# Global Startup Funding News & VC Deals Scraper (`complex_intricate_networks/global-startup-funding-news-vc-deals-scraper`) Actor

Scrape daily startup funding rounds, investors, and VC deal flow from TechCrunch, Crunchbase, and FinSMEs. Export structured B2B leads to JSON or CSV. Built for SDR sales triggers, investor tracking, and AI agents. Fast, Python-powered extraction with zero login required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/complex_intricate_networks/global-startup-funding-news-vc-deals-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [CIN](https://apify.com/complex_intricate_networks) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

Extract real-time startup investment rounds, funding amounts, round types, lead investors, and VC deal flow from **TechCrunch**, **Crunchbase News**, and **FinSMEs**.

Built on high-speed Python Crawlee architecture, this Actor simultaneously monitors primary global tech news feeds and transforms unstructured announcements into clean, standardized **Universal Data Model** records. Designed for SDR outbound triggers, VC market intelligence, CRM pipeline automation, and autonomous **Model Context Protocol (MCP)** AI agents.

***

### 🚀 How to Scrape Startup Funding in 5 Steps

1. **Create** a free [Apify account](https://console.apify.com/sign-up).
2. **Open** [Global Startup Funding News & VC Deals Scraper](https://apify.com/complex_intricate_networks/global-funding-news-scraper) in the Apify Console.
3. **Configure your Input:** Select your time range (e.g., *Today (Last 24h)*, *Last 7 days*) and max page budget.
4. **Click "Start"** to launch the high-speed Python crawler.
5. **Download your leads** in JSON, CSV, or Excel, or stream them directly into your CRM or AI agent workflow.

***

### 🌟 Key Features & Competitive Advantages

- ⚡ **Multi-Source Real-Time Aggregation:** Scrapes TechCrunch, Crunchbase News, and FinSMEs simultaneously to catch rounds the moment they hit the press.
- 🧠 **Universal Data Model:** Normalizes disparate headlines and editorial styles into uniform fields (`company_name`, `amount`, `round_type`, `investors`, `date_announced`) ready for direct database ingestion.
- 🎯 **Noise & Macro Filtering:** Intelligent regex filtering automatically discards conference promotions (e.g., TC Disrupt, Battlefield), ticket deadlines, layoffs, and macro market analyses.
- 🛡️ **Zero Login & Anti-Blocking:** Extracts public data without requiring user accounts, cookies, or expensive API subscriptions. Natively integrates with Apify Proxy to prevent rate limits.
- 🤖 **MCP & AI-Agent Ready (AEO):** Formatted for Answer Engine Optimization and direct integration into autonomous agents via Model Context Protocol.

***

### 💼 Business Use Cases & Workflow Recipes

#### 🎯 SDR Peak-Buying-Window Outreach

- **Goal:** Contact fast-growing startups within 24 hours of closing fresh capital when purchasing intent and expansion budgets are at their highest.
- **Recipe:** Schedule this Actor to run **Daily** at 08:00 UTC with `dateFilter: "0"` (Today only). Route output records via Webhook or Zapier/Make directly into your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) or outbound sequencing tools (Instantly, Apollo).

#### 📊 Venture Capital & Market Mapping

- **Goal:** Track competitor fund deployments, co-investment syndicates, and emerging sector verticals.
- **Recipe:** Run weekly with `dateFilter: "7"`. Combine scraped leads with **[Company Signal - AI Company Research](https://apify.com/complex_intricate_networks/company-research-ai)** to automatically evaluate headcount growth, web traffic, and tech stacks of newly funded firms.

