ExploreYC: An Open-Source API for Exploring YC and a16z Startup Data

Startup data is useful for many different reasons. A founder may want to understand which companies are being built in a specific industry. A researcher may want to study funding patterns across regions. A job seeker may want to find growing startups that are actively hiring. A developer may want structured company data for a dashboard, internal tool, or analysis project.

ExploreYC is a platform built around this kind of startup discovery. It provides an open-source API for company data across Y Combinator and a16z, along with a web app that includes maps, analytics, funding data, a live hiring board, and AI tools.

The platform can be found at https://www.exploreyc.com.

Table of Contents

What Is ExploreYC?

ExploreYC is an open-source API and web platform for browsing and working with startup data. Its main focus is company information from Y Combinator and a16z-backed startups.

The API covers more than 6,600 companies and includes details such as funding, company stage, IPO and M&A exits, and founders. Instead of searching across scattered pages or manually collecting startup information, ExploreYC gives users a structured way to filter, search, and retrieve the data.

The platform is built for both technical and non-technical use cases. Developers can use the API to build applications, run analysis, or connect startup data to other tools. People who prefer a visual interface can use the web app to explore companies through maps, charts, hiring data, and other discovery features.

What Kind of Data Does It Include?

ExploreYC focuses on startup data related to Y Combinator and a16z. The available dataset includes company-level information that can be useful for research, discovery, and analysis.

Based on the platform description, the data includes:

Company information across Y Combinator and a16z
Funding data for startups in the dataset
Company stage information
IPO and M&A exit data where available
Founder information
Industry categories
Country-based filtering
YC batch filtering
VC filtering by YC, a16z, or all

This makes the platform suitable for people who need more than a simple list of startup names. The filters allow users to narrow the dataset based on a specific interest, such as startups from a certain country, companies in a particular industry, or businesses associated with a specific investor group.

The ExploreYC API

One of the main parts of ExploreYC is its API. The API allows developers to programmatically access startup data instead of manually browsing through the web interface.

Users can get a free API key and start working with the documentation. The API docs include examples for common developer workflows, including:

cURL
Node.js
Python
Swagger documentation

The platform presents the API as something that can be set up quickly, which may be helpful for developers who want to test an idea, prototype a dashboard, or pull startup data into an existing system.

For example, a developer could use the API to create a searchable company directory, build an investment research tool, analyze startup distribution by country, or track hiring trends among early-stage companies. The API structure also makes the data easier to reuse in spreadsheets, internal dashboards, and research workflows.

Filtering and Search Options

A useful part of any large company database is the ability to narrow down results. ExploreYC includes several filtering options that help users move from a broad dataset to a more specific group of companies.

Users can filter by:

VC: YC, a16z, or all
Batch: useful for looking at Y Combinator cohorts
Industry: helpful for studying specific markets
Country: useful for geographic research
Search: for finding specific companies or related information

These filters can be useful in different contexts. Someone researching fintech startups could focus on that industry. A job seeker interested in startups in a particular country could narrow the list geographically. A founder studying companies from a specific YC batch could filter by batch and review patterns from that group.

The Web App Experience

ExploreYC is not only an API. It also includes a full web app for browsing startup data visually and interactively.

The web app includes:

A map for geographic exploration
Analytics for understanding startup patterns
Funding data for company research
A live hiring board for discovering open roles
AI tools for working with the data

The web app can be useful for users who do not want to write code. Instead of making API calls, they can explore the dataset through the interface and use visual tools to understand the companies listed on the platform.

The map feature can help show where companies are located. Analytics can help identify broader patterns. The hiring board adds another practical layer, especially for people looking at startups from a career perspective.

Who Might Use ExploreYC?

ExploreYC can fit into several personal and professional workflows. Since it combines structured API access with a browser-based web app, it can be used by both technical and non-technical users.

Developers

Developers can use the API to build tools and experiments around startup data. Since the documentation includes examples in cURL, Node.js, and Python, it supports common ways developers test and integrate APIs.

Founders

Founders may use the platform to understand startup activity in a particular sector, geography, or YC batch. Looking at companies by industry or funding stage can provide context on how different markets are represented.

Researchers and Analysts

Researchers can use the dataset to study patterns across startups, such as where companies are located, which industries appear frequently, or how funding data is distributed across groups.

Job Seekers

The live hiring board can help people discover roles at startups included in the platform. Combined with company data, this can make it easier to understand a company before exploring an opportunity.

Investors and Startup Operators

People who work around venture-backed companies may use the search and filtering tools to organize company research, compare sectors, or track startup ecosystems across regions.

Why Structured Startup Data Matters

Startup information often exists in many different places. Company websites, investor pages, batch directories, funding announcements, and hiring pages can all contain useful details, but they are not always easy to search together.

A structured API helps solve this problem by making the data easier to query and reuse. Instead of copying information manually, users can request specific data and connect it to their own tools.

This is especially helpful when working with larger datasets. With more than 6,600 companies included, manual browsing can become time-consuming. Filters, search, and API access make it easier to move from general discovery to focused research.

Getting Started

ExploreYC provides API documentation for users who want to start with the developer side of the platform. The docs include request examples and Swagger support, making it easier to understand available endpoints and test API calls.

For users who prefer not to work with code, the web app offers a more visual way to explore the same general category of startup information. The map, analytics, funding data, hiring board, and AI tools provide different ways to interact with the dataset.

The main website is available here: https://www.exploreyc.com.

Final Thoughts

ExploreYC brings together Y Combinator and a16z startup data in one platform, with both API access and a full web app. It includes information on thousands of companies, along with filters for VC, batch, industry, country, and search.

For people who work with startup data, the platform provides a structured way to explore companies, founders, funding, exits, locations, and hiring activity. Its API is designed for developers, while the web app gives non-technical users a way to browse and analyze the data without building anything first.

Whether the goal is research, product building, job discovery, or general startup ecosystem exploration, ExploreYC offers a centralized place to work with YC and a16z company data.