Y Combinator (YC) has revealed the list of companies in its Winter 2024 (W24) class, which includes 260 startups selected from over 27,000 applications. This batch marks a continued emphasis on AI, with at least 50% of companies focusing on AI-driven solutions across various industries. 

Why so much AI for YC? It’s simple: YC invests in the best founders in the world, and many of today’s best founders are choosing to build in AI. These founders are constantly discovering new, incredible, practical uses for AI and LLMs that solve problems across industries. We can now do things with software that weren’t possible just a year or two ago — and we’re still in the very early days! AI is a catalyst unlike anything we’ve seen in a long, long time; what the Internet did for startups in the 90s, and smartphones did in the 2000s, AI is doing once again.

Garry Tan, Y Combinator

In terms of company verticals, the largest share was represented by B2B SaaS / Enterprise at 65%, followed by Consumer at 11%, Healthcare at 10%, Fintech at 8%, Industrials at 4%, and both Govtech and Edtech at 1% each.

Based on our analysis of the companies listed in YC W24, we have identified the following key highlights in naming and domain name usage.

Domain Names Highlights

Out of the 248 companies in Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 list, 132 have chosen .com domains. The .com extension has dominated the internet for decades and continues to be the most memorable and widely recognised by internet users globally.

The .ai extension is used by 58 companies, which comes as no surprise given the high number of AI-focused startups on the list. The .ai domain has gained popularity among tech startups due to its connection with artificial intelligence and its availability, but it is actually a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Anguilla and may become limiting as a company grows and expands globally.

68 companies have invested in Exact Brand Match (EBM) domains to strengthen their online presence. An EBM domain is important for ensuring that a business is easily found online, as it directly matches what customers typically enter when searching for the company.

Many startups begin with domains that include additional words or alternate extensions when their EBM domain is unavailable or out of their budget. Often, they invest in an EBM domain later in their growth stage, once they’ve established themselves in the market and have the resources to make a strategic upgrade. As their business grows and their brand strengthens, acquiring an EBM domain becomes a priority to enhance credibility and online visibility.

6 companies incorporate dashes in their domain names. However, adding hyphens is generally discouraged as it complicates the domain for users, who often overlook the dash when typing in a web address.

Naming Trends in Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 (W24) list

Short and Catchy Names

Many W24 startups are opting for short, memorable names that are easy to pronounce and spell.

Examples include Fume, Pico, Ryse, Rove, Verse, Yarn, xPay, Zep, Alai, Taiki, Abel, Dime, Open, Sync, Zaymo, Topo, Tile, Ego.

AI-Centric Names

With over 50% of the companies focusing on AI-driven solutions, many names incorporate terms or references to artificial intelligence. Startups are increasingly choosing names that highlight their tech capabilities, signalling innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Examples include CommodityAI, Retell AI, camelAI, Amber AI, Centauri AI, Soundry AI, HostAI, Infinity AI.

Dictionary Words as Brand Names

Using dictionary words as brand names is a popular choice among companies because these words are globally recognisable, easy to remember, and simple to share. 

Examples include Tower, Million, Forge, Reform, Magic Hour, Aqua Voice, DeepNight, Titan, Sample, BetterBasket, Aftercare, Double, Garage.

Personal Names as Brand Names

Some companies on the list have chosen personal names as their brand identity to create a sense of proximity and trust with their audience. Using a personal name often conveys authenticity and a human connection, making the brand feel more relatable and approachable to consumers. 

Examples include Pico, Toma, Amber AI, Abel, Andy AI, Hazel, Dime, Aidy, Maia, Sonia, Leya. 

Namepicks

Toma

Toma is an AI-driven phone call automation service designed for auto dealerships. Toma’s AI agents handle customer calls, schedule appointments, qualify leads, and respond to inquiries 24/7, providing an efficient and cost-effective solution for managing customer communication. In February 2024, Toma secured $500,000 in Pre-Seed funding from Vijay Krishnan and Y Combinator. 

Toma began because we believed that voice AI was the best way for busy businesses to interact with their customers, instead of putting them on hold or making them wait for an email response.

Toma

Toma initially launched on the domain Toma.so, the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Somalia, but later invested in its Exact Brand Match (EBM) domain, Toma.com. 

Using a personal name as a brand name, like “Toma,” adds a sense of familiarity and trust, making it easier for clients to connect with and remember the company. Toma.com, as a CVCV (consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel) domain, has a positive, rhythmic sound that resonates with customers across different languages and cultures. This CVCV naming strategy is also employed by iconic brands like Nike, Dove, Visa, Sony, Lego, Bose, and Puma to boost their global appeal.

