# Y Combinator Companies & Founders Scraper (`fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper`) Actor

Export Y Combinator companies, founder profiles, hiring status, industries, and company metadata.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.60 / 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?

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

## Y Combinator Companies & Founders Scraper

Export structured Y Combinator company and founder data for lead generation, recruiting, startup research, and market mapping. Search the public YC directory, filter companies, or provide exact company profile URLs.

### What you can export

Each company record includes its YC profile URL, website, description, batch, status, stage, team size, hiring status, industries, regions, tags, launch timestamp, and logo. Optional founder enrichment adds public founder names, roles, biographies, and labelled LinkedIn and X profiles.

### Who is it for?

This Actor is designed for sales and recruiting teams, startup investors, market researchers, founders, and data teams that need repeatable YC company and founder datasets instead of manual directory browsing.

### Use cases

- Build targeted startup and founder lead lists by batch or industry.
- Find actively hiring YC companies for recruiting research.
- Map startup markets, stages, regions, and company status.
- Enrich CRM or spreadsheet workflows with canonical company URLs.
- Monitor a repeatable segment of the YC ecosystem.

### Input recipes

```json
{
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "batches": ["Summer 2024"],
  "includeFounders": true,
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

To fetch known profiles directly:

```json
{
  "companyUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/aisdr" }],
  "includeFounders": true,
  "maxItems": 1
}
```

### Input settings

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `query` | string | Company, product, or keyword search. |
| `companyUrls` | URL array | Optional exact YC company profile URLs. |
| `batches` | string array | Exact YC batch filters, such as `Summer 2024`. |
| `industries` | string array | Exact industry filters shown by YC. |
| `statuses` | string array | Company statuses, such as `Active` or `Acquired`. |
| `includeFounders` | boolean | Visit public profiles for founder details. Default: `true`. |
| `maxItems` | integer | Maximum companies to save, from 1 to 5,000. |

Filters within the same setting are alternatives; different filter settings are combined. If `companyUrls` is supplied, those exact profiles take precedence over directory search.

### Output example

```json
{
  "id": 29110,
  "name": "AiSDR",
  "slug": "aisdr",
  "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/aisdr",
  "website": "https://aisdr.com/",
  "oneLiner": "AI sales prospecting. Replace your SDR with AiSDR",
  "batch": "Summer 2023",
  "status": "Active",
  "stage": "Early",
  "teamSize": 5,
  "isHiring": false,
  "industries": ["B2B", "Sales"],
  "regions": ["United States of America", "Remote"],
  "founders": [{
    "name": "Yuriy Zaremba",
    "title": "Founder/CEO",
    "linkedinUrl": "https://linkedin.com/in/yuriy-zaremba",
    "twitterUrl": "https://twitter.com/YuriyZaremba"
  }],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-07T06:09:19.162Z"
}
```

### Output fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `id`, `name`, `slug`, `url` | Stable YC company identity and canonical profile. |
| `website`, `logoUrl` | Public company website and logo. |
| `oneLiner`, `longDescription` | YC company summaries. |
| `batch`, `status`, `stage` | Accelerator batch and company lifecycle information. |
| `teamSize`, `isHiring` | Public team and hiring signals. |
| `nonprofit`, `topCompany` | YC directory flags. |
| `industries`, `regions`, `tags` | Public classification and regional arrays. |
| `launchedAt` | Source launch timestamp when available. |
| `founders` | Public names, roles, bios, and labelled social profiles. |
| `scrapedAt` | UTC timestamp when the record was produced. |

### Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. Company records and included founder profiles are charged separately. See the live [Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper/pricing) for the current rates for your Apify plan. Runs that return fewer enriched fields incur only the applicable events.

### API usage

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~y-combinator-directory-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"developer tools","maxItems":20,"includeFounders":true}'
```

Use the returned run's dataset URL to download JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or other supported formats.

**Node.js**

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper').call({
  query: 'developer tools', maxItems: 20, includeFounders: true,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

**Python**

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
import os
client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper').call(
    run_input={'query': 'developer tools', 'maxItems': 20, 'includeFounders': True}
)
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
```

### MCP and AI agents

Connect this Actor through Apify MCP at:

`https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper`

Add it to Claude Code:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper"
```

For desktop clients, Cursor, or VS Code:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper"
    }
  }
}
```

Example prompts:

- "Find 20 active YC artificial intelligence companies and include their founders."
- "Export YC developer-tool companies from Summer 2024 for CRM import."

Agents can run repeatable startup searches, retrieve structured company records, and pass them to CRM, enrichment, or analysis steps.

### Tips

- Start with 10 companies to verify your filters cheaply.
- Use exact YC batch and industry labels for predictable filtering.
- Disable `includeFounders` when only company metadata is needed.
- Use `companyUrls` for deterministic refreshes of a known lead list.
- Increase `maxItems` only after confirming the search is suitably targeted.

### Limits

Results reflect information publicly available from Y Combinator at run time. Optional fields may be empty when YC does not publish them. The Actor does not infer private contact details. Source changes or transient profile failures may leave founder enrichment empty while preserving company records.

### Integrations

Export results to Google Sheets, Airtable, Make, Zapier, n8n, webhooks, cloud storage, or your own application through the Apify API and dataset clients.

### Related Actors

- [Y Combinator Companies Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/y-combinator-companies-scraper)
- [Y Combinator Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/y-combinator-jobs-scraper)
- [LinkedIn Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/linkedin-jobs-scraper)
- [Google Search Results Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/google-search-results-scraper)
- [Decision Maker Email Finder](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/decision-maker-email-finder)
- [Website Contact Finder](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/website-contact-finder)
- [LinkedIn Company Profiles Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/linkedin-company-profiles-scraper)

### FAQ

#### Does this require a YC login?

No. The Actor works with publicly available YC company and founder pages.

#### Can I fetch one company?

Yes. Pass its `https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/...` URL in `companyUrls` and set `maxItems` to 1.

#### Can I use the output through an API or MCP?

Yes. Run the Actor through the Apify API, official clients, or the Apify MCP endpoint above.

#### How should I use the data?

Follow applicable laws, the source terms, and your outreach provider's rules. Keep lead lists current and honor opt-out requests.

### Support

For questions or unexpected results, open an issue from this Actor's Apify page and include a run URL plus a short description of the expected result.

# Actor input Schema

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

Company, product, or keyword to search.

## `companyUrls` (type: `array`):

Optional specific ycombinator.com/companies URLs.

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

Optional exact batch names, such as Summer 2024.

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

Optional exact YC industry filters.

## `statuses` (type: `array`):

Optional statuses such as Active or Acquired.

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

Visit public company profiles to return founder names, roles, bios, and labelled social links.

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

Maximum number of company records to save.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "companyUrls": [],
  "batches": [],
  "industries": [],
  "statuses": [],
  "includeFounders": true,
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (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 = {
    "query": "artificial intelligence",
    "companyUrls": [],
    "batches": [],
    "industries": [],
    "statuses": []
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-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": "artificial intelligence",
    "companyUrls": [],
    "batches": [],
    "industries": [],
    "statuses": [],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-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": "artificial intelligence",
  "companyUrls": [],
  "batches": [],
  "industries": [],
  "statuses": []
}' |
apify call fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fetch_cat/y-combinator-directory-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/rNwuS8UCAwGE1cOrg/builds/R65EhNkawq3BFZ9X2/openapi.json