Wafer

Active · AI that makes AI fast

YC S25

Website YC profile

Why it ranks

How the rank works

11signal of 100 · rising 8

team of 21Team size · YC's directory+7
went through YCProgram · this site+4

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

Competitors

MakoraShared: gpu kernelNeoStartup →AI

nCompass TechnologiesShared: gpu kernel, inference, performanceYC W24New York CityStartup →AI

RightNowShared: gpu kernel, fastest, openYC F26San FranciscoStartup →Other

LambdaShared: inference, gpuStartup →Other

VerdaShared: inference, gpuStartup →Other

PositronShared: inferenceStartup →

Companies closest to Wafer
Company	Category	Status	Program
MakoraShared: gpu kernelNeo Not statedAI	AI	Not stated	Neo
nCompass TechnologiesShared: gpu kernel, inference, performanceYC W24ActiveAI, Devtools	AI, Devtools	Active	YCW24
RightNowShared: gpu kernel, fastest, openYC F26ActiveAI, Devtools	AI, Devtools	Active	YCF26
Lambdanot in a program hereShared: inference, gpuElsewhereOther	Other	Elsewhere
Verdanot in a program hereShared: inference, gpuElsewhereOther	Other	Elsewhere
Positronnot in a program hereShared: inferenceElsewhereOther	Other	Elsewhere

Adjacent

MilanaShared: engineerSPC 2025San FranciscoStartup →Other

RunPodShared: serverless, gpuAI Grant Batch 2Startup →AI

isoquantShared: inference, optimizingYC F26San FranciscoStartup →AI

Supertrace AIShared: engineerAI Grant Batch 4Startup →Other

EtchedShared: inferenceNeoStartup →

Companies next to Wafer
Company	Category	Status	Program
MilanaShared: engineerSPC 2025Not statedAI	AI	Not stated	SPC2025
RunPodShared: serverless, gpuAI Grant Batch 2Not statedOther	Other	Not stated	AI GrantBatch 2
isoquantShared: inference, optimizingYC F26ActiveAI	AI	Active	YCF26
Supertrace AIShared: engineerAI Grant Batch 4Not statedAI	AI	Not stated	AI GrantBatch 4
EtchedShared: inferenceNeo Not statedOther	Other	Not stated	Neo

Also from S25 in AI

All of S25

AIInactive

AcrelyEnterprise Voice AgentsYC S25PittsburghStartup →AI

AdaptionalAI-powered insurance claims reviewYC S25San FranciscoStartup →AI

AgentMailEmail Inboxes for AI AgentsYC S25San FranciscoStartup →AI

AlaraProcurement Platform for Dental OfficesYC S25Startup →AI

AlterPrivileged Access Management for AI AgentsYC S25New York CityStartup →AI

AlturVoice AI Agents for Debt CollectionYC S25Mexico CityStartup →

Company	Category	Status
AcrelyEnterprise Voice Agentsteam of 6InactiveAI	AI	Inactive
AdaptionalAI-powered insurance claims reviewhiringActiveAI	AI	Active
AgentMailEmail Inboxes for AI Agentsteam of 10hiringActiveAI, Devtools	AI, Devtools	Active
AlaraProcurement Platform for Dental OfficesActiveAI	AI	Active
AlterPrivileged Access Management for AI Agentsteam of 2ActiveAI, Devtools	AI, Devtools	Active
AlturVoice AI Agents for Debt Collectionteam of 9hiringActiveAI	AI	Active

Founders

Emilio AndereFounder/CEO
Steven ArellanoCofounder

About Wafer

Wafer builds AI agents that work as autonomous performance engineers, optimizing GPU kernels for AI inference. Our product is serverless and dedicated inference for the world’s fastest open source LLMs, achieved by Wafer's autonomous performance engineers.

YC batch: S25 · Summer 2025
Status, per YC: Active
Category: AI, Developer tools
Team size: 21
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Founded: 2025
Checked: 6h ago

YC tags: AI

Changes seen

Team sizeNov 9, 2026

Team went from 15 to 21 people.

Source ↗

StageNov 9, 2026

Stage changed from Growth to Early.

Source ↗

TagsOct 19, 2026

Newly tagged AI; no longer tagged Artificial Intelligence.

Source ↗

Wafer in S25: 166 companies, 92% AI

GitHub LinkedIn

Wafer: questions

Which YC batch was Wafer in?

Wafer was in Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch (S25).

Is Wafer still active?

Y Combinator lists Wafer as active.

Who founded Wafer?

Wafer's founders, as listed on its YC page: Emilio Andere (Founder/CEO), Steven Arellano (Cofounder).

Where is Wafer based?

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