SaaS Metrics
Product Positioning & Context
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.
Related Ecosystem & Alternatives
Discover adjacent products, open-source repositories, and developer tools sharing similar technical architecture.
Deep-Dive FAQs
What is ExploreYC?
ExploreYC is a digital product or tool described as: Open-source API for Y Combinator & a16z company data
Where did ExploreYC originate?
Data for ExploreYC was aggregated directly from the Product Hunt community ecosystem, representing raw developer and early-adopter sentiment.
When was ExploreYC publicly launched?
The initial public indexing or launch date for ExploreYC within our tracked developer communities was recorded on July 8, 2026.
How popular is ExploreYC?
ExploreYC has achieved measurable traction, logging over 355 traction score and facilitating 38 recorded discussions or engagements.
Which technical categories define ExploreYC?
Based on metadata extraction, ExploreYC is categorized under topics such as: API, Open Source, Developer Tools.
What are some commercial alternatives to ExploreYC?
Our semantic intelligence engine identifies potential commercial alternatives in the SaaS space, such as ExploreYC, which offers overlapping value propositions.
How does the creator describe ExploreYC?
The original author or development team describes the product as follows: "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 searc..."
Community Voice & Feedback
An open-source API across YC + a16z with a 30-second free key is exactly the data layer I would rather hit than scrape and babysit myself for founder/sourcing research. The one thing I would test first: how fresh is the funding/exit/hiring data, is it re-crawled on a schedule (and roughly how often), or is a chunk of it a static snapshot from launch that drifts over time? And what are the rate limits on the free key before I would need to self-host the open-source side?
are all the companies hiring + job listing included?
This looks awesome! I love data viz/aggregation like this. What are some things people have built with this data?
amazing - no more unverified scraping ig?
The open-source plan mentioned in the comments is the interesting part to me is that just the app layer, or the enriched dataset too? Curious how you're thinking about keeping funding/hiring data in sync once other people are touching the codebase.
the api layer is the right play. everyone building founder-facing tools rebuilds this dataset every time and it's silly.real q: does exploreyc distinguish "raised $X" from "shipped something users pay for"? because those have drifted a mile apart and the data layer that solves the second one eats the first.
Open-sourcing the YC and a16z dataset is handy. Where's the underlying data sourced from, and how often does it refresh? Trying to gauge how stale the funding and status fields get between updates.
Very intrigued and looking forward to using this. What use case potential are you most excited about?
Would love a heatmap of YC batches by problem space over time e.g. how many fintech vs. dev-tool vs. climate companies per batch. Founders could instantly see which spaces are getting crowded vs. underexplored before pitching a similar idea.
The API-first cut of this is the version I'd actually reach for, @konstantimb . Non-expiring key in 30 seconds, standard X-RateLimit-* + Retry-After headers, and interactive Swagger — that's the boring DX most data APIs skip, and it's exactly what makes one safe to wire into a pipeline.Open-sourcing the whole ingestion side on top of that is a real trust signal when the dataset leans on scraped sources. Great comeback launch 👌
Congrats on the second launch. Merging both portfolios into one schema sounds like the unglamorous hard part — YC has batches and a public directory, a16z is scattered across press pages. Which fields refused to line up between the two?
Spent way too long doing this manually with YC's directory and a bunch of half-remembered LinkedIn searches. Having search, funding data, and hiring boards actually talk to each other in one place is such an obvious upgrade once you see it.
Congrats on the launch! 👏Love the idea of making YC data much more searchable and actionable.Curious.....what's been the most unexpected way early users are using ExploreYC?
i tested the filtering options and they saved plenty of time while searching for startups in specific industries. would adding historical funding snapshots help researchers track how companies evolve different years and stages?
The YC data angle is interesting mostly because the quality of that data degrades fast. Batch, status, current founders, whether a company is still operating or quietly dead. Curious how ExploreYC handles staleness, specifically whether you're pulling from a live source or maintaining a snapshot, and how often that snapshot gets refreshed. Also wondering how the a16z side works since their portfolio data is a lot less structured than YC's directory.
Discovery Source
Product Hunt Aggregated via automated community intelligence tracking.
Tech Stack Dependencies
No direct open-source NPM package mentions detected in the product documentation.
Media Tractions & Mentions
No mainstream media stories specifically mentioning this product name have been intercepted yet.
Deep Research & Science
No direct peer-reviewed scientific literature matched with this product's architecture.