ExploreYC

Open-source API for Y Combinator & a16z company data

Developer ToolsGitHubAPIOpen Source

▲ 346 votes36 commentsLaunched Jul 8, 2026

Visit Website

Daily #7Weekly #7

One open-source API for startup data across Y Combinator AND a16z - 6,600+ companies with funding, stage, IPO/M&A exits, and founders. Filter by VC (yc/a16z/all), batch, industry, country, or search. Grab a free API key, read the docs (curl/Node/Python + Swagger), and build in 30 seconds. Plus the full web app: map, analytics, funding data, a live hiring board, and AI tools.

AI Analysis

📝 Summary

ExploreYC offers an open-source API with data on 6,600+ YC and a16z companies, covering funding, stages, IPO/M&A exits, and founders. Users filter by VC, batch, industry, country or search terms, with free API keys and docs supporting curl, Node, Python, and Swagger for quick integration. The full web app adds maps, analytics, funding insights, a live hiring board, and AI tools. It solves the pain of fragmented, hard-to-access startup data from top accelerators/VCs by providing a unified, structured source. Value proposition: enables developers and analysts to build tools, conduct research, and gain insights in seconds.

📈 Market Timing

Favorable for 2025-2026 with booming AI tools, developer demand for structured data to power analytics and agents, and popularity of open-source amid rising proprietary API costs. YC and a16z remain highly influential in a growing global startup ecosystem. Economic push for innovation supports this. Excellent Timing.

✅ Feasibility

High. Technical difficulty is moderate: aggregating public data into an API and web app (maps, analytics, AI) uses standard tools and is scalable via cloud. Low development/operation costs due to open-source model. Minimal supply chain or compliance risks for public company data. Strong scalability potential for a dev-oriented team.

🎯 Target Market

Primary segments: developers, indie hackers, VC analysts, startup researchers (ages 25-40, tech professionals). Industries: AI, SaaS, developer tools. Geographic: global with concentration in US, Europe. TAM for startup intelligence ~$2B, SAM for APIs ~$300M, SOM for niche open-source ~$15M. Pain points: time-consuming data scraping and fragmentation. Moderate to high willingness to pay for premium limits or advanced AI features.

⚔️ Competition

Medium. Direct competitors: 1. Crunchbase (crunchbase.com), 2. PitchBook (pitchbook.com), 3. CB Insights (cbinsights.com), 4. YC Companies (ycombinator.com/companies), 5. Signal (signal.nfx.com). Advantages: open-source, free tier, YC/a16z focus with unique AI tools and hiring board for fast builds. Disadvantages: narrower dataset limited to two firms vs. comprehensive platforms; may lag in data freshness or depth compared to paid incumbents.

Upgrade Pro to unlock full AI analysis