Stealth Startup Spy #157
Stealth Startup Spy #157
Three ex-YC founders venture into consumer AI, OpenAI-backed edtech startup for kids emerges from stealth, & Ex-Meta researcher launches an AI platform for tech services and workforce management
Stealth Startup Spy is a data-driven newsletter for investors, journalists and tech enthusiasts interested in uncovering the next big move for key talent, real-time stealth company launches and technology advancements not in plain sight. We leverage the technology built at Gravity to track billions of data points to help you identify tomorrow's opportunities that are currently hiding in the shadows. These signals include tracking the inflows and outflows of talent who work at “Stealth Startups”, bios and profile changes to “building something new” and monitoring press releases to shine a light on the hidden world of stealth startups.
58 YC S24 founders have exited stealth in the past 2 weeks. Want an early look at what they’re working on before demo day? Get access to our live Y Combinator Summer 2024 batch tracker.
In this issue of the Stealth Startup Spy, here is what we will uncover:
Ex-Meta sensors researcher unveils AI-powered platform to transform tech services and workforce management
AI startup for kids' learning emerges from stealth with backing from OpenAI, Amazon, and Pear VC
3 ex-Y Combinator founders venture into the consumer AI space
Former CTO and founder of Aeye (NASDAQ: LIDR) co-founds new stealth startup
Ex-Meta, Linkedin, Uber, and Amazon data scientist launches new stealth mode project
And more…
Now let’s shine the spotlight… 💡💡💡
🕵️♂️Founders Coming Out of Stealth
Real-time updates from founders who debut what they’ve been working on under stealth mode
Anton Shkel - Co-Founder at Pairwise
🔎Featured Founder under stealth mode in StealthStartupSpy#117
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Doctorate Degree, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Research Scientist (Reality Labs) at Meta, ex-Sr. RF Systems Engineer at Delart, ex-Cellular RFIC Development Intern at Broadcom
Connect on: LinkedIn
Pairwise's AI-powered platform transforms tech services and workforce management.
HQ: Los Angeles, California, United States
Industry: Technology, Information and Internet | Team Size: 3
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 12 months
Xiaoyin Qu - Founder & CEO at Heeyo
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Founder & ex-CEO at Run The World (Raised $15M from a16z, Founders Fund, GGV, Pear, etc), ex-Senior Product Manager at Facebook, ex-Product Manager at Instagram, Stanford MBA
Connect on: LinkedIn
Heeyo - Smart AI friends that help kids learn.
HQ: Palo Alto, California, United States
Industry: Technology, Information and Media | Team Size: 4
Latest Funding: $3.5M Seed Round on 8/1/2024
Key Investors: OpenAI Startup Fund, Alexa Fund, Pear VC, Charge Ventures, StoryHouse Ventures
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 10 months
Daniel Keller - CTO & Co-Founder at Revenue Vessel
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Founding Engineer at Rutter (YC S19, a16z backed), ex-Software Engineer at Facebook
Connect on: LinkedIn
Revenue Vessel is building the #1 sales tool for selling to importers.
HQ: Los Angeles, California, United States
Industry: Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage | Team Size: 6
Co-founders: Brian Li (ex-Flexport, ex-Hadrian) , Noah Stewart (ex-Flexport)
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 12 months
Krishna Dubba - Co-Founder & CTO at CoVent
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Doctorate Degree, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Machine Learning Lead at Blue Prism, ex-Principal Researcher (Machine Learning) at Nokia Bell Labs, ex-Research Fellow at University of Leeds
Connect on: LinkedIn
CoVent is an AI-Enabled Event Sponsorship Intelligence solution empowering marketing teams to make better investments.
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Industry: Marketing Services | Team Size: 2
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 9 months
Ioannis Giannaros - Co-Founder & CEO at Axle
FounderDNA: Serial Founder
Prior Experience: Ex-Founder & CEO at Wyre (acquired by RockWallet), ex-Search Engine Marketing Manager at SafeNet
Connect on: LinkedIn
Axle offers secure, trusted, and accurate AI agents that automate manual workflows for compliance operations teams.
HQ: San Francisco, California, United States
Industry: Financial Services | Team Size: 4
Latest Funding: $2.5M Seed Round on 7/29/2024 | Total Funding: $3.2M
Key Investors: Diagram Ventures
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 10 months
🕵️♂️Key Talent Going Under Stealth
Illuminating clues left behind by world class talent and influential innovators who just went into stealth mode
Landon Sanford - Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Former FAANG
Prior Experience: Strategy at Google, last startup was backed by YCombinator, Sequoia, Craft
Traction Under Stealth: Raised a pre-seed round of $1.25m, all three co-founders are ex-YC, building in the consumer AI space
HQ: New York, NY, United States
Industry: Consumer | Team Size: 3
Co-Founder: CTO who is ex-Apple, ex-YCombinator, & exited his last startup and a head of AI who is ex-YC.
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 6 months
Xun W. - Founder at Stealth Startup
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Masters Degree, Former FAANG, Top 10 University
Prior Experience: Ex-Data Scientist, Ads Growth at Meta and Instagram, ex-Data Scientist, Growth & Product at WhatsApp, ex-Data Science Specialist, Growth at LinkedIn, ex-Data Analyst, Growth at Uber, ex-Amazon
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 6 months
Luis Dussan - Co-Founder at Stealth Mode
FounderDNA: Serial Founder, Technical Founder, Doctorate Degree, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Founder, CTO at AEye (NASDAQ: LIDR), ex-Chief Technologist EO Sensors/LADAR at Northrop Grumman, ex-Lockheed Martin, ex-NASA
Connect on: LinkedIn
Solving the biggest bottleneck to the safe commercialization of ADAS and Autonomous Vehicles
HQ: San Jose, California, United States
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 month
Stuart McConnell - Founder & CTO at Stealth
FounderDNA: Technical Founder, Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-CTO at SC Ventures by Standard Chartered, ex-Senior Software Developer at Barclays Capital
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: United Kingdom
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 1 month
Riddhiman Chaki - Co-Founder/Product at Stealth Mode
FounderDNA: Masters Degree
Prior Experience: Ex-Sr Director of Product Management at SIXT, ex-Director of Product Management at Virgin Media and Careem, ex-Head of Product at Grab
Connect on: LinkedIn
HQ: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Time Spent in Stealth Mode: 8 months
Stay Stealthy,
Drake
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