Rubric AI YC Application

Winter 2026Active

Rubric AI went through Y Combinator in the Winter 2026 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: Winter 2026
Industry: B2B
Team size: 2
Status: Active
Launched: 2026

Founders

Pragya SabooFounder
Spandana GovindgariFounder

What Rubric AI does

Rubric AI (backed by Y Combinator) is the reasoning and verification infrastructure for AI. We're building the human and computational layer that turns expert judgment into training signals for the world's most consequential AI systems.

Rubric AI's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Rubric AI, Winter 2026 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Rubric AI

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Reasoning and verification infra for AI

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

We are building infrastructure that converts expert human judgment into training signals to improve reasoning and verification in AI systems. Our product integrates both human and computational layers to help AI models avoid errors in high-stakes contexts by verifying outputs and providing transparent reasoning workflows.

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

We live in New York City and will remain based here after YC.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We are based in NYC because our team is here and we're close to key stakeholders who use expert judgment in AI. Being in NYC allows us to tap into a unique talent pool and customer base for high-consequence AI applications.

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 Rubric AI YC application?

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