Smart Home Assistants Startups funded by Y Combinator (YC) 2026

We build humanoid robots that do your chores at iPhone prices. Just like the millions of cars generating data for self-driving, we need millions of humanoids generating real-world data for general-purpose robotics. Humanoid companies today can only manufacture hundreds a year because motors are expensive and slow to assemble. We use artificial muscles. Each muscle is just a tube wrapped in braided fibre, and the whole robot is powered by a single pump — which means we can mass-produce humanoids by the millions. Our design is built for that scale from day one and is cheap enough to enter billions of homes.

We're a SaaS company with emphasis on Service, and we have a mission: to improve the happiness of scientists and the quality of their research. HappiLabs provides a service called the Virtual Lab Manager. We offer PhD level, former scientists to help with safety and regulatory, product research, lab shopping, negotiating, purchasing, inventory, and bookkeeping. Our software tools, such as the ETA Dashboard and the HappiApp, make it easy to request purchases, manage inventory, and check-in packages upon delivery. HappiLabs also has one of the most extensive databases of product prices. These tools, and experienced humans, make us the smartest lab managers in the world. Another way to think of us is an outsourced purchasing department and/or a personal assistant for your scientists. Based in Chicago, and some presence in San Francisco. If you're a newly funded PI, a startup, small biotech, or work with purchasing as a big pharma/biotech, you can use our help.

It combines the latest adaptive learning and Natural Language Understanding technology with pedagogical content as well as on-demand human instructors to offer its students affordable, personalized, 1:1 learning. Based in San Francisco, the company was funded by General Catalyst, Y Combinator, Google Assistant Investments Program, and several other investors. Over 800 thousand students have improved their English with Edwin. In early 2020 Edwin merged with MyBuddy.ai. The resulting company kept the name “Buddy.ai”. Headquartered in San Francisco, it focuses on building a virtual English conversation partner for over 500 million children around the globe who are trying to learn English, but can't reach fluency because they lack genuine practice speaking the language. The company doubled down on its mobile app Buddy, the voice-based English tutor for kids, organically combining solutions developed by Buddy.ai and Edwin.

Stop break-ins before they happen. Kuna is the first effective break-in prevention solution for home security. Kuna is a smart Wi-Fi camera and video intercom built into an elegant outdoor light. It detects people at your door and lets you see and interact with them through your smartphone. Think of it as a digital doorman. And the best part, it's super easy to install. No need to run power wires or drill holes. Just replace your old light fixture. Check us out at www.getkuna.com, spread the word and help us bring Kuna to the world. Thanks.