Aurelian YC Application

Summer 2022Active

Aurelian went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2022 batch as a B2B company. Below: what the company does, who founded it, and its application to YC, reconstructed question by question in the real YC form.

YC batch: Summer 2022
Industry: B2B
Team size: 45
Status: Active
Launched: 2022

Founders

Max KeenanFounder
James LiuFounder

What Aurelian does

Aurelian builds AI tools that help 911 centers handle more with less, so telecommunicators can stay focused on what matters most and communities get the response they need. AVA is a conversational AI agent that answers non-emergency calls; the agent routes, triages, and resolves the calls without any human intervention. By handling administrative calls like noise complaints, lost dogs, and parking inquiries, AVA eliminates hold times and lets call-takers focus their energy on actual emergencies. CORA supports call-takers on the calls that matter most. CORA is an on-screen assistant that delivers real-time SOP checklists, smart reminders, and contextual guidance as an emergency call unfolds, so dispatchers stay calm, consistent, and confident when every second counts. When AVA detects an emergency mid-call, it transfers the caller to a telecommunicator and passes along the caller details, location, incident type, and key statements directly into CORA. The call-taker never starts from scratch. The problem we're solving is serious. The average emergency communications center is 30% understaffed nationwide. Staffing shortages drive burnout and attrition, which makes the shortage worse. Meanwhile, 60-80% of the calls coming in aren't even emergencies at all. Aurelian addresses both sides of that equation: AVA reduces unnecessary call volume, and CORA makes every emergency call more manageable for the people handling it. Aurelian is live in centers across the country, answering thousands of non-emergency calls every day, and is backed by New Enterprise Associates and Y Combinator. Aurelian is growing rapidly; we are hiring people who want to help scale this work and make a real difference in public safety infrastructure for communities across the country.

Aurelian's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Aurelian, Summer 2022 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Aurelian

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Automating non-emergency 911 calls

What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.

We build AVA, a conversational AI that handles non-emergency 911 calls like noise complaints or lost dogs without human intervention, freeing up telecommunicators for real emergencies. We also built CORA, a real-time assistant that guides dispatchers during emergency calls with checklists and key information, improving response under pressure.

Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

We live and work in Seattle, WA, and the company would remain based there after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We picked Seattle for access to strong engineering talent and proximity to public safety agencies for testing and feedback. Staying here keeps us close to our customers and team.

21 more answers in the full application

Founders, Progress, Idea, Equity, Curious, Batch Preference are in the full version. Create a free account to open it in YC Insights, next to every other YC batch.

See full application

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the real Aurelian YC application?

No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from Aurelian's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like Aurelian would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.