Conifer
YC S26 · Active · Least cost routing system to reduce 70%+ token spend
Competitors
| Company | Category | Status | Program |
|---|---|---|---|
 dari.devShared: claude code, routing, tokenActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active | YCF25 |
 Quotient LabsShared: token spend, claude code, modelActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active | YCW26 |
 MentlioShared: intelligent routing, token, spendActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active | YCS26 |
 InfronShared: intelligent routing, costNot statedAI | AI | Not stated | Antler2024 |
 CodagShared: token spend, model, providerActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active | YCS26 |
Adjacent
| Company | Category | Status | Program |
|---|---|---|---|
 WozShared: claude code, token, costActiveAI | AI | Active | YCW25 |
 ChordioShared: claude code, setup, runsActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active | YCS22 |
 GrumaticShared: claude code, codex, costNot statedAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Not stated | Plug and Play |
 Digital MortarShared: full path, systemNot statedOther | Other | Not stated | 500 GlobalGA 20 |
 CuaShared: claude code, codexActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active | YCX25 |
Also from S26 in AI
All of S26| Company | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|
 Agnost AIWe find where AI agents fail, then train better models to run them.ActiveAI, Data, Devtools | AI, Data, Devtools | Active |
 Alkera AIReliable and safe data engineering and data science agentsActiveAI, Data, Devtools | AI, Data, Devtools | Active |
 ArchalAPI sandboxes, built for AI agentsActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active |
 DecaworkTraining company-specific models that approve AI actions.ActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active |
 GitCafeThe Git forge for the next hundred billion commitsActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active |
 Graphify LabsOn-device Knowledge Graph engine for Enterprise SoftwareActiveAI, Devtools | AI, Devtools | Active |
Founders
- Charles MuehlbergerFounder/CTO
- Michael JeffordsFounder/CGO
About Conifer
There are thousands of models, providers, and harnesses, each with its own pricing and strengths, leaving an overwhelming number of choices when it comes to managing token spend and intelligence. Conifer uses intelligent routing and orchestration logic to handle the full path of each query: model selection, provider choice, and cache management. It all runs inside your existing harness, so tools like Claude Code and Codex work without changing your setup. By centralizing where inference occurs, Conifer lets companies save on their inference bill while leaving teams free to focus on what they are building.
- YC batch
- S26 · Summer 2026
- Status, per YC
- Active
- Category
- AI, Developer tools
- Team size
- 4
- Location
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Founded
- 2026
- Checked
- 31m ago
YC tags: Artificial Intelligence, Developer Tools, B2B, Security
Conifer: questions
Which YC batch was Conifer in?
Conifer was in Y Combinator's Summer 2026 batch (S26).
Is Conifer still active?
Y Combinator lists Conifer as active.
Who founded Conifer?
Conifer's founders, as listed on its YC page: Charles Muehlberger (Founder/CTO), Michael Jeffords (Founder/CGO).
Where is Conifer based?
Conifer lists San Francisco, CA, USA as its location on YC's directory.
Sources: each program's public company list, read twice a week. Not affiliated with Y Combinator or any other program. Logos via logo.dev; trademarks belong to their owners.