SuperRadiant, a startup building AI-powered robotic experimentalists, has been selected for Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch.

The company was founded by Benedict Quartey, Cooper Niu and Owen Tower. Quartey announced the news in a LinkedIn post, describing SuperRadiant’s goal as building robots capable of carrying out scientific experiments in the physical world.

The startup is working on a different approach to AI for science. Rather than limiting AI to analysing research papers, processing datasets or suggesting hypotheses, SuperRadiant wants AI systems to participate directly in the experimental process.

Turning AI into a laboratory researcher

Scientific discovery often depends on a repeated cycle of experimentation. A researcher develops a hypothesis, designs an experiment, prepares samples, runs tests, analyses the results and decides what to test next. Much of the process involves repetitive laboratory work.

SuperRadiant is building robotic systems designed to handle this cycle. The company’s vision is for a robotic experimentalist to observe an experiment, reason about the results, conduct a physical experiment and use the outcome to determine the next experiment. This would give AI a physical role in scientific research.

What could the robots do?

The technology could support research across several fields. In materials science, a robotic experimentalist could test different material compositions and manufacturing conditions to identify materials with specific properties. For battery research, it could test different electrode materials, measure performance and use the results to guide further experiments.

In chemistry, robots could test different catalysts, temperatures and reaction conditions to identify more efficient chemical processes. In drug research, the systems could run controlled experiments to study how cells respond to different compounds or concentrations.

The common thread is repeated physical experimentation. The system would use results from earlier experiments to decide which experiments to run next.

Why Y Combinator matters

Y Combinator gives SuperRadiant access to one of the world’s best-known startup accelerators and places the company alongside other startups working at the intersection of AI, robotics and scientific research.

The accelerator’s standard deal provides selected companies with $500,000 in funding.

For SuperRadiant, Y Combinator provides an opportunity to develop the technology, work with potential customers and refine its approach to building general-purpose robotic experimentalists.

The technical challenge is substantial. Scientific laboratories contain specialised equipment, different workflows and strict requirements around safety and accuracy. SuperRadiant therefore faces a harder problem than building a robot capable of performing a fixed laboratory task. The company wants to build systems capable of adapting their experimentation to different scientific questions.