# Startup Launch Scraper — 7 Directories, Websites & Emails (`memo23/startup-launch-scraper`) Actor

Scrape new startup launches from TinyLaunch, MicroLaunch, LaunchingNext, BetaList, Uneed, Product Hunt and Startup Fast into one unified feed, with each startup's own website and optional contact emails.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/memo23/startup-launch-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Muhamed Didovic](https://apify.com/memo23) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Agents
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

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?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## Startup Launch Scraper — 7 Launch Directories in One Feed

Scrape brand-new startup launches from **TinyLaunch, MicroLaunch, LaunchingNext, BetaList, Uneed.best, Product Hunt and Startup Fast** — and get one unified table instead of seven incompatible exports.

Every row carries the startup's **own website**, which is what turns a launch feed into a lead list.

![How it works](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/muhamed-didovic/muhamed-didovic.github.io/main/assets/how-it-works-startup-launch.png)

### Why use this scraper

Launch directories are where founders show up on day one, before they have a marketing budget, before they're in any database, and before your competitors have heard of them. The problem is that each directory exports a different shape, so tracking all of them means running seven scrapers and reconciling seven schemas by hand.

This actor crawls all seven and emits **one row shape** with the same columns every time. A field a given directory doesn't publish comes back `null` rather than missing, so your CSV columns stay stable and a spreadsheet or CRM import never breaks.

### Overview

| Directory | What it covers | Approx. catalog |
|---|---|---|
| **TinyLaunch** | Weekly launch batches, indie SaaS | ~14,700 launches |
| **MicroLaunch** | Indie products and micro-SaaS | ~17,600 products |
| **LaunchingNext** | Long-running startup directory | 140,000+ entries |
| **BetaList** | Upcoming/pre-launch startups since 2010 | Deep archive |
| **Uneed.best** | Ranked tool directory, revenue data | Full catalog |
| **Product Hunt** | The flagship daily leaderboard | Daily boards |
| **Startup Fast** | Category-organised launch listings | Full catalog |

### Supported inputs

- **Nothing at all** — crawls all seven directories newest-first, capped by `maxItems`.
- **`sources`** — pick a subset, e.g. just `["tinylaunch", "betalist"]`.
- **`startUrls`** — paste launch pages or category listings from **any** supported directory. URLs are auto-routed to the right parser, so a TinyLaunch link and a BetaList link can sit in the same list.

### Use cases

**Lead generation.** Every row carries the startup's own domain, and `enrichEmails` turns that into actual contact emails. Founders launching this week are actively buying tools, hiring, and choosing infrastructure.

**Competitive monitoring.** Watch a category across all seven directories and see who ships into your space the day they announce it.

**Market research.** 170,000+ historical launches, tagged by category, with vote counts where the directory publishes them.

**Deal sourcing.** Pre-seed startups appear on BetaList and TinyLaunch months before they show up in any funding database.

### How it works

Each directory has its own discovery path: TinyLaunch, MicroLaunch and Uneed expose sitemaps listing every launch; LaunchingNext and BetaList paginate; Product Hunt walks daily leaderboards; Startup Fast walks category listings. All seven run **concurrently**, so a slow directory never blocks a fast one.

The item budget is split fairly. Each directory gets an equal guaranteed share first, then whatever budget the smaller directories leave unused is handed back to the ones that still have results — so a single large site can't consume the whole run.

### Input configuration

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `sources` | array | all seven | Which directories to crawl |
| `startUrls` | array | — | Launch or listing URLs from any supported directory; auto-routed |
| `maxItems` | integer | 1000 | Total rows across every directory |
| `maxItemsPerSource` | integer | 500 | Cap per directory, so one site can't eat the budget |
| `resolveWebsites` | boolean | true | Follow the outbound redirect to capture the startup's own domain (needed for BetaList) |
| `enrichEmails` | boolean | false | Visit each startup's own site and harvest contact emails |
| `maxConcurrency` | integer | 8 | Parallel detail fetches shared across directories |
| `proxy` | object | off | Optional — none of these sites run anti-bot |

### Output overview

One row per launch. Core columns are identical across all seven directories; each directory's extras live in a nested `raw` object so nothing is thrown away.

### Key output fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `source` | string | Which directory this row came from |
| `listingUrl` | string | The launch page on that directory |
| `id` / `slug` | string | Directory-native identifiers |
| `name` | string | Product name |
| `tagline` | string | One-line pitch |
| `description` | string | Body copy, plain text |
| **`website`** | string | **The startup's own domain** |
| `logoUrl` | string | Logo or preview image |
| `category` / `categories` / `tags` | string / array | Classification as the directory publishes it |
| `upvotes` | integer | Vote count where the directory ranks launches |
| `commentCount` | integer | Comment count where published |
| `rank` | integer | Leaderboard placement where applicable |
| `makerName` / `makerHandle` | string | Founder name and X/Twitter handle |
| `launchDate` | string | ISO date the launch went live |
| `scrapedAt` | string | ISO timestamp of the scrape |
| `contactEmail` | string | Best contact email found on the startup's own site (only when `enrichEmails` is on) |
| `contactWebsite` | string | The site the emails were harvested from |
| `emailEnrichment` | object | Full enrichment result — all emails found, source, and confidence |
| `raw` | object | Everything site-specific — Uneed revenue and reviews, Product Hunt funding and YC flag, TinyLaunch discount codes, MicroLaunch offer type |

