Y Combinator batch shows a sharp rise in hard-tech startups

About 200 companies are presenting in the Y Combinator batch, and roughly one quarter are hard-tech startups. That share is described as about 40 times higher than the previous low point three to five years ago.

AI is cited as a major reason for the increase: with intelligence more broadly available, startups can work on physical products and hard technology, not only software. One example is Frontier, which is developing biochips that use neuronal cells.