Y Combinator’s event this week also came with heavy machinery and special snacks. Outside the Computer History Museum, where its 26th demo day was held, an autonomous tractor drove in circles next to a massive 3D printer assembling an office pod. Inside, an industrial-grade drone sat nearby tables offering instant coffee and cannabis sodas. Then there’s Nectome, a “100 percent fatal” startup that boasts the ability to upload your brain for future use.

Back to life and reality, the latest graduating class of 141 will be putting their best foot forward in an effort to woo investors at Demo Day. Eight education startups are among them, and all but one are focused on helping learners develop chops in programming and artificial intelligence technology.

“Interactive curriculum is the next wave” of opportunities in the education market, says Tim Brady, a partner at Y Combinator, in an interview with EdSurge.

What he has yet to find—but which he says Y Combinator would be willing to invest in—are companies that can help support and run new school models. He’s also on the lookout for tools that “unlock the black box of a child’s learning” for parents.

You won’t find those companies in this batch. Here’s a few we saw instead:

  • Delphia: Delphia is developing AI tools that aim to help people make complex life decisions—such as which college to attend and which major to choose. A high-school student can take a 40-question survey and see results about the schools and programs that may be the best “fit” for him or her.
  • Edwin: Edwin is an AI-powered English tutor. The company’s CEO, Dmitry Stavisky, claims there aren’t many good solutions for students who want to learn English for standardized tests like the TOEFL.

Read the full article about education technology start-ups by Tina Nazerian and Tony Wan at EdSurge.