#### Field availability by directory

Not every directory publishes every field. This table is measured, not aspirational:

| Directory | website | upvotes | category | maker | launchDate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TinyLaunch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| MicroLaunch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Uneed.best | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Product Hunt | ✅ | ✅ (from leaderboard) | ✅ | handle only | ✅ |
| Startup Fast | ✅ | ✅ | — | — | — |
| BetaList | ✅ (via redirect) | — | — | — | — |
| LaunchingNext | ✅ | — | — | — | — |

BetaList and LaunchingNext simply don't publish vote counts, categories, or maker names on their public pages — those fields come back `null` rather than guessed.

### FAQ

**Can I scrape only one directory?** Yes — set `sources` to a single entry, or paste that site's URLs into `startUrls`.

**Why is `website` null on some Product Hunt rows?** A few Product Hunt products have no outbound link published on the product page.

**Do I need a proxy?** No. None of the seven run anti-bot. The proxy input exists only if your own IP gets rate-limited.

**Why is BetaList slower per row?** Its website field sits behind a `/visit` redirect, costing one extra request per row. Set `resolveWebsites: false` to skip it.

**Can I get emails?** Yes. Turn on `enrichEmails` and each row gains `contactEmail`, `contactWebsite` and a full `emailEnrichment` object. It works by visiting the startup's own website, so it only runs on rows that have one — app-store links, social profiles and the directories' own domains are skipped rather than enriched with the wrong company's data. Expect longer runs, since it adds requests per row.

### Support

Found a bug or want another directory added? Open an issue on the actor's Issues tab.

### Explore more scrapers

Single-site versions of three of these sources are available separately if you only need one: Product Hunt, Uneed.best, and Startup Fast.

### 🤖 For AI Agents & LLM Apps

The unified schema makes this actor straightforward to call from an agent: every row has the same keys regardless of source, so no per-site branching is needed. Set `sources` to narrow the crawl and `maxItems` to bound cost. The `website` field is the useful handle for any downstream step, and `enrichEmails: true` resolves contact emails in the same pass.

### ⚠️ Disclaimer

This actor collects only publicly available information from public launch-directory pages. It does not bypass authentication, solve CAPTCHAs, or access private data. You are responsible for using the scraped data in compliance with each site's terms of service and with applicable data-protection law, including GDPR where personal data such as maker names is involved.

### SEO Keywords

startup launch scraper, product hunt scraper, betalist scraper, tinylaunch scraper, microlaunch scraper, launchingnext scraper, uneed scraper, startup directory scraper, indie hackers leads, new startup leads, launch directory api, startup lead generation, pre-seed deal sourcing, product launch data, indie maker directory, saas launch tracker, startup website list, founder contact data

# Actor input Schema

## `sources` (type: `array`):

Which directories to crawl. Leave empty to crawl all seven. Ignored for any directory you target directly via Start URLs.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Product/launch pages or category listings from any supported directory. URLs are auto-routed to the right parser, so you can mix sites in one run. Leave empty to crawl each directory's full catalog newest-first.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Total rows across every directory in this run.

## `maxItemsPerSource` (type: `integer`):

Cap on rows from any single directory, so one large site cannot consume the whole budget. The total Max items still wins.

## `resolveWebsites` (type: `boolean`):

Follow the directory's outbound redirect to capture the startup's own domain. Needed for BetaList, which hides the website behind a /visit redirect. Costs one extra request per BetaList row.

## `enrichEmails` (type: `boolean`):

Visit each startup's own website and harvest contact emails into contactEmail / emailEnrichment. Adds one or more requests per row, so runs take longer. Off by default.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel detail-page fetches shared across all directories.

## `proxy` (type: `object`):

Optional override. Six of the seven directories need no proxy. Product Hunt does — it returns empty results from datacenter IPs — so when Product Hunt is in scope the actor automatically uses Apify residential for that source alone. Set this only to override that choice.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sources": [
    "tinylaunch",
    "microlaunch",
    "launchingnext",
    "betalist",
    "uneed",
    "producthunt",
    "startupfast"
  ],
  "startUrls": [],
  "maxItems": 1000,
  "maxItemsPerSource": 500,
  "resolveWebsites": true,
  "enrichEmails": false,
  "maxConcurrency": 8,
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `csv` (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 = {
    "startUrls": [],
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("memo23/startup-launch-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 = {
    "startUrls": [],
    "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("memo23/startup-launch-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 '{
  "startUrls": [],
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call memo23/startup-launch-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,memo23/startup-launch-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/ArRGbVI54c3Uvxbfo/builds/aQtgc9WYwuncgQpzh/openapi.json