Y Combinator Scraper: Extract Company Data from the YC Startup Directory

Y Combinator Scraper pulls startup data straight from the YC company directory using the Algolia search API that powers the YC website. Search by keyword, filter by batch, industry, or region, and collect company names, websites, descriptions, team sizes, hiring status, and more in a single run.

No browser automation. No HTML parsing. Direct API access for fast, reliable results.

Use cases

• Pull all YC companies in a specific batch or industry for investor research and deal sourcing
• Collect company names, websites, and one-liners to build sector-specific startup maps
• Filter for companies actively hiring to find startups in growth mode
• Track new YC batches to stay current with the portfolio
• Map companies by subindustry or region for geographic or vertical analysis
• Screen nonprofits or top-company badge holders for grant or partnership outreach

What data does this actor collect?

Each result includes:

{
    "name": "Stripe",
    "slug": "stripe",
    "website": "https://stripe.com",
    "locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA",
    "smallLogoUrl": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/...",
    "oneLiner": "Economic infrastructure for the internet.",
    "longDescription": "Stripe builds economic infrastructure for the internet...",
    "batch": "S09",
    "tags": ["fintech", "payments"],
    "status": "Active",
    "teamSize": 8000,
    "industries": ["Fintech", "B2B"],
    "subindustry": "Financial Services",
    "regions": ["America / USA"],
    "isHiring": false,
    "nonprofit": false,
    "topCompany": true,
    "profileUrl": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/stripe",
    "scrapedAt": "2024-11-15T10:23:45.123456+00:00"
}

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Company name
slug	string	URL slug used in the YC directory
website	string	Company website URL
locations	string	All office locations
smallLogoUrl	string	URL to the company logo
oneLiner	string	Short one-sentence description
longDescription	string	Full company description
batch	string	YC batch code (e.g., W21, S24)
tags	array	Company tags
status	string	Operational status (e.g., Active, Acquired)
teamSize	integer	Number of employees
industries	array	Industry tags
subindustry	string	Primary subindustry
regions	array	Geographic regions
isHiring	boolean	Whether the company is actively hiring
nonprofit	boolean	Whether the company is a nonprofit
topCompany	boolean	Whether YC marked it as a top company
profileUrl	string	Full URL to the YC company profile
scrapedAt	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of collection time

Input

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
query	string	(empty)	Search keyword or phrase
batch	array	(empty)	YC batch codes to filter by (e.g., W24, S23). Multiple values use OR logic.
industries	array	(empty)	Industry tags to filter by. Multiple values use OR logic.
regions	array	(empty)	Region names to filter by. Multiple values use OR logic.
isHiring	boolean	false	Only return companies that are actively hiring
topCompanyOnly	boolean	false	Only return YC top companies
maxItems	integer	100	Maximum number of results per run (up to 1000)
timeoutSecs	integer	300	Overall actor timeout in seconds
requestTimeoutSecs	integer	30	Per-request timeout in seconds
proxyConfiguration	object	Datacenter (Anywhere)	Proxy type and location for requests. Optional.

Example input

{
    "query": "fintech",
    "batch": ["W24", "S24"],
    "industries": ["Fintech"],
    "isHiring": true,
    "maxItems": 100,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}

FAQ

What search terms work? Any keyword that appears in company names, descriptions, or industry tags in the YC directory. Leave the query field empty to get all companies up to the maxItems limit.

How many companies can I collect per run? Up to 1,000. Set maxItems to control how many results to return.

Can I filter by multiple batches? Yes. Enter batch codes like W24 and S24 in the batch field. Multiple values use OR logic, so results include companies from any of the listed batches.

Do I need an API key? No. The actor uses the public Algolia API embedded in the YC website. No credentials required.

Is a proxy required? No. The YC Algolia API is public and rarely rate-limits requests. Proxy is optional but included for cases where it helps.

What filters can I combine? All filters combine with AND logic across facets. For example, setting batch to W24 and industries to Fintech returns only W24 fintech companies. Within the same facet (e.g., two batch values), results use OR logic.