# Startup Funding Tracker - VC Deals & Investor Activity (`gochujang/startup-funding-tracker`) Actor

Track startup funding rounds, valuations, and investor activity across tech sectors. Aggregates VC deals from TechCrunch, Hacker News, and NewsAPI. Filter by sector, round type, geography, and minimum funding amount. Monitor VC trends and emerging startup ecosystems.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/gochujang/startup-funding-tracker.md
- **Developed by:** [Hojun Lee](https://apify.com/gochujang) (community)
- **Categories:** Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 funding round fetcheds

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

## Startup Funding Tracker

**Startup Funding Tracker** aggregates **recent venture capital funding rounds** from Hacker News, TechCrunch, and optionally NewsAPI — extracting company names, deal sizes, round types, investors, sectors, and geography with smart text parsing. No proxy required. Filter by sector (AI, Fintech, Crypto, Climate, SaaS, Healthcare, Defense), round type (Seed through Growth), and minimum deal size.

Startup funding flows are one of the cleanest signals of where smart money is moving. Series A rounds in a sector today predict Series B activity — and eventually public market activity — in 12–24 months.

***

### Why use Startup Funding Tracker?

1. **VC trend monitoring** — Track which sectors are attracting capital right now. AI, climate tech, defense tech, and fintech each have distinct funding cycles. Monitor weekly flows to stay ahead of narrative shifts.
2. **Competitive intelligence** — Set `sectors: ["AI"]` and get alerted when competitors raise. Funding announcements often precede product launches and hiring surges by 3–6 months.
3. **Lead generation** — Recently funded startups are actively spending: on infrastructure, software, talent, and services. Filter by stage and sector to find companies in their high-growth phase.
4. **Investor activity tracking** — See which firms (Sequoia, a16z, Accel) are most active in a given week. Investor momentum in a sector often precedes sector-wide valuation re-rating.
5. **Market signal detection** — `bull-market-ai`, `climate-momentum`, `crypto-revival`, `defense-tech` market signals aggregate deal flow into regime labels — useful for portfolio positioning decisions.

***

### How to use

1. Open the actor on Apify Store and click **Try for free**.
2. Set `sectors` to filter by industry vertical (empty = all sectors).
3. Set `minFundingUsd` to filter out micro-deals (default: $1M).
4. Optionally add a free NewsAPI key for broader news coverage.
5. Click **Start**. Returns structured funding round records with investor tier and deal significance.

***

### Input

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `newsApiKey` | string | `""` | Optional NewsAPI.org key (free: 100 req/day; raises coverage significantly) |
| `sectors` | string\[] | `[]` | Filter by: `AI`, `Fintech`, `Healthcare`, `Climate`, `Crypto`, `SaaS`, `Defense` (empty = all) |
| `roundTypes` | string\[] | `[]` | Filter by: `Seed`, `Series A`, `Series B`, `Series C`, `Growth` (empty = all) |
| `minFundingUsd` | integer | `1000000` | Minimum deal size in USD |
| `maxResults` | integer | `50` | Maximum records returned (1–200) |
| `daysBack` | integer | `7` | Days back to search (1–30) |

***

### Output

```json
{
  "company": "Acme AI",
  "amount_usd": 50000000,
  "amount_display": "$50M",
  "round_type": "Series B",
  "sector": "AI",
  "investors": ["Sequoia Capital", "Andreessen Horowitz"],
  "country": "US",
  "city": "San Francisco",
  "date": "2026-09-01",
  "source": "TechCrunch",
  "source_url": "https://techcrunch.com/...",
  "valuation_usd": null,
  "investor_tier": "top-tier",
  "deal_significance": "significant",
  "market_signal": "bull-market-ai",
  "fetched_at": "2026-09-02T10:00:00Z"
}
```

#### Output fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `amount_usd` | integer | Deal size in USD |
| `round_type` | string | `Pre-Seed`, `Seed`, `Series A-D`, `Growth`, `Bridge` |
| `sector` | string | `AI`, `Fintech`, `Healthcare`, `Climate`, `Crypto`, `SaaS`, `Defense` |
| `investor_tier` | string | `top-tier` (Sequoia/a16z/Accel/etc), `established`, `unknown` |
| `deal_significance` | string | `landmark` (>$100M), `significant` ($20-100M), `notable` ($5-20M), `standard` (<$5M) |
| `market_signal` | string | Macro regime label based on sector and deal activity |

A `SUMMARY` record with aggregated stats (total rounds, total funding, sector/round breakdowns) is saved to Key-Value Store.

