Open-source API for Y Combinator & a16z company data
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.
hey PH - we're back! 👋
I'm Konstantin. We first launched ExploreYC - here as a web app for exploring Y Combinator's portfolio, and the response was awesome — thank you 🙏. Ever since, the
#1 request has been the same one thing: "Can I get the data through an API?"
So this launch is exactly that. This is ExploreYC's open-source + API edition - the same cleaned, enriched dataset, now something you can query, script, and build on. And it grew up: it now covers a16z's portfolio alongside YC.
👉 New here? Welcome. Caught our first launch? This is the developer edition you asked for. 🎉
✨ What's new since our first launch:
- A public REST API - YC + a16z, filter by VC (`source=yc | a16z | all`)
- The entire project is now **open source**
- Developer accounts, API keys, rate limits, docs & a usage dashboard
- a16z portfolio data (exits, acquirers, founders, tickers) sitting next to YC
🔌 The API (the star of this launch):
- One base URL, JSON over HTTPS: `https://api.exploreyc.com/api/v1`
- Filter by VC - `source=yc | a16z | all` — plus batch, industry, country, hiring status, or full-text search
- Company detail by id or slug: funding, stage, **IPO/M&A exits**, acquirer, founders, ticker
- Portfolio stats, sources, geo/map data, and batch "Wrapped" analytics
- Get an API key in 30 seconds - non-expiring, with per-key rate limits (`X-RateLimit-*` headers, `Retry-After`)
- A full docs site with copy-paste curl / Node / Python examples + interactive Swagger
- A developer dashboard to manage keys, watch your usage (7-day charts + top endpoints), and set a profile
```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
"https://api.exploreyc.com/api/v1..."
```
🌐 And the whole thing is open source → github.com/KonstantinMB/exploreyc
🎯 Why: researching startups means jumping between YC's directory, a16z's site, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, and 20 browser tabs. I cleaned + enriched all of it into one dataset — and now anyone can build on it.
🧰 Everything the API powers is also a polished web app:
🔍 Search & filter 6,800+ YC + a16z companies
🗺️ Interactive global map
🤖 AI company research
📊 Analytics + funding data
💼 Live hiring board (1,400+ companies hiring)
💡 Startup idea validator
🎁 Batch "Wrapped" shareables
Would love your feedback - especially from anyone building tools for founders, investors, or the startup ecosystem.
What would you build with this API?
About ExploreYC on Product Hunt
“Open-source API for Y Combinator & a16z company data”
ExploreYC launched on Product Hunt on July 8th, 2026 and earned 297 upvotes and 30 comments, earning #1 Product of the Day. 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.
On the analytics side, ExploreYC competes within API, Open Source, Developer Tools and GitHub — topics that collectively have 723.6k followers on Product Hunt. The dashboard above tracks how ExploreYC performed against the three products that launched closest to it on the same day.
Who hunted ExploreYC?
ExploreYC was hunted by Konstantin Borimechkov. A “hunter” on Product Hunt is the community member who submits a product to the platform — uploading the images, the link, and tagging the makers behind it. Hunters typically write the first comment explaining why a product is worth attention, and their followers are notified the moment they post. Around 79% of featured launches on Product Hunt are self-hunted by their makers, but a well-known hunter still acts as a signal of quality to the rest of the community. See the full all-time top hunters leaderboard to discover who is shaping the Product Hunt ecosystem.
Konstantin Borimechkov