Augmented Reality Startups funded by Y Combinator (YC) 2026

We build centimeter-accurate 3D maps of underground utilities, to help construction contractors dig safer and faster. With underground intelligence, contractors can avoid utility strikes, which cause $30B in damages and 20 deaths every year in the US.

Weel is the next-generation all-in-one driver co-pilot that redefines your driving experience by turning your smartphone into a complete safety and navigation hub. Our free app offers a built-in dashcam with easy video sharing, a smart navigation system, and advanced AI features—such as augmented reality navigation and ADAS—that reduce your risk by up to 30%. Say goodbye to expensive dashcams and complex setups – with Weel, you get complete driving safety and guidance in one free smartphone app.

Pickle is a personal, memory-based operating system, the missing layer of AI that continuously learns your real-world context, preferences, and intent, enabling AI to evolve with you and become truly proactive rather than reactive. Our system spans both software (Chat, our web-based creative intelligence app) and hardware (Pickle 1, our AI-powered AR glasses) to capture different layers of personal context. Together, they form the foundation of a real personal intelligence.

Illuminant Surgical is building a new way of seeing inside the human body. Our breakthrough platform, Skylight™, is the first real-time anatomical projection system, displaying images directly on the patient to give doctors an x-ray vision view for safer interventions.

Filta is the face filter NFT marketplace being built by veterans from Pixar/Oculus/Facebook. We partner with creators to release limited-edition filters for their fans to use on social media. It turns out: the face filters you see everywhere on Snapchat and Instagram are created by independent artists - not by the platforms. These artists ALMOST NEVER get money for their work - which is insane! Filta fixes this by giving these creators a marketplace and the best filter creation tool anywhere. Interested in working on the future of digital fashion, AR/VR, and web3? Hit us up. We're hiring.

LightTwist let you record and stream your show in a realistic virtual studio, even if your guests and co-hosts are remote. All you need is a camera, a browser, and LightTwist.

ZETA SURGICAL is redefining the standard of care for image-guided surgery and targeted neuro-therapeutics. Its navigation and robotics platform applies advanced artificial intelligence and computer vision to enable high-accuracy image guidance across virtually any point of care in minutes, unlocking less invasive and more precise targeted therapies. The Zeta Navigation System and Zeta TMS Navigation System are cleared by the FDA and commercially available in the United States.

Ravn is a DefenseTech company building a heads-up display for soldiers that will allow them to see around corners. In doing so, we allow them to see the enemy and react while they're still behind cover. Our lightweight heads-up display displays videos feeds from a camera on a gun, to drones, robots or other external platforms. Our heads-up display will become a soldier's most relied upon computer. We currently have four team members, all very experienced in their respective fields. Jake, the Founder, is a former Navy SEAL and understands the market and product. Our Chief Science Officer, Karl Guttag, is an industry leader in the optics and display space. Our VPs of Software and Hardware are both very experienced in their fields. Our primary technology focus is on peer-to-peer applications, near eye optics and displays, cameras/sensors/IoT, and UI/UX (hardware and software).

AlgoSurg makes AI software solutions, for various next-generation surgical applications ranging from Robotics-surgeries, AR-based-navigation/training, cloud-based 3D surgery planning and automatic patient-specific instrument/implant design.

At Phiar, we are building the first AI-powered AR navigation driving software solution that runs on a smartphone and in-vehicle displays, utilizing our ultra-lightweight road understanding AI that runs completely at-the-edge, in real-time, all on just a smartphone-level compute. Our mission is to enhance driving safety, facilitate more intuitive wayfinding, and connect drivers with their surrounding environments.

The most advanced Augmented Reality API.

Avametric is a privately-held AR and simulation company working to revolutionize the fashion and retail industries. We were founded in 2012 and centrally located in the thriving San Francisco neighborhood of SOMA. Our software platform provides automated content creation for brands, retail & e-commerce sales tools, and increased efficiency in garment design & development. By working on both enterprise-facing tools for design and consumer-facing tools for virtual fitting rooms, we are excited to transform visualization experiences in fashion and bring traditionally physical experiences to the virtual space. We are proudly backed and supported by our lead investors at Khosla Ventures and, together, we look forward to changing the way people shop and design clothing globally. Sound like you? Find your fit at our careers page: https://www.avametric.com/careers/