# Y Combinator Jobs Scraper (`parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Y Combinator startup job listings with salary, equity, visa sponsorship, founder data, and full descriptions. Filter by role and location. Job-centric output ready for recruiting, salary benchmarking, and startup research.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseBird](https://apify.com/parsebird) (community)
- **Categories:** Jobs, Lead generation, Agents
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 934 total users, 67 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 4 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 4.06 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $1.09 / 1,000 yc job details

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

### Y Combinator Jobs Scraper

Extract startup job listings from [Y Combinator's Work at a Startup](https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs) platform. Scrape salary ranges, equity, visa sponsorship, experience requirements, skills, full descriptions, founder data, and company metadata from every YC-backed job posting.

<table><tr>
<td style="border-left:4px solid #F26522;padding:12px 16px;font-weight:600">Discover 3,500+ startup jobs from 800+ YC companies — benchmark compensation, and source candidates across the entire ecosystem.</td>
</tr></table>

<br>

<img src="https://www.ycombinator.com/assets/ycdc/yc-og-image-c440a0ad1dacfb86eeeb343717479cc54d256614449b4ef719977a0a451f8bc8.png" width="100%">

##### Copy to your AI assistant

Copy this block into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any LLM to start using this actor.

```
parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper on Apify. Call: ApifyClient("TOKEN").actor("parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper").call(run_input={...}), then client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items for results. Key inputs: searchQuery (string, keyword to search e.g. "machine learning"), roleFilter (string, "software-engineer"/"designer"/"product-manager"/etc.), maxResults (integer). Full actor spec: fetch build via GET https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/parsebird~yc-jobs-scraper (Bearer TOKEN). Get token: https://console.apify.com/account/integrations
```

### What does Y Combinator Jobs Scraper do?

This Actor scrapes [workatastartup.com](https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs), Y Combinator's official job platform for funded startups. It discovers ALL companies with active job listings, fetches every job from each company page, and enriches results with detail pages. Each record includes:

- **Job details** — title, type (full-time/contract/internship), role category, skills required
- **Compensation** — salary range with min/max parsed into numbers, currency, equity percentage range
- **Location** — city, state, country, or "Remote"
- **Requirements** — experience level, visa sponsorship status, required skills
- **Company data** — name, YC batch, tagline, description, team size, industry, website, logo
- **Founders** — names, roles, and avatar URLs
- **Full description** — complete job description in both plain text and HTML
- **Interview process** — interview details when available
- **Apply URL** — direct link to apply

### Why scrape YC Jobs?

- **Salary benchmarking** — Compare compensation across YC startups by role, location, and company stage
- **Recruiting** — Source candidates interested in startup roles, or find companies hiring for specific skills
- **Market research** — Track hiring patterns, in-demand roles, and growth signals across the YC ecosystem
- **Lead generation** — Identify fast-growing companies and decision-makers (founders)
- **Investment research** — Monitor hiring activity as a signal of company traction
- **Job aggregation** — Feed YC job data into your own job board, newsletter, or alert system

### How to use

1. Go to the [Y Combinator Jobs Scraper](https://apify.com/parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper) page on Apify Store
2. Click **Try for free**
3. Configure your input:
   - **Search Query** — Enter a keyword (e.g. "machine learning", "react", "backend") or leave empty to discover ALL jobs
   - **Role Filter** — Optionally filter by role category
   - **Location Filter** — Filter by city or region (e.g. "New York", "Remote", "New York, San Francisco")
   - **Max Results** — Cap the number of jobs returned
4. Click **Start** and wait for the run to finish
5. Download your data in JSON, CSV, Excel, or connect via API

### Input parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `searchQuery` | string | *(empty)* | Keyword search (e.g. "machine learning"). Leave empty to discover all 3,500+ jobs from 800+ companies |
| `roleFilter` | string | *(empty)* | Filter by role: `software-engineer`, `designer`, `product-manager`, `data-scientist`, `sales`, `marketing`, `support`, `operations`, `recruiting`, `science` |
| `locationFilter` | string | *(empty)* | Filter by location. Supports multiple comma-separated locations (e.g. "New York, San Francisco"). Each is matched as OR. Location terms are also passed to the search engine for better discovery. |
| `maxResults` | integer | `100` | Max jobs to return (0 = unlimited). For full discovery runs, increase the Actor timeout to 5 minutes |

> **Note on location filter:** The location filter matches against the **job's posted location** (where the role is based), not the company's headquarters. A company based in San Francisco may post jobs in New York — the filter checks where the job is, not where the company is headquartered. This means you may see fewer companies per location than expected, but every returned job is genuinely available in your specified location.

