# How to Build What YC Wants in 2025

> Breakdown of Y Combinator's 2025 Request for Startups themes and priorities

A framework summarizing Y Combinator's 2025 Request for Startups (RFS) focus areas. It emphasizes full job function automation over human copilot assistance, vertical-specific AI agents, and developer infrastructure for scaling AI. It is useful for founders aligning their product strategy with venture capital demand.

## The framework

1/ Big Themes from YC's Latest RFS:

- AI isn't just assisting humans anymore - it's replacing entire job functions

- Opportunity isn't in building better AI, it's in applying AI to specific industries

- Focus on infrastructure and tools that help AI scale

- System-level optimization is becoming critical again

2/ Most Interesting Opportunities:

\* AI App Store & Infrastructure

- Build the "operating system" for AI apps

- Focus on privacy, shared memory, and distribution

- Think iOS App Store but for AI agents

\* Vertical AI Agents

- Build AI that replaces specific job functions

- Focus on highly specialized tasks (tax accounting, medical billing)

- Don't just assist humans - fully automate the work

\* Developer Tools for AI

- Help developers manage teams of AI agents

- Build tools for deployment, testing, and monitoring

- Focus on making AI development easier and more reliable

3/ The Math Behind It:

- 4M people work in compliance/audit

- $8-50k/year spent on legal templates

- Entire job categories becoming automated

- Focus on high-value, repetitive work

4/ Non-Obvious Opportunities:

- Hardware-optimized AI code generation

- Data center automation

- AI-first document handling

- B2A (Business-to-Agent) infrastructure

5/ What Makes a Good YC AI Startup:

- Deep domain expertise in a vertical

- Focus on full automation, not assistance

- Clear path to revenue

- Infrastructure or tools that help AI scale

YC isn't looking for better AI - they're looking for better applications of existing AI.

## What it is for

- Brainstorm startup ideas aligned with Y Combinator's funding priorities
- Pivot an existing AI copilot into a fully automated vertical agent
- Structure an accelerator pitch deck around specific industry automation

## Key points

- Focus on full job function replacement instead of human-assistive copilots
- Prioritize vertical AI applications in fields like legal, tax, and medical billing
- Identify platform opportunities like an AI agent operating system and app store
- Highlight developer tooling for managing, testing, and deploying AI agent teams
- Explore non-obvious areas such as data center automation and hardware-optimized code generation

## Pricing

Free

## Details

- Type: Framework
- Category: [Business & Money](https://xiry.app/topics/business-money.md)
- Topic: [Startup Accelerators](https://xiry.app/topics/business-money/startup-accelerators.md)
- Open source: no
- Platforms: other
- For: Startup founders and software developers planning to apply to Y Combinator
- Tags: y combinator, startups, ai agents, fundraising, ideation

## Why it was saved

- [@elonmusk, 31 January 2025](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1885214111140548664): Directs what to build and pitch to YC this year

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Updated 11 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/how-to-build-what-yc-wants-in-2025

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