Volaren raises $1 million from YC and Afore to build AI trading agents

The four-person startup from two ex-Goldman Sachs founders wants to give retail investors a research desk that fits in a text thread Volaren has raised $1 million from Y Combinator and Afore Capital to build AI agents that analyze investor portfolios and place trades, but only with the user’s sign-off. The startup was founded in 2026 by Akshat Mittal and Martin Pestana. Both previously worked at Goldman Sachs, and both are University of Chicago alumni. The company joined Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch. Afore Capital joined YC as a backer in the roughly $1 million round. The product plugs into a user’s brokerage and bank accounts. One example of how that works: connecting to Webull through SnapTrade, a service that lets third-party apps talk to brokerage accounts.

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