# Y Combinator Scraper (`kawsar/y-combinator-scraper`) Actor Y Combinator company scraper that searches the YC startup directory by keyword, batch, industry, or region. Get company names, websites, team sizes, and hiring status exported directly to a dataset. - **URL**: https://apify.com/kawsar/y-combinator-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Kawsar](https://apify.com/kawsar) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Lead generation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 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. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## 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: ```json { "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 ```json { "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. # Actor input Schema ## `query` (type: `string`): Single keyword or phrase to search for. Use 'Search queries' below to search multiple keywords in one run. ## `queries` (type: `array`): List of keywords or phrases to search in one run. Each query runs separately and results are deduplicated by company slug. Combined with 'Search query' if both are provided. ## `batch` (type: `array`): Filter results by YC batch codes (e.g., W24, S23, W21). Multiple values are OR-combined. Leave empty for all batches. ## `industries` (type: `array`): Filter by industry tags (e.g., Fintech, B2B, Healthcare, Consumer). Multiple values are OR-combined. ## `regions` (type: `array`): Filter by geographic regions (e.g., America / USA, Europe, Asia). Multiple values are OR-combined. ## `isHiring` (type: `boolean`): When enabled, only includes companies that are actively hiring. ## `topCompanyOnly` (type: `boolean`): When enabled, only includes companies that YC has marked as top companies. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of companies to return per query. With multiple queries, each query collects up to this many results independently. Hard limit is 1000. ## `timeoutSecs` (type: `integer`): Overall actor timeout in seconds. ## `requestTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`): Timeout for each individual HTTP request in seconds. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Select proxies to use for requests. Helps avoid IP blocking and rate limits. Datacenter proxies are fastest; Residential proxies are harder to detect. ## Actor input object example ```json { "query": "fintech", "queries": [ "fintech", "healthcare", "AI" ], "batch": [ "W24", "S24" ], "industries": [ "Fintech", "B2B" ], "regions": [ "America / USA" ], "isHiring": false, "topCompanyOnly": false, "maxItems": 100, "timeoutSecs": 300, "requestTimeoutSecs": 30, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "queries": [ "fintech", "healthcare" ], "maxItems": 100, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("kawsar/y-combinator-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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "queries": [ "fintech", "healthcare", ], "maxItems": 100, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("kawsar/y-combinator-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "queries": [ "fintech", "healthcare" ], "maxItems": 100, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } }' | apify call kawsar/y-combinator-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=kawsar/y-combinator-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Y Combinator Scraper", "description": "Y Combinator company scraper that searches the YC startup directory by keyword, batch, industry, or region. Get company names, websites, team sizes, and hiring status exported directly to a dataset.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "RTUIZg82nX6SnYsH8" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/kawsar~y-combinator-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-kawsar-y-combinator-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/kawsar~y-combinator-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-kawsar-y-combinator-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/kawsar~y-combinator-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-kawsar-y-combinator-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "query": { "title": "Search query", "type": "string", "description": "Single keyword or phrase to search for. Use 'Search queries' below to search multiple keywords in one run.", "default": "" }, "queries": { "title": "Search queries", "type": "array", "description": "List of keywords or phrases to search in one run. Each query runs separately and results are deduplicated by company slug. Combined with 'Search query' if both are provided.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "batch": { "title": "YC batch", "type": "array", "description": "Filter results by YC batch codes (e.g., W24, S23, W21). Multiple values are OR-combined. Leave empty for all batches.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "industries": { "title": "Industries", "type": "array", "description": "Filter by industry tags (e.g., Fintech, B2B, Healthcare, Consumer). Multiple values are OR-combined.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "regions": { "title": "Regions", "type": "array", "description": "Filter by geographic regions (e.g., America / USA, Europe, Asia). Multiple values are OR-combined.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "isHiring": { "title": "Actively hiring only", "type": "boolean", "description": "When enabled, only includes companies that are actively hiring.", "default": false }, "topCompanyOnly": { "title": "Top companies only", "type": "boolean", "description": "When enabled, only includes companies that YC has marked as top companies.", "default": false }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max results", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of companies to return per query. With multiple queries, each query collects up to this many results independently. Hard limit is 1000.", "default": 100 }, "timeoutSecs": { "title": "Timeout (seconds)", "minimum": 30, "maximum": 3600, "type": "integer", "description": "Overall actor timeout in seconds.", "default": 300 }, "requestTimeoutSecs": { "title": "Request timeout (seconds)", "minimum": 5, "maximum": 120, "type": "integer", "description": "Timeout for each individual HTTP request in seconds.", "default": 30 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Select proxies to use for requests. Helps avoid IP blocking and rate limits. Datacenter proxies are fastest; Residential proxies are harder to detect." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```