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Startup Grind

Early-stage startups only

Global startup community with an annual list of 50 emerging AI founders that it features across its own channels, and a Startup Membership that startups apply to join. The list takes AI-native companies that are bootstrapped, angel-backed or have raised at most one institutional round.

Startup Grind is a tech publication at startupgrind.com. It covers AI startups, with a rule: early-stage startups only. Listing is free. Review: AI List applications run from 1 October to 20 November 2026; Startup Grind and Mayfield review the pool and shortlist for the judges, and the 50 honorees are revealed on 10 January 2027. Terms read on startupgrind.com on 2 October 2026.

Rate card

Price: No fee is stated for the AI List application; the Startup Membership is described as free; sponsorships are by enquiry
Link you get: not stated
Review: AI List applications run from 1 October to 20 November 2026; Startup Grind and Mayfield review the pool and shortlist for the judges, and the 50 honorees are revealed on 10 January 2027
Their rule: Early-stage startups only
Lists: Every kind of AI product
Where they say so: about.startupgrind.com/ai-list ↗
Reach: BigBig reach: #97,753 by traffic in the Tranco top million; #420,208 of about 120 million domains by links in Common Crawl's web graph.
Checked: 2 October 2026, on its own pages

Quick answers

Does Startup Grind cover AI startups?: Only some. It covers AI startups, with a rule: early-stage startups only.
How much does a listing on Startup Grind cost?: Listing is free.
How does Startup Grind review submissions?: Review: AI List applications run from 1 October to 20 November 2026; Startup Grind and Mayfield review the pool and shortlist for the judges, and the 50 honorees are revealed on 10 January 2027.

Who is listed on Startup Grind

Our nightly read of startupgrind.com found 59 apps we recognise from other places, among them design.com, google.dev, customer.io, research.google, builder.io, microsoft.ai, gemini.google, amazon.in. As of 8 Oct 2026. Your tracker checks whether yours is there.

How to submit to Startup Grind

1. Prepare the kit. A one-line pitch, a description, a square logo and screenshots, and check that your product fits their rule: early-stage startups only. The listing guide lists what forms ask for; the tracker builds the kit from your website.
2. Open the form. Their submit page opens from the button above once you are signed in; signing in costs nothing.
3. Wait for the review. AI List applications run from 1 October to 20 November 2026; Startup Grind and Mayfield review the pool and shortlist for the judges, and the 50 honorees are revealed on 10 January 2027. Log the submission in your tracker; it marks the listing when it appears.

Listing tracker

Know when Startup Grind lists you.

Add your app once; we read startupgrind.com every week and mark the listing when it appears, every night on Pro. Last read 8 Oct 2026.

Track Startup Grind

Run Startup Grind? A badge for your site

Tells founders you take AI tools before they read your rules, and links to your terms here. Paste it in your site's footer, so it is on your home page, where our nightly check looks:

<a href="https://listaify.com/places/startup-grind"><img src="https://listaify.com/badge/startup-grind.png" alt="Early-stage startups only, verified on Listaify" width="250" height="56"></a>

With the badge in your footer, this page becomes a Partner page: your logo, screenshots and an offer for founders, plus your numbers and the apps your peers list and you do not. Manage this page.

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