Legal-tech nonprofit Adalat AI joins Y Combinator

Indian legal-tech nonprofit Adalat AI, which builds artificial intelligence-based tools for courts, has been selected for Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch (YC F26).

Adalat AI said it is the first nonprofit to be backed by Y Combinator in nearly five years and among the first Indian-founded nonprofits to be selected by the Silicon Valley startup accelerator.

The organisation was founded by lawyer Utkarsh Saxena and artificial intelligence researcher Arghya Bhattacharya. Saxena serves as its Chief Executive Officer, while Bhattacharya is its Chief Technology Officer.

The two founders will be based in San Francisco from September to December as part of the Y Combinator programme, Adalat AI said.

“We're honored they've made this rare exception for us — and we intend to make it count. Our mission stays the same: timely justice for all,” the organisation said in its announcement.

Adalat AI develops technology aimed at improving court administration and reducing delays in the justice system. Its products include speech recognition and transcription tools, case management systems and paperless court workflows.

According to the organisation, its technology is presently being used in over 6,000 courtrooms across 11 States in India. It plans to use its association with Y Combinator to expand further across India and other countries in the Global South.

The organisation has worked with courts on tools that can transcribe hearings, assist with dictation in Indian languages and streamline routine courtroom functions.

Adalat AI was founded by lawyer Utkarsh Saxena and artificial intelligence researcher Arghya Bhattacharya. Saxena previously practised law in India and served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court. He was also one of the petitioners before the Supreme Court in the same-sex marriage case.

Y Combinator began accepting nonprofits into its accelerator programme in 2013 and says it has worked with more than 30 nonprofit organisations.