The 11 standout startups from YC’s Demo Day, according to VCs

TechCrunch spoke to investors to find the hottest startups in the Spring 2026 YC batch. Some of them commanded valuations of over $175 million, VCs said.

From Moon hotels to cattle herding: 8 startups investors chased at YC Demo Day

We polled nearly a dozen VCs to find out which W26 startups are the sought after in the batch.