***

### ⬇️ Input Configuration

Configure inputs directly through the Apify Console UI or pass a JSON payload via API:

#### Input JSON Example

```json
{
  "dateFilter": "7",
  "maxRequestsPerCrawl": 60,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

#### Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `dateFilter` | String | `"7"` | Time window to scrape. Options: `"0"` (Last 24h), `"3"`, `"7"`, `"14"`, `"30"`. |
| `maxRequestsPerCrawl` | Integer | `60` | Maximum page requests across all sources to control your compute budget. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Object | `{"useApifyProxy": true}` | Apify Proxy settings to prevent IP bans and rate limits. |

***

### ⬆️ Output Data Schema & Live Samples

Every scraped record is validated against the Universal Data Model and saved into your dataset in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats.

#### Sample Output (JSON Array)

```json
[
  {
    "company_name": "Mach9",
    "amount": "$34M",
    "round_type": "Series A",
    "investors": [
      "First Round Capital"
    ],
    "date_announced": "2026-10-21T06:00:00-07:00",
    "source_url": "[https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/21/mach9-raises-34m-after-pivoting-to-ai-cad-software/](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/21/mach9-raises-34m-after-pivoting-to-ai-cad-software/)",
    "article_title": "Mach9 raises $34M after pivoting to AI CAD software",
    "source_domain": "techcrunch.com",
    "scraped_at": "2026-10-22T15:06:10.872264+00:00",
    "confidence_score": "High"
  },
  {
    "company_name": "Coherence Neuro",
    "amount": "$45M",
    "round_type": "Series A",
    "investors": [
      "Founders Fund"
    ],
    "date_announced": "2026-10-22T14:04:24+01:00",
    "source_url": "[https://www.finsmes.com/2026/10/coherence-neuro-raises-45m-in-series-a-funding.html](https://www.finsmes.com/2026/10/coherence-neuro-raises-45m-in-series-a-funding.html)",
    "article_title": "Coherence Neuro Raises $45M in Series A Funding",
    "source_domain": "[www.finsmes.com](https://www.finsmes.com)",
    "scraped_at": "2026-10-22T15:06:34.871155+00:00",
    "confidence_score": "High"
  },
  {
    "company_name": "Slingshot Insurance",
    "amount": "$27M",
    "round_type": "Seed",
    "investors": [],
    "date_announced": "2026-10-22T15:06:44.490000+00:00",
    "source_url": "[https://www.finsmes.com/2026/10/slingshot-insurance-raises-27m-in-seed-funding.html](https://www.finsmes.com/2026/10/slingshot-insurance-raises-27m-in-seed-funding.html)",
    "article_title": "Slingshot Insurance Raises $27M in Seed Funding",
    "source_domain": "[www.finsmes.com](https://www.finsmes.com)",
    "scraped_at": "2026-10-22T15:06:44.490000+00:00",
    "confidence_score": "High"
  },
  {
    "company_name": "Pascal",
    "amount": "$8.5M",
    "round_type": "grant",
    "investors": [
      "Sazze Partners"
    ],
    "date_announced": "2026-10-22T11:21:07+01:00",
    "source_url": "[https://www.finsmes.com/2026/10/pascal-raises-8-5m-in-additional-funding.html](https://www.finsmes.com/2026/10/pascal-raises-8-5m-in-additional-funding.html)",
    "article_title": "Pascal Raises $8.5M in Additional Funding",
    "source_domain": "[www.finsmes.com](https://www.finsmes.com)",
    "scraped_at": "2026-10-22T15:06:35.978148+00:00",
    "confidence_score": "High"
  }
]
```

#### Sample Output (Tabular / CSV Preview)

| company_name | amount | round_type | investors | date_announced | source_domain |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **Mach9** | $34M | Series A | First Round Capital | 2026-10-21 | techcrunch.com |
| **Coherence Neuro** | $45M | Series A | Founders Fund | 2026-10-22 | www.finsmes.com |
| **Slingshot Insurance** | $27M | Seed | *(Undisclosed)* | 2026-10-22 | www.finsmes.com |
| **Pascal** | $8.5M | grant | Sazze Partners | 2026-10-22 | www.finsmes.com |
| **Coast** | $35M | Seed | *(Undisclosed)* | 2026-10-22 | www.finsmes.com |

#### Diagnostic Error Output Schema

If an article encounters network issues or non-standard formatting, a diagnostic record is pushed so downstream integrations are alerted rather than breaking:

