From Malta to Silicon Valley: Local Founders Accepted into Y Combinator
Maltese founders James Zammit and Daniel Gauci have joined the world-renowned Y Combinator Winter 2025 batch with their startup, Roark.
Roark is building advanced analytics for voice AI applications, helping companies monitor, evaluate, and improve AI-powered voice agents. Their platform provides actionable insights to enhance customer interactions, streamline operations, and boost performance in industries where voice technology is rapidly expanding.
James and Daniel bring significant experience to the venture. James previously worked at AngelList, a Silicon Valley unicorn known for revolutionising startup investing, while Daniel comes from Akiflow, another successful Y Combinator-backed startup.
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2005, Y Combinator has been the launchpad for some of the most successful global startups, including Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Reddit, and Coinbase. Acceptance into YC is highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of less than 1%. The accelerator provides selected startups with funding, mentorship, and access to an exclusive network of investors and industry leaders.
Over the next few months, James and Daniel will be based in San Francisco, working alongside some of the world’s most promising startups to scale Roark into a leading player in the voice AI industry.
Roark’s acceptance into YC is a promising sign of Malta’s growing role in the global tech space and an encouraging step for other local founders looking to build internationally.
Well done James and Daniel!
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