### Output data

Each job is enriched with its detail page automatically:

```json
{
    "jobId": "83576",
    "title": "Software Engineer",
    "url": "https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/83576",
    "companyName": "Kabilah",
    "companySlug": "kabilah",
    "companyUrl": "https://www.workatastartup.com/companies/kabilah",
    "companyTagline": "Pioneering Generative AI for Nursing",
    "ycBatch": "W24",
    "jobType": "Full-time",
    "roleCategory": "Full stack",
    "salaryRange": "$125K - $180K",
    "salaryMin": 125000,
    "salaryMax": 180000,
    "salaryCurrency": "USD",
    "equity": "0.25% - 1.00%",
    "location": "New York, NY, US / Seattle, WA, US / San Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)",
    "experience": "3+ years",
    "visaSponsorship": "US citizen/visa only",
    "skills": ["Android", "Microsoft Azure", "iOS", "Python"],
    "description": "You will work directly with our leadership team to build features...",
    "descriptionHtml": "<p>You will work directly with our leadership team...</p>",
    "companyDescription": "Pioneering Generative AI for Nursing",
    "companyIndustry": "Healthcare",
    "companyLogo": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/...",
    "companyWebsite": "https://www.kabilah.com",
    "founders": [
        {"name": "Umar Nadeem", "role": "Founder", "avatarUrl": "https://..."},
        {"name": "Sarah Raza", "role": "Founder", "avatarUrl": "https://..."}
    ],
    "applyUrl": "https://account.ycombinator.com/authenticate?...",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-05-03T13:14:01.654079+00:00"
}
```

### Pricing

This Actor uses **Pay-per-event** pricing. You are charged per job returned (`yc-job-detail` event), and the price depends on your Apify plan:

| Apify plan | Price per job | Price per 1,000 jobs |
|------------|---------------|----------------------|
| Free | $0.00199 | $1.99 |
| Bronze | $0.00149 | $1.49 |
| Silver | $0.00129 | $1.29 |
| Gold | $0.00109 | $1.09 |

**Cost examples (Free plan):**

- 10 jobs: ~$0.02
- 100 jobs: ~$0.20
- 500 jobs: ~$1.00
- 1,000 jobs: $1.99

Platform usage (compute and proxy) is included in the event price, so you are not billed for it separately. You only pay for the jobs actually returned.

### Tips and best practices

- **Start small** — Set `maxResults` to 5-10 to preview the data before running larger scrapes
- **Keyword search** — Use `searchQuery` to find jobs by keyword (e.g. "react", "machine learning", "backend")
- **Discover all jobs** — Leave `searchQuery` empty to find every available job across the YC ecosystem (3,500+ jobs from 800+ companies)
- **Role filter** — Use `roleFilter` to narrow results to a specific role category after discovery
- **Scheduling** — Set up weekly runs to track new job postings and hiring trends

### Integrations

Connect this Actor to your workflow:

- **Google Sheets** — Export results directly
- **Webhooks** — Trigger actions when new data arrives
- **API** — Access data programmatically via the Apify API
- **Zapier / Make** — Automate downstream workflows

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Search for specific jobs by keyword (e.g. 'machine learning', 'react', 'backend'). Leave empty to discover ALL available jobs across the entire YC ecosystem.

## `roleFilter` (type: `string`):

Optionally filter results by role category. Applied after search/discovery. Leave empty for all roles.

## `locationFilter` (type: `string`):

Filter jobs by location. Supports comma-separated values for multiple locations (e.g. 'New York, San Francisco'). Each location is matched as a case-insensitive substring against the job's location field (where the role is based), not the company headquarters. Multiple locations are treated as OR (matches any). Location terms are also passed to the search engine for better discovery. Leave empty for all locations.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of jobs to return. Set to 0 for unlimited. When discovering all jobs (empty search), the scraper finds 3,000+ jobs across 800+ YC companies. Enrichment with full details is done for all returned jobs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQuery": "software engineer",
  "roleFilter": "",
  "locationFilter": "",
  "maxResults": 25
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQuery": "software engineer",
    "locationFilter": "",
    "maxResults": 25
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQuery": "software engineer",
    "locationFilter": "",
    "maxResults": 25,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQuery": "software engineer",
  "locationFilter": "",
  "maxResults": 25
}' |
apify call parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parsebird/yc-jobs-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/CIHbQb2sgYrumBIIJ/builds/CqBYIqaD2ebbjdhp8/openapi.json