```json
{
  "source_url": "[https://techcrunch.com/sample-non-funding-event/](https://techcrunch.com/sample-non-funding-event/)",
  "error": "Article content unavailable or non-funding format",
  "errorCode": "PARSE_ERROR",
  "scraped_at": "2026-10-22T15:06:11.000000+00:00"
}
```

***

### 🤖 MCP Server & AI Agent Integration

This Actor is fully compatible with the **Model Context Protocol (MCP)**, allowing AI models (Claude Desktop, Cursor, LibreChat, CrewAI) to pull live venture capital funding rounds directly into their context window.

#### Connecting via Apify MCP

1. Connect your MCP client to the Apify MCP endpoint (`https://mcp.apify.com`).
2. Add `complex_intricate_networks/global-funding-news-scraper` to your agent tools.
3. Prompt your agent with natural language:
   > *"Find all AI startups that raised a Series A or Series B round in the last 7 days and format them into an executive investment briefing."*

***

### 💻 Programmatic API Access (SDKs)

Run this Actor programmatically in Python or JavaScript:

#### Python Client (`apify-client`)

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("complex_intricate_networks/global-funding-news-scraper").call(
    run_input={
        "dateFilter": "7",
        "maxRequestsPerCrawl": 60
    }
)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    if "company_name" in item:
        print(f"💰 {item['company_name']} raised {item['amount']} ({item['round_type']}) - Source: {item['source_domain']}")
```

#### JavaScript Client (`apify-client`)

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('complex_intricate_networks/global-funding-news-scraper').call({
    dateFilter: '7',
    maxRequestsPerCrawl: 60,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    if (item.company_name) {
        console.log(`💰 ${item.company_name} raised ${item.amount} (${item.round_type})`);
    }
});
```

***

### 🔄 Expand Your B2B Intelligence Ecosystem

Chain this Actor with complementary tools to build an automated end-to-end prospecting machine:

- **[Company Signal - AI Company Research](https://apify.com/complex_intricate_networks/company-research-ai):** Extract firmographics, web traffic, and tech stacks for newly funded startups.
- **[Startup Hiring Signals & Linkedin Finder](https://apify.com/complex_intricate_networks/founder-contact-enricher-hiring-signals):** Extract verified founder LinkedIn profiles and monitor active hiring status.
- **[LinkedIn 24h Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/complex_intricate_networks/linkedin-24h-jobs-scraper-real-time-job-alerts-leads):** Monitor open roles at recently funded companies.

***

### ❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

**Is this an alternative to expensive Crunchbase Pro subscriptions?**\
Yes. This Actor monitors primary news feeds from TechCrunch, Crunchbase News, and FinSMEs to deliver public venture capital announcements without costly annual licensing fees.

**Can I run this scraper on an automated schedule?**\
Yes. Using Apify Schedules, you can set the Actor to run every morning. Combine it with Webhooks to deliver fresh deals directly to Slack, Google Sheets, or your CRM.

**How does date filtering work?**\
The scraper parses the article's publication timestamp (`<time>` or `article:published_time` metadata) and checks it against UTC. Any article published outside your chosen `dateFilter` is automatically skipped to save crawl budget.

**Is web scraping public startup funding news legal?**\
Yes. This scraper strictly extracts publicly available corporate press releases and editorial announcements in compliance with global public web data access guidelines.

# Actor input Schema

## `dateFilter` (type: `string`):

Only scrape funding articles published within this time window.

## `maxRequestsPerCrawl` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of pages the crawler will visit across all sources.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Select proxy settings. Apify proxy avoids rate limits and 403 blocks.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "dateFilter": "7",
  "maxRequestsPerCrawl": 60,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxRequestsPerCrawl": 60,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("complex_intricate_networks/global-startup-funding-news-vc-deals-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "maxRequestsPerCrawl": 60,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("complex_intricate_networks/global-startup-funding-news-vc-deals-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxRequestsPerCrawl": 60,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call complex_intricate_networks/global-startup-funding-news-vc-deals-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,complex_intricate_networks/global-startup-funding-news-vc-deals-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/9tYVy2VJQ3KOcC7Uz/builds/8pdUnKs9hYce54YVg/openapi.json