Paul Graham says your curiosity is the best way to tell what’s worth paying attention to. So when I scrolled through the YC directory this morning, I let curiosity lead me to the coolest startups.

Since we dug into the W25 cohort two weeks ago, many more startups have launched their product. This morning, I looked at around 50 of them. Here are my favorites:

Closure

Crime has spiked in many of our big cities. And despite all the forensics and fibers and whatnot, homicide clearance rates are actually way down in recent decades.

Lately, I’ve been looking for companies that are applying AI to help cops solve crimes. Using AI to crunch tons of surveillance video, witness reports, and other evidence could help nail criminals faster.

Excellence Learning

Lately, I’ve been using Gemini Live and ChatGPT Advanced Voice to tutor me. I’ve learned a lot about missile defense and plan to get a primer on CRISPR soon.

You can stop the AI at any time and ask questions. It’s a wonderful way to learn.

So I got to thinking…how can we apply this to K-12 education?

Excellence Learning is making it happen. They combine structured AI tools for math and science with human tutors.

I love that combo. An AI can practice with the students for as many hours as they need. Then, a human teacher can fill in gaps and help them stay motivated.

Improve their kid’s grades and a parent will give you money. This could be a great business.

Artificial Societies

When a startup seems weird and hard to understand at first, that’s when I sit up and pay attention.

Take Airbnb…you’re going to rent out strangers’ spare rooms? Pretty weird.

But the weird ones produce the giant returns.

So when I saw Artificial Societies, I was intrigued. These guys are using AI to simulate entire human societies.

To start with, their helping people simulate how LinkedIn content will perform with their audience. Over time, they want to simulate all forms of group behavior. From their YC page:

“Our vision is a world where all content, products, and policies are first simulated in an Artificial Society.”

The human mind is the last frontier. If Artificial Societies can help us understand group behavior better, it will be an incredible achievement.

Wrap-Up

For me, scrolling through the YC directory is like being a kid in a candy store. “I want that one! Ooh, and that one!”

I’ll be contacting each of these 3 companies today so I can learn more.

I’m so grateful for awesome founders like these who are building ambitious things. And as much as we investors whine about the valuations sometimes, I’m grateful for YC.

No one else supports new founders at this kind of scale.

What are your favorite companies in W25?

More on tech:

The Coolest Startups from YC W25

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