Openmart

Openmart was founded in 2023 by Kathryn Wu and Richard He. The inspiration for the company traces back to 2020, when Kathryn Wu, then working at Pinterest, launched a milk tea business and faced the challenge of navigating a fragmented market and finding retailers’ contact information. This experience sparked the idea, and three years later, she teamed up with Richard He to create Openmart.

Positioning itself as an AI-driven alternative to ZoomInfo, Openmart queries millions of unstructured data points from sources like websites, business filings, maps, and reviews, building a comprehensive database of local businesses for sales professionals. Users specify the types of businesses they want to target, and Openmart provides a detailed list of sales leads, including contact information.

Since its launch, Openmart has experienced rapid growth, attracting both Fortune 500 companies and emerging startups. In August, the company raised $2.75 million in seed funding from investors, including Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Afore Capital, UpHonest Capital, and others. Initially launched with a .ai domain, popular among AI startups, Openmart upgraded to Openmart.com to reflect its rapid growth and expanding presence.

Apriora

Apriora is an AI-driven platform that conducts live interviews through an AI recruiter, helping companies streamline their hiring processes and make faster, more informed decisions. The AI recruiter engages in real-time video calls with candidates, asking customised or recommended interview questions based on the job description. It also personalises follow-up questions dynamically during the interview based on the candidate’s responses.

Apriora’s AI recruiter has already conducted thousands of interviews across industries like engineering, IT, retail, hospitality, and more, providing companies with a powerful tool to assess candidates quickly and effectively.

Traditionally in recruitment, there is a limit on the number of candidates that a recruiter can talk to in a day. Apriora is a game changer, with every interested candidate being considered for the role.

Brian Cunningham, Managing Director, Allen Recruitment

In May 2024, Apriora raised a $2.8M seed round, led by 1984 Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, HOF Capital, Pioneer Fund, and several angel investors. 

The company operates under the domain Apriora.ai but also owns the EBM domain Apriora.com. Having a good domain strategy is essential for any business serious about maintaining a consistent and strong presence, as it enhances brand credibility and ensures a seamless online experience for users.

Greenboard

Greenboard was founded in 2023 to build an all-in-one operating system for financial back-offices. It enables financial institutions to replace outdated software with an AI-native compliance operating system for use cases like Know Your Employee (KYE) and Communications Archiving. 

In May 2024, Greenboard raised $4.5 million in a Series Seed funding round led by Base 10 Partners, with participation from Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Wayfinder Ventures, Liquid2 Ventures, Twenty Two Ventures, Rogue Capital, Transpose Platform, and others.

We founded Greenboard after witnessing how cumbersome and outdated compliance software is at most financial firms. This fundraise, along with our partnership with Base10, will help us enable financial institutions to operate their back office teams at a higher standard, with half of the headcount. We’re starting with compliance, where we see incredible need from an underserved set of users.

Dave Feldman, Co-founder and CEO of Greenboard

Greenboard operates under the EBM domain Greenboard.com. Domains .com with dictionary words are highly valuable because they are easily recognisable globally, memorable, and convey authority, making them ideal for building a strong online presence.

MathDash

MathDash is an online math-competition platform designed to make learning fun and engaging. It provides students with the opportunity to dive into interesting math concepts, demonstrate their progress, and develop problem-solving skills while enjoying friendly competition with their peers. 

The platform was founded by Daniel Sun and Akshaj Kadaveru, who met online in 2011 as two of the top players in an online math racing game. After playing a combined 20,000 games, they met in person at the Math Olympiad Summer Program and later at MIT, where they earned numerous national and international math accolades.

Doing math competitions and playing math games helped us learn the problem solving skills we needed to go to MOP and graduate top of our class at MIT. Now, we are building the math platform that we would have loved to have when we were learning math.

Akshaj and Daniel

You can find MathDash at their EBM domain, MathDash.com. Most of the top edtech companies use EBM domains to protect their brand identity, making it easier for users to access their platforms while enhancing credibility and recognition in the market.

While we make every effort to ensure the data on our site is accurate, complete, and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its reliability. Our data is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, or other advice. We strongly recommend that you independently verify any information before relying on it.

The right domain name is an important consideration when it comes to building and protecting your brand. If you’re ready to take the next step and invest in a perfect domain name for your business, contact us to learn more about our available options and how we can help you get started.

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