Y Combinator Scraper

Extract comprehensive startup data from Y Combinator's companies directory. Get detailed information about companies, founders, and open positions - perfect for investors, researchers, and recruiters.

Features

• Scrapes ALL companies matching your search criteria - no limits
• Filter by batch (Winter 2024, Summer 2024, etc.), industry tags, company status, or location
• Get founder profiles with social media links
• Discover open job positions with salary and experience requirements
• Export data in JSON, CSV, or Excel format
• Reliable data collection with automatic saving after each company

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
url	String	Yes	Y Combinator companies directory URL. The scraper will extract ALL companies matching your search criteria. Use URL filters to narrow down results (batch, tags, status, location)
scrapeFounders	Boolean	No	Include founder information (default: false)
scrapeOpenJobs	Boolean	No	Include job postings (default: false)

Output Fields

Company Fields

• company_image: Company logo URL
• company_name: Company name
• url: Company profile URL
• short_description: One-line description
• long_description: Full description
• batch: Batch name (e.g., Winter 2024)
• status: Company status (Active, Acquired, etc.)
• tags: Industry tags array
• company_location: Location
• year_founded: Founding year
• team_size: Number of employees
• website: Company website URL
• company_linkedin: LinkedIn profile URL
• company_x: X (Twitter) profile URL
• is_hiring: Hiring status (true/false)
• number_of_open_jobs: Count of open positions

Founder Fields (if scrapeFounders: true)

• founders: Array of founder objects
  • name: Founder name
  • linkedin: LinkedIn profile URL
  • x: X (Twitter) profile URL

Job Fields (if scrapeOpenJobs: true)

• open_jobs: Array of job objects
  • title: Job title
  • description_url: Link to full job posting
  • location: Job location
  • salary: Salary range (if available)
  • years_experience: Required experience level (if available)

Quick Start

1. Create a task with the following input:

{
  "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies?batch=Winter%202024",
  "scrapeFounders": true,
  "scrapeOpenJobs": true
}

2. Run the actor
3. Download results in JSON, CSV, or Excel format

Example Output

{
  "company_image": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/...",
  "company_name": "Example Corp",
  "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/example-corp",
  "short_description": "Building the future of work.",
  "long_description": "Example Corp is revolutionizing...",
  "batch": "Winter 2024",
  "status": "Active",
  "tags": ["B2B", "SaaS"],
  "company_location": "San Francisco, CA",
  "year_founded": 2023,
  "team_size": 10,
  "website": "https://example.com",
  "company_linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/example-corp",
  "company_x": "https://x.com/example",
  "is_hiring": true,
  "number_of_open_jobs": 3,
  "founders": [
    {
      "name": "Jane Doe",
      "linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/janedoe",
      "x": "https://x.com/janedoe"
    }
  ],
  "open_jobs": [
    {
      "title": "Senior Software Engineer",
      "description_url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/example/jobs/abc123",
      "location": "San Francisco, CA",
      "salary": "$150K - $200K",
      "years_experience": "5+ years"
    }
  ]
}

Limitations

• Public data only: Extracts information that is publicly visible on Y Combinator's website
• English language: All data is collected in English
• Data freshness: Company information is current at the time of extraction but may change
• Reasonable usage: Making many requests in quick succession may be temporarily limited

Troubleshooting

No results returned

• Verify the URL is a valid Y Combinator companies directory link
• Check if the batch or filter combination matches any companies
• Try a different batch or remove filters to test

Some data fields are missing

• Not all companies provide complete information (founders, social media links, job details)
• Empty fields reflect the actual data available on Y Combinator's website
• This is normal and varies by company

Actor runs longer than expected

• The actor scrapes ALL companies matching your search - this is by design
• Narrow your search using URL filters (specific batch, tags, or location) to reduce runtime
• Disable scrapeFounders or scrapeOpenJobs if you don't need that data
• Consider filtering by specific batches (e.g., Winter 2024 only) rather than all companies

Need help with a specific use case?

• Check the input URL format matches: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies?batch=Winter%202024
• Ensure boolean parameters are set correctly (true/false)
• Review the example output structure to understand available fields

Use Cases

• Lead generation for investors
• Market research and trend analysis
• Startup landscape studies
• Competitive intelligence
• Talent acquisition and recruiting
• Partnership opportunities

This actor respects Y Combinator's publicly available data and does not bypass any access controls.