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14,448 startups · 29 programs

Hemlock

Active · Force + contact dynamics collected at scale for training physical AI.

WebsiteYC profile

Why it ranks

How the rank works
4signal of 100 · rising 4
  • went through YCProgram · this site+4

A sum of public facts, not a judgement and not investment advice.

Competitors

AICortex AIShared: human data, collected, physicalYC F25San FranciscoStartup →AISilicaShared: hardware, force, physicalYC F26San FranciscoStartup →AIVerge GenomicsShared: human dataYC S15San FranciscoStartup →AIPraxis RoboticsShared: egocentric video, physical, trainingYC S26San FranciscoStartup →
Companies closest to Hemlock
Company
Cortex AIShared: human data, collected, physicalYC F25ActiveAI
SilicaShared: hardware, force, physicalYC F26ActiveAI
Verge GenomicsShared: human dataYC S15ActiveAI
Praxis RoboticsShared: egocentric video, physical, trainingYC S26ActiveAI

Adjacent

AIPhasesShared: physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC S25San FranciscoStartup →AIHilstartShared: hardware, physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC S26San FranciscoStartup →AIRelariShared: force, emg, touchYC W24San FranciscoStartup →AIAlmondShared: hardware, physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC X25San FranciscoStartup →AIThe Robot Learning CompanyShared: physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC X25BYStartup →
Companies next to Hemlock
Company
PhasesShared: physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC S25ActiveAI
HilstartShared: hardware, physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC S26ActiveAI, Devtools
RelariShared: force, emg, touchYC W24ActiveAI
AlmondShared: hardware, physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC X25ActiveAI
The Robot Learning CompanyShared: physical, manufacturing and roboticsYC X25ActiveAI

Also from F26 in AI

All of F26
AIantimattrvoice-first hardware interface for human-agent interactionYC F26San FranciscoStartup →AIHundred100% automated inspection for precision hardware partsYC F26San FranciscoStartup →AISaccadeWorld's Earliest Test for Alzheimer's BiomarkersYC F26San FranciscoStartup →AIThe Subvocal CompanyGlasses that turn silent speech into textYC F26San FranciscoStartup →AItwentyfour26Building Autonomous Factories in America, Starting with On-Demand CNC…YC F26San FranciscoStartup →AIAilitElectrifying North American freight rail with swappable batteries.YC F26San FranciscoStartup →
Company
antimattrvoice-first hardware interface for human-agent interactionteam of 2ActiveAI
Hundred100% automated inspection for precision hardware partsteam of 3ActiveAI
SaccadeWorld's Earliest Test for Alzheimer's Biomarkersteam of 2ActiveAI
The Subvocal CompanyGlasses that turn silent speech into textteam of 3hiringActiveAI
twentyfour26Building Autonomous Factories in America, Starting with On-Demand CNC…team of 2ActiveAI
AilitElectrifying North American freight rail with swappable batteries.team of 6ActiveAI

Founders

  • Julian OlschwangFounder/CEO

About Hemlock

At Hemlock, we equip workers around the globe with EMG wearables to generate force/contact-annotated egocentric video data to give physical AI models a sense of touch from human data. Force + contact dynamics, collected at scale.

YC batch
F26 · Fall 2026
Status, per YC
Active
Category
AI
Team size
1
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Founded
2025
Checked
7h ago

YC tags: Hard Tech, Hardware

Changes seen

One-linerOct 26, 2026

Rewrote its one-liner; it read "Force-sensing wristband for training robotic AI"

Source ↗
HiringOct 5, 2026

Stopped hiring.

Source ↗

Hemlock in F26: 219 companies, 89% AI

LinkedIn

Hemlock: questions

Which YC batch was Hemlock in?

Hemlock was in Y Combinator's Fall 2026 batch (F26).

Is Hemlock still active?

Y Combinator lists Hemlock as active.

Who founded Hemlock?

Hemlock's founders, as listed on its YC page: Julian Olschwang (Founder/CEO).

Where is Hemlock based?

Hemlock lists San Francisco, CA, USA as its location on YC's directory.