Fundraising Fox

Mayank Agrawal

Founder

Founder at Proof of Human

San Francisco, California, United States

FoundedProof of Human · YC

About

Mayank Agrawal holds a PhD from Princeton University with research spanning cognitive science and artificial intelligence. He is currently CEO of Proof of Human, a platform addressing authentication and identity verification challenges.

LinkedIn ↗X / Twitter ↗
Latest on 𝕏

Mayank Agrawal @mayankagrawal

Love the Dee Hock reference! I have an essay coming soon about Silicon Valley and its lack of ambition, and Dee Hock is a radiating counterexample at the end :) https://t.co/ZrcPDweAFC

Aug 2, 2026

Mayank Agrawal @mayankagrawal

(and paradoxically, perhaps AI increased the TAM of the chess industry)

Aug 2, 2026

Mayank Agrawal @mayankagrawal

I really like this chess analogy in terms of talking about AI’s effect on labor force. There is still huge value in becoming an elite chess player if that’s something you genuinely want to pursue. https://t.co/1QlD8SBhJg

Aug 2, 2026

Founder at Proof of HumanYC S23

Intro paths

YC

Mayank went through Y Combinator (Summer 2023) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.

GP

Their group partner at YC was Nicolas Dessaigne, General Partner at Y Combinator — the partner who ran Proof of Human's batch and knows the company first-hand. YC profile ↗

→

In turn, Mayank can intro founders to Proof of Human's investors below.

Proof of Human's investors · 1

Y Combinator

Co-founders at Proof of Human

MHMatt Hardy
Matt HardyFounder

Experience

  1. Proof of Human, PBCCEOcurrent2023 — presentSan Francisco, CA
  2. Princeton UniversityPhD Researcher, Psychology & Neuroscience2018 — 2023Princeton, NJ
  3. KallyopeMachine Learning Researcher2017New York City Metropolitan Area
  4. Mercury FundData Science2016Houston, TX

Education

  1. Princeton UniversityDoctor of Philosophy - PhD, Psychology and Neuroscience2018 — 2023
  2. Swarthmore CollegeBachelor’s Degree, Computer Science and Philosophy2014 — 2018
  3. Y Combinator

Same school

Also attended Princeton University474

Fabrice GrindaCo-founder & Managing Partner at FJ LabsAndrewAdvisor at Clear VenturesChristal NgAssociate at Golden Gate VenturesDavid CoatsManaging Director & Co-Founder at Correlation VenturesDan MoreheadFounder & CEO at Pantera CapitalGeoff YangCo-Founder at Redpoint Ventures

+ 468 more

Also attended Swarthmore College33

David KaufmanInvestor at Third Rock VenturesElena VibochManaging Director at General CatalystBrian SmigaVenture Partner, Co-Founder at Alpha PartnersChad KemmererAnalyst at Volition CapitalBryan BaumCo-Founder & Managing Partner at K5 GlobalPaul EisenbergInvestor at Extantia Capital

+ 27 more

Also attended Y Combinator1,463

Akshat GoenkaInvestor at Moonfire VenturesJon XuGeneral Partner at Y CombinatorTed ChaiAssociate at Scale Venture PartnersLeo LuInvestor at Foundation CapitalMaroof AhmedFounder at Octopus VenturesYusuf SherwaniCo-Founder and CEO at Pelago; a Londoner living in New York City

+ 1,457 more

Shared employers

Also worked at Proof of Human, PBC1

Matt HardyFounder at Proof of Human

Also worked at Princeton University75

Ryan HaysBoard Member at CincyTechBrad FloraGeneral Partner at Y CombinatorManny StockmanManaging Partner at Osage University PartnersBrannon JonesPrincipal at AlleyCorpAaron PriceCEO, TechUnited at Tech Council VenturesJoseph LubinChairman at Ethereal Ventures Management Ltd.

+ 69 more

Also worked at Kallyope5

Josh WolfePartner and Co-Founder at Lux CapitalIan PeikonVenture Partner at Lux CapitalJeff GoaterPartner at The Column GroupDusan PerovicPartner at Two Sigma VenturesAdam GoulburnFounder and Managing Partner at Dimension Capital

Also worked at Mercury Fund32

Blair GarrouCo-founder & General Partner at Mercury FundAziz GilaniAssociate at Mercury FundAileen AllenPartner at Mercury FundAlex GrasPrincipal at Mercury FundAndreas GallikerChief Financial Officer at Mercury FundJackie PfisterChief Operating Officer at Mercury Fund

+ 26 more