Quick Read
- Axiom, a Y Combinator-backed trading bot platform, dominates Solana’s ecosystem with $150M in revenue.
- Safe Superintelligence experiences leadership changes as co-founder Ilya Sutskever takes over as CEO.
- Volantis secures $9M in funding to advance photonic computing for AI applications.
Y Combinator (YC), the renowned Silicon Valley startup accelerator, continues to drive innovation across multiple industries. From cryptocurrency platforms to artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge photonic computing, its alumni are shaping the future of technology. Recent developments include Axiom’s meteoric rise as Solana’s top trading bot platform, a leadership shakeup at Safe Superintelligence (SSI), and Volantis’ breakthroughs in photonic computing. Each represents the transformative impact of YC-backed companies on their respective fields.
Axiom: Dominating Solana’s Trading Bot Scene
Since its February 2025 launch, Axiom has emerged as a dominant force in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, particularly on the Solana blockchain. Generating over $150 million in fees, the platform now commands 72% of Solana’s bot trading volume. On July 7, Axiom earned approximately $1.75 million in daily fees, according to DL News, ranking it among the top 10 protocols by daily revenue.
Axiom’s rapid ascent has also set a new record for Y Combinator startups, becoming the fastest in the accelerator’s history to achieve $100 million in revenue. Its success eclipsed Cursor, an AI coding tool launched in 2023, which previously held the record by reaching the milestone in 12 months. Axiom’s growth strategy includes fee rebates, referral programs, and a points system that incentivizes trading activity with potential future rewards, such as airdrops.
Unlike its competitors, Axiom has maintained a low social media profile, relying instead on its robust feature set and user-centric incentives. The platform offers customizable watchlists, wallet tracking tools, and yield optimization features powered by the lending platform MarginFi. This combination of innovation and user engagement has positioned Axiom as a leader in decentralized finance (DeFi).
Safe Superintelligence: Leadership Transition Amid High Stakes
Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a Y Combinator-backed AI startup, has faced a significant leadership transition. On June 29, Daniel Gross, the company’s former CEO, left to join Meta as part of its new superintelligence initiative. Co-founder Ilya Sutskever, a prominent AI researcher and former OpenAI scientist, has stepped into the CEO role.
Meta’s aggressive recruitment strategy underscores the high stakes in the race to develop advanced AI systems. The company, led by Mark Zuckerberg, recently launched Meta Superintelligence Labs, co-led by Alexandr Wang of Scale AI and Nat Friedman, formerly of GitHub. Despite overtures from Meta to acquire SSI, Sutskever reaffirmed the company’s commitment to its mission of safely achieving superintelligence.
SSI has gained significant attention for its unique approach, emphasizing secrecy and long-term goals over immediate consumer products. Employees are discouraged from mentioning the company on LinkedIn, and job candidates must place their phones in electromagnetic wave-blocking cages before interviews. Despite these unconventional practices, SSI was valued at $32 billion in April 2025, reflecting investor confidence in its vision.
As Sutskever stated in a recent message to employees, “We have the compute, we have the team, and we know what to do. Together we will keep building safe superintelligence.”
Volantis: Revolutionizing AI with Photonic Computing
Another Y Combinator alum, Volantis, is making waves in the semiconductor industry with its innovative approach to photonic computing. On July 7, the company announced a $9 million seed funding round, backed by notable investors such as Sam Altman, Alex Wang, and Trevor Blackwell. Founded in 2022, Volantis aims to overcome the limitations of silicon photonics by leveraging direct laser modulation and wafer-scale integration.
According to Optica, Volantis’ technology eliminates the need for fiber optics, instead utilizing densely parallel optical waveguides to deliver high aggregate bandwidth. This architecture promises a 15-fold improvement in performance per dollar, reduced energy consumption, and enhanced computational speed. The company plans to begin pre-orders for its photonic motherboards in early 2026, signaling a new era in AI hardware.
“This new approach takes proven, low-cost VCSEL technology and unleashes it at scale to deliver a wafer-scale AI processor,” noted Clint Schow, a Volantis advisor. With its ambitious vision and high-profile support, Volantis is well-positioned to redefine the future of AI computing.
From cryptocurrency innovations to AI breakthroughs and photonic computing, Y Combinator alumni continue to lead transformative changes across industries, shaping the technological landscape for years to come.