# Y Combinator Companies Scraper — Startups & Founders (`jeffev/yc-companies-scraper`) Actor

Scrape the Y Combinator startup directory by keyword, batch, industry, region and hiring status: one-liner, team size, location, website, tags and status. Founders mode adds every founder's name, title, LinkedIn, Twitter and bio, plus the company's LinkedIn, Crunchbase and GitHub.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/jeffev/yc-companies-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Jefferson Valandro](https://apify.com/jeffev) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.70 / 1,000 companies

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## Y Combinator Companies Scraper — startups & founders

Scrape the **Y Combinator startup directory** (5,000+ companies) by keyword and filters: **batch** (W24, S25...), **industry, region, tags, hiring now, status** and top companies. Each company comes with one-liner, description, batch, status, industry, team size, locations, website, tags and launch date. Turn on **founders mode** to add **every founder's name, title, LinkedIn, Twitter and bio**, plus the company's year founded, LinkedIn, Crunchbase and GitHub.

Built for **B2B sales to startups, VC and accelerator research, recruiting, and building lists of founders to contact**.

### Why this one

- **All directory filters**: batch, industry, region, tags, hiring, status, top companies.
- **Founders with LinkedIn** in founders mode: a ready outreach list.
- **Batch shortcuts**: write `W24` or `Winter 2024`, both work.
- **Fast**: uses the directory's own search, hundreds of companies in seconds.

### Input

Hiring fintech startups from recent batches, with founders:

```json
{
  "query": "",
  "batches": ["W24", "S24", "W25"],
  "industries": ["Fintech"],
  "isHiring": true,
  "includeFounders": true,
  "maxCompanies": 300
}
```

### Output (one item per company)

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `name`, `slug`, `url`, `website`, `oneLiner`, `description`, `logo` | identity |
| `batch`, `status`, `stage`, `topCompany`, `launchedAt`, `yearFounded` | YC data |
| `industry`, `subindustry`, `industries`, `tags`, `teamSize`, `locations`, `regions`, `isHiring` | profile |
| `founders` (`name`, `title`, `linkedin`, `twitter`, `bio`), `linkedin`, `twitter`, `crunchbase`, `github` | founders mode |

### Example output

One real item from a test run (long texts and lists shortened):

```json
{
  "type": "company",
  "name": "burnt",
  "slug": "burnt",
  "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/burnt",
  "website": "https://getburnt.ai/",
  "oneLiner": "Agentic Operating System for Food Supply Chain",
  "description": "Food Supply Chain companies have been using legacy ERPs for decades. Everyone knows these are necessary evils that essentially run the business but take up a...",
  "batch": "Summer 2025",
  "status": "Active",
  "industry": "B2B",
  "subindustry": "B2B -> Supply Chain and Logistics",
  "industries": [
    "B2B",
    "Supply Chain and Logistics"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "Supply Chain",
    "Food Tech",
    "AI"
  ],
  "teamSize": 3,
  "locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA",
  "regions": [
    "United States of America",
    "America / Canada"
  ],
  "isHiring": true,
  "topCompany": false,
  "nonprofit": false,
  "stage": "Early",
  "launchedAt": "2025-08-07",
  "logo": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/2af9e43cd6c77970b3bff5071024e812ac9ee3e0.png",
  "formerNames": [
    "burnt AI"
  ],
  "yearFounded": 2023,
  "location": "San Francisco"
}
```

### Feedback

Found a problem or need a field? Open an issue in the **Issues** tab: every issue is read and answered. If the actor helped you, a review on the Store helps a lot.

### How much does it cost?

You pay only for results delivered, at a fixed price per item. **Apify platform usage is included** in that price, so there are no compute costs on top. Errors and items that couldn't be found are free.

| What you get | Price | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Company with founders | $0.003 each | 1,000 company with founderss = $3.00 |
| Company | $0.001 each | 1,000 companys = $1.00 |

The Apify **Free plan includes $5 of monthly credit**, enough for about **1,666 company with founderss** per month at no cost. You can also set a maximum spend per run.

On paid Apify plans it gets cheaper automatically: **10% off on Starter, 20% on Scale and 30% on Business**.

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

Keywords to search companies (name, one-liner, description). Empty = all companies matching the filters.

## `batches` (type: `array`):

YC batches like 'W24', 'S25', 'Winter 2024' or 'Summer 2025'.

## `maxCompanies` (type: `integer`):

How many companies to return.

## `includeFounders` (type: `boolean`):

Open each company page for its founders (name, title, LinkedIn, Twitter, bio), year founded, location and LinkedIn/Crunchbase/GitHub links. Charged as a detailed company.

## `industries` (type: `array`):

e.g. 'Fintech', 'B2B', 'Healthcare', 'Consumer', 'Industrials', 'Education'.

## `regions` (type: `array`):

e.g. 'United States of America', 'Europe', 'Latin America', 'Remote', 'India'.

## `tags` (type: `array`):

e.g. 'AI', 'SaaS', 'Developer Tools', 'Marketplace'.

## `isHiring` (type: `boolean`):

Only companies with open jobs on YC.

## `status` (type: `string`):

Only companies with this status.

## `topCompaniesOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only companies YC lists as top companies.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "fintech",
  "maxCompanies": 50,
  "includeFounders": false,
  "isHiring": false,
  "topCompaniesOnly": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `companies` (type: `string`):

One item per Y Combinator company.

# 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 = {
    "query": "fintech",
    "maxCompanies": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("jeffev/yc-companies-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 = {
    "query": "fintech",
    "maxCompanies": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("jeffev/yc-companies-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 '{
  "query": "fintech",
  "maxCompanies": 50
}' |
apify call jeffev/yc-companies-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,jeffev/yc-companies-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/iycyBCfOrCFNM5V1X/builds/T2FNVy6wH9DxaaRWm/openapi.json