ExploreYC

Product Introduction

1. Definition: ExploreYC is a read-only REST API and web application that serves as a unified, open-source database for startup intelligence. Technically, it aggregates and structures data on over 6,600 companies from two of the world's most prestigious startup accelerators and venture capital firms: Y Combinator (YC) and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
2. Core Value Proposition: It exists to solve the problem of fragmented and inaccessible startup data. ExploreYC provides developers, analysts, and investors with a single, programmatic source of truth for comprehensive startup information—including funding rounds, stage, IPO/M&A exit status, founder details, and portfolio analytics—through a well-documented API and interactive web tools.

Main Features

1. Comprehensive REST API: The core product is a JSON-over-HTTPS REST API with full Swagger/OpenAPI documentation. It offers endpoints for listing, filtering, and retrieving detailed company records (GET /companies), full-text search (GET /search), and fetching aggregate statistics (GET /stats). Authentication is via Bearer token or X-API-Key header, and rate limits are clearly communicated per request via X-RateLimit-* headers.
2. Granular Data Filtering: The API allows for precise querying of the startup database using parameters like vc (to filter by YC, a16z, or all), batch (e.g., W25, S24), industry, country, and status. This enables users to build targeted lists, such as "all a16z-backed AI companies in Series B stage."
3. Interactive Web Application Suite: Beyond the API, ExploreYC provides a full web app featuring a global map of geo-located companies (GET /map), portfolio analytics dashboards, a live hiring board for YC startups, and AI-powered tools for data exploration. The GET /batch/{name}/wrapped endpoint delivers batch-specific "wrapped"-style analytics.

Problems Solved

1. Pain Point: Manually researching and tracking startup portfolios from multiple top-tier VCs is time-consuming, inconsistent, and non-scalable. Data is often locked in PDFs, scattered across news articles, or behind paywalls.
2. Target Audience: Startup founders (for competitive analysis and market research), venture capital analysts and associates (for deal sourcing and due diligence), developers building fintech or recruiting tools, academic researchers studying innovation ecosystems, and journalists covering the tech industry.
3. Use Cases: A developer building a SaaS tool for tracking competitor funding; a VC analyst automating a weekly report on new YC batch companies; a founder researching the landscape of a16z-backed companies in their industry before a fundraise; a data scientist analyzing trends in startup success factors across different batches and geographies.

Unique Advantages

1. Differentiation: Unlike generic business databases or expensive proprietary platforms, ExploreYC is specifically focused on the elite YC and a16z ecosystems, offering depth and accuracy for this niche. Its open-source approach and transparent, affordable pricing (including a free tier) contrast with closed, costly alternatives.
2. Key Innovation: The primary innovation is the consolidation of two distinct, high-signal datasets (YC and a16z) into a single, normalized API. This cross-portfolio querying capability, combined with developer-first design (Swagger docs, clear rate limiting) and supplementary web tools like the live hiring board, creates a uniquely actionable platform for startup intelligence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What data does the ExploreYC API provide? The ExploreYC API provides structured data on over 6,600 Y Combinator and a16z portfolio companies, including company names, descriptions, funding stages, funding amounts, exit information (IPO/M&A), founder details, industry tags, country location, and associated batch or fund information.
2. Is there a free tier for the ExploreYC API? Yes, ExploreYC offers a free API plan that allows for 5 requests per day, which is sufficient for testing, prototyping, or low-volume personal use. Paid plans (Starter, Pro) offer higher rate limits of 500 and 5,000 requests per day, respectively.
3. How do I authenticate and use the ExploreYC API? You must first sign up for a free API key on the ExploreYC website. For each API request, you include this key either as a Bearer token in the Authorization header (Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY) or in the X-API-Key header. Detailed examples for cURL, Node.js, and Python are available in the interactive Swagger documentation.
4. Can I filter companies by specific venture capital firm? Yes, the main GET /companies endpoint supports a vc query parameter where you can filter for companies backed specifically by yc, a16z, or all (the default) to get a combined list from both sources.
5. What happens if I exceed my API rate limit? If you exceed your daily request quota, the API will return a 429 Too Many Requests status code. The response will include a Retry-After header indicating how many seconds to wait and a JSON message suggesting an upgrade. Your current limit and remaining requests are always visible in the X-RateLimit-* response headers.