A grain pile is not a pallet. A gravel heap is not a box. The bulk materials that underpin agriculture and mining are notoriously difficult to measure, often forcing operations managers to rely on rough estimates or expensive, infrequent manual surveys. dScribe AI, a Y Combinator S25 startup based in Olathe, Kansas, is betting that autonomous drones and fixed 3D sensors can replace the guesswork with precise, continuous measurement [Prospeo, April 2025].
The wedge in bulk inventory
The company's wedge is simple: materials like grain, sand, and gravel don't fit into neat, barcoded units. Traditional measurement methods can be off by 20 to 30 percent, according to the company [Prospeo, April 2025]. That error translates directly into financial loss, logistical headaches, and inaccurate forecasting for consumption and deliveries. dScribe AI's product suite uses computer vision and LiDAR to generate accurate 3D reconstructions of stockpiles, calculating volume and weight from autonomous site scans [Y Combinator / LinkedIn, May 2025].
They offer a tiered approach to data capture, a practical nod to the varied needs and budgets of industrial sites.
- Fixed monitoring. For high-throughput sites, the company installs permanent cameras and 3D sensors tailored to the location for continuous tracking [Rebulk, Unknown].
- On-demand capture. For sites that don't justify fixed hardware, operations teams can use smartphones or drones to capture scans when needed [Rebulk, Unknown].
- Actionable insights. The core promise is to move beyond a simple volume number. The system aims to provide real-time tracking of material movements and reliable usage forecasts, giving operations teams a data-driven view of their inventory [dScribe AI, Unknown].
The team and the YC stamp
The founding trio brings a mix of product development and domain-specific insight. Co-founders Cole Robertson, Jordan Mryyan, and Warren Wang have built and scaled products at companies like Microsoft, Garmin, and Tropic, according to their Y Combinator profile [Y Combinator / LinkedIn, May 2025]. Warren Wang, serving as COO, saw the inventory tracking problem firsthand as a Product Manager at a Series A AgTech startup, working directly with feed suppliers and transportation managers [Y Combinator / LinkedIn, May 2025]. That ground-level experience likely shaped the product's focus on solving operational, not just technical, pain points.
Their acceptance into Y Combinator's S25 batch provided more than capital; it delivered validation and a network. The accelerator's backing is often a signal that helps early-stage teams secure their first institutional checks. For dScribe AI, that signal worked.
| Founder | Role | Key Background |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Mryyan | Co-founder & CEO | Previously Software Engineer II at Microsoft [Crunchbase, Unknown]. |
| Warren Wang | Co-founder & COO | Former Product Manager at a Series A AgTech startup [Y Combinator / LinkedIn, May 2025]. |
| Cole Robertson | Co-founder & CTO | Product development background at companies including Garmin [Y Combinator / LinkedIn, May 2025]. |
The $1.7 million seed round
In April 2025, dScribe AI closed a $1.7 million seed round [Prospeo, April 2025]. The investor syndicate is a mix of coastal tech funds and regional specialists, a blend that speaks to the company's cross-sector appeal. Y Combinator, Abstraction Capital, and Flyover Capital were joined by Kansas City-focused funds KCRise Fund and Redbud VC. Notably, EquipmentShare, a construction technology company, also participated [Prospeo, April 2025]. The inclusion of a strategic player like EquipmentShare suggests potential early commercial interest or a pathway into adjacent verticals like construction materials.
The capital is earmarked for building out the team and the technology. A recent LinkedIn post from co-founder Warren Wang advertised an opening for a Founding Engineer, an in-person role based in Kansas City or the greater KC area [LinkedIn, Unknown]. The hire is a clear next step for a hardware-enabled software company looking to move from prototype to robust product.
Where the wheels could come off
The bet is clear, but the path is not without friction. dScribe AI is entering a space with established players. The differentiation for dScribe AI must rest on the specificity of its bulk inventory algorithms and the operational workflows it builds for grain silos and aggregate yards, not just topographic mapping.
The hardware-plus-software model also introduces complexity. Selling and deploying physical sensors and drones requires a different motion than pure SaaS. It involves logistics, installation, and potentially higher upfront costs for customers. The company's tiered approach, offering smartphone-based scanning, is a smart way to lower the barrier to initial adoption. The real test will be whether the value of continuous, fixed monitoring justifies the capex for their target customers.
Finally, while the team has strong product-building credentials, scaling a sales operation into conservative, cost-conscious industries like agriculture and mining is a different skill. The next twelve months will be about proving they can not only build the technology but also sell it and service it reliably in the field.
The next twelve months
For dScribe AI, the immediate milestones are tangible. They need to convert their seed funding into a shipped product and their first named customer deployments. The partnership with EquipmentShare, however nascent, could provide a valuable channel or pilot site [Prospeo, April 2025]. Landing a public reference customer in either agriculture or mining would be the strongest possible traction signal, moving the narrative from technical potential to commercial proof.
The $1.7 million seed round, led by a syndicate of Y Combinator, Abstraction Capital, and Flyover Capital, gives them runway to execute [Prospeo, April 2025]. The question for investors watching from the sidelines is whether the team can translate their YC momentum and midwestern practicality into a system that becomes the default way a grain co-op or a quarry knows exactly what it has in stock. If they can, the pile of gravel starts to look less like a commodity and more like a data asset.
Sources
- [Prospeo, April 2025] dScribe AI (YC S25) | https://prospeo.io/c/dscribe-ai-yc-s25
- [Y Combinator / LinkedIn, May 2025] dScribe AI: Autonomous drones track inventory for ag and mining | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/y-combinator_dscribe-ai-yc-s25-uses-autonomous-drones-activity-7352019346811969537-LbpT
- [Rebulk, Unknown] Rebulk - Automated Bulk Inventory Measurement | https://rebulk.com/
- [dScribe AI, Unknown] Intelligent Stockpile Monitoring | https://dscribeai.com/solutions/stockpiles
- [Crunchbase, Unknown] Jordan Mryyan Profile | https://www.crunchbase.com/person/jordan-mryyan
- [LinkedIn, Unknown] Founding Engineer at dScribe AI (YC S25) | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/warrenwang-fnu_founding-engineer-at-dscribe-ai-y-combinators-activity-7396661539732246528-_KKo