ExploreYC
A searchable data layer for Y Combinator's entire startup portfolio
Overview
ExploreYC started as one founder's personal research tool, a way to answer questions like which YC companies are hiring in their space or how their own idea compares to what's already been funded, and has since grown into a fuller data platform covering the entire YC portfolio. It's built on React 19, FastAPI, Supabase, OpenAI embeddings, and Perplexity for research, and was closed-source until the Product Hunt launch, when the creator opened it up for the wider YC-curious builder community to use.
It's a genuinely useful reference if you're researching the YC ecosystem, but it's a side project by a solo developer rather than a funded, staffed company, so expect the kind of reliability that comes with that: no SLA, no support team, and features that may change or break as the maintainer has time. Being open source is a real point in its favor for anyone who wants to verify how it works or self-host their own version.
Key Features
Smart Search and Filters: Search the YC portfolio by name, industry, batch, location, and hiring status.
Interactive Global Map: Visualize where YC companies are located worldwide.
AI-Powered Company Intelligence: Competitive analysis and market positioning generated from company data.
Live Hiring Board: Tracks over 1,400 YC companies actively hiring.
Startup Idea Validator: Checks whether an idea already exists somewhere in the YC portfolio.
Batch Analytics: Compares trends across YC batches going back roughly 20 years.
Pricing
Starting price
Free. No pricing tiers were found on the site; it appears to be a free, open-source tool at the time of writing.
Free: $0. Full access to search, filters, hiring board, and analytics; no tiers found.
Disclaimer: no pricing page or paid tier was found at the time of writing. Confirm on exploreyc.com before assuming it stays free.
Pros
Genuinely Free: No pricing tiers or paywalls found.
Open Source: Code is publicly available on GitHub, which adds transparency most tools on this list don't have.
Broad Coverage: Indexes the full YC portfolio of 5,700+ companies rather than a curated subset.
Useful Niche Utility: The hiring board and idea validator solve real, specific research problems.
Cons
Solo Maintainer: Built by one person as a side project, with no company or team behind it.
No Support Structure: No SLA, no dedicated support, and no guarantee of continued maintenance.
Too New for Reviews: Recent Product Hunt launch means little independent feedback yet on data accuracy or freshness.
No Affiliate Program: As a free open-source tool, there's nothing to monetize through an affiliate link.
What Makes It Unique
Open-Source YC Data Layer: A publicly auditable, self-hostable dataset and interface covering the entire YC portfolio.
Kay Score
5.5
/ 10
Tool Information
Pricing
Free. No pricing tiers were found on the site; it appears to be a free, open-source tool at the time of writing.
Category
Research & Productivity
Platform
Web / iOS / Android
Last Updated
