Operations | — | usemotion.com |
“First public proof” is the earliest public page we have dated: a mention (“on or before”), a job post or a start the source states. Our capture dates are not adoption dates.
Y Combinator compared to other Investment & VC companies
Y Combinator uses 3 AI tools. The median among the 67 Investment & VC companies on usedby is 1. 50 of its 66 peers use fewer.
These counts cover public proof only. A company can use tools that no public page names.
AI tools per company
67 Investment & VC companies on usedby, by number of AI tools
- 44 companies with 1 tool
- 6 companies with 2 tools
- 6 companies with 3 tools
- 4 companies with 4 tools
- 1 company with 5 tools
- 1 company with 6 tools
- 4 companies with 7 tools
- 1 company with 8 tools
What its peers use that Y Combinator does not
Questions about AI at Y Combinator
What AI tools does Y Combinator use?
Y Combinator uses 3 AI tools: Cursor, Shortwave, and Motion. 2 are confirmed by a published story, quote or press release, and 1 is listed on the vendor's own pages.
Does Y Combinator use Harvey?
usedby has not found a public page showing that Y Combinator uses Harvey. Harvey is the most used AI tool among the 67 Investment & VC companies on usedby: 12 of them use it. See who uses Harvey.
How does Y Combinator compare to other Investment & VC companies?
Y Combinator uses 3 AI tools. The median among the 67 Investment & VC companies on usedby is 1, and 50 of its 66 peers use fewer tools. These counts cover public proof only.
How does usedby know which AI tools Y Combinator uses?
Each tool is linked to a public page that names Y Combinator: a vendor's customer page, a published case study, a press release or a job post. We save each page with a dated capture and check it again on each run. A tool leaves the list only after three checks in a row that no longer find Y Combinator, and at least 14 days after it was last seen. A tool with a published case study or quote is never removed automatically.