TechCrunch’s Picks: The 10 Best Startups From Y Combinator Demo Day

I knew from the moment I saw Carsabi that it was going to be big. Buying (and selling) used cars is such a pain in the ass that it really surprises me nobody has done something as simple and clean as them.

I also like how the initial listings are populated by Craigslist, but on each panel is laid out cleverly to display the "source: craigslist" as a changeable element. This allows them to piggyback on the volume of listings on craigslist, while subtly suggesting that future listings may come from any source (perhaps maybe an in-house ecommerce system?)

Interesting, has carsabi partnered with Craigslist? I always thought Craigslist didn't like scrapers and did their best to discourage and prevent them.

Has that changed?

Really no flutter on this list? These are all great companies but I think flutter deserves a spot as a company with potential to really change how we interact with our devices. It seems like one of the few that is inventing a new space rather than improving on one that already exists (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I actually kind of of don't like techcrunch's coverage of this event. Give us one page with extended coverage or run the risk of being labeled YC's PR department.

Don't get me wrong, I devoured all of it. But part of me likes the idea of the closed door pitch day without the superbowl style coverage. Is YC demo day going to turn into a media circus ala Mac Conventions and the like?

Let the effects of these companies on the market speak for themselves. If they're effective, they'll be written about. Keep coverage like this away from Demo Day, lest this become a "startup Hunger Games."

I've been doing Carsabi-style regression analysis to buy cars for years. A little sad that now everyone has access to it, I won't be able to snap up the best deals for myself.

Exec is hands-down my favorite.

Pair is interesting, especially for long distance relationships and the like. I predict:

1) By the end of summer their servers will be hacked and a new celebrity startlet's nudie pics will hit the tabloids.

2) Drama and heartache ensue when people find out they can't pair with their wife AND their mistress. This will create a niche market for a Pair client with multiple partners.

The Sonalight demo was impressive, but the app really deserves a better voice. There is no reason the canned messages can't be prerecorded by a human voice actor.

Carsabi is great. I really wish they would have been around a couple of years ago when I was looking for a nice used car. I can't recommend them highly enough.

YCombinator turns its sight towards offline with funding of iCracked, I guess.

Congrats, carsabi! I know I've spent too much time screwing with craigslist' crappy search. I just wanted to search across every craigslist in the US for a certain (rare) car. I had to setup like 200 RSS feeds to accomplish it.