***

### Cost estimation

**Pay-Per-Event: $0.001 per actor start + $0.003 per funding round returned.**

| Use case | Records | Estimated cost |
|----------|---------|----------------|
| Weekly AI deals (50) | 50 | ~$0.16/run |
| Daily funding monitor (20) | 20 | ~$0.06/day |
| 30-day sector sweep (200) | 200 | ~$0.60/run |
| Competitor funding alert (10) | 10 | ~$0.03/run |

***

### FAQ

**How accurate is the funding amount extraction?**
The actor parses formats like "$50M", "50 million", "$50,000,000" from article text. Accuracy is high for well-formatted press releases (80–90%). Some articles mention funding without a clear number — these are returned with `amount_usd: null`.

**Are all investor names recognized?**
Top-tier funds (Sequoia, a16z, Accel, Bessemer, GV, Tiger, SoftBank, etc.) are recognized. Unknown investors are labeled `"unknown"`. The list of recognized firms is broad but not exhaustive.

**Does it include international deals?**
Yes — the actor detects country and city from article text. Geography coverage depends on article quality; not all articles mention location. European, Asian, and US deals are included when mentioned by source publications.

**Does it cover stealth rounds or unannounced deals?**
Only publicly announced deals that appear in Hacker News, TechCrunch, or NewsAPI sources. Private or stealth rounds are not included.

***

### Related actors

- [Wikidata SPARQL Query](https://apify.com/gochujang/wikidata-sparql-query) — Background data on funded companies (founding year, headquarters, employees)
- [GitHub Repository Stats Tracker](https://apify.com/gochujang/github-repo-stats) — Check if funded startups have public OSS repos and gauge developer traction
- [Startup Funding Tracker](https://apify.com/gochujang/startup-funding-tracker) — You're here — for VC deal flow monitoring

### Feedback

If this actor is useful, a quick review helps other investors and founders find it: [Leave a review on Apify Store](https://apify.com/gochujang/startup-funding-tracker#reviews)

***

**Keywords:** startup funding, venture capital, VC deals, funding rounds, Series A, TechCrunch, Hacker News, startup ecosystem, investment tracker, valuation, investor activity, deal flow

# Actor input Schema

## `newsApiKey` (type: `string`):

Optional NewsAPI.org API key for more results. Free tier: 100 req/day. Get at newsapi.org

## `sectors` (type: `array`):

Filter by sector: AI, Fintech, Healthcare, Climate, Crypto, SaaS, Defense

## `roundTypes` (type: `array`):

Filter by round: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth

## `minFundingUsd` (type: `integer`):

Minimum funding amount in USD (e.g. 1000000 for $1M)

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum funding rounds to return

## `daysBack` (type: `integer`):

How many days back to search (1-30)

## `alertMinFundingUsd` (type: `number`):

Send Telegram alert for funding rounds above this amount. 0 = all rounds.

## `alertInvestors` (type: `array`):

Only alert when these investors participate. E.g. \['Sequoia','a16z','YC']. Empty = all.

## `telegramBotToken` (type: `string`):

Telegram bot token for sending alerts (optional).

## `telegramChatId` (type: `string`):

Telegram chat ID to send alerts to (optional).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sectors": [],
  "roundTypes": [],
  "minFundingUsd": 1000000,
  "maxResults": 50,
  "daysBack": 7,
  "alertMinFundingUsd": 10000000,
  "alertInvestors": [],
  "telegramBotToken": "",
  "telegramChatId": ""
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("gochujang/startup-funding-tracker").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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("gochujang/startup-funding-tracker").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 '{}' |
apify call gochujang/startup-funding-tracker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,gochujang/startup-funding-tracker"
        }
    }
}
```

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/9Y78T6FhRBLkiOVtr/builds/iUhPasaXfEEOFmgVw/openapi.json