The Y Combinator startup directory is YC’s public company list - every batch, industry tag, and founder-submitted profile they choose to show. Founders search YC startup directory when they want market signals, not when they want a listing for their own SaaS. This page is the research guide: how to filter the official directory, what the data is actually good for, and what to do after you close the tab.
It is not a “get into YC” essay. It is not a dump of every YC company. After you validate the niche, launch where crawlers and users still show up: ScrollLaunch plus the startup directories archive.
TL;DR
- The Y Combinator startup directory lives at ycombinator.com/companies. It is free. It is a research tool.
- Filter by batch and industry. Last three batches beat “all time.”
- Use it to answer: is this problem crowded, funded, or empty? Then ship. Do not live in the spreadsheet.
- Official directory = verified batch membership. Crunchbase / PitchBook = rounds and M&A. You usually want both.
- Time a public launch 2-4 weeks after a noisy demo-day week if you want leftover attention - not during the hour every journalist is covering someone else.
- Listing your product in YC’s directory is not a thing unless you are in a batch. For a public product URL, use ScrollLaunch.
What Is the Y Combinator Startup Directory?
The YC startup directory is a searchable database of companies Y Combinator has funded. Typical fields: name, batch (for example W24, S25), industry tags, short description, location, and links the founders added.
Founders use it as:
| Job | What you extract | What you do not get |
|---|---|---|
| Market validation | How many recent batches attack the same job | Proof that you will get customers |
| Competitive density | Named companies + positioning language | Live traffic or DR |
| Timing | Demo-day and batch-announce calendar | A reason to delay shipping forever |
| Outreach | Founders in adjacent (not identical) products | A warm intro |
Key point: The directory tells you where capital already went. It does not tell you where your first 50 users will come from. For that, use the indie hacker first 1,000 users loop.
If your marketing site is still a weekend project, SuperFast is faster than rebuilding auth the week a batch drops. Technical pass: SEO It Is.
How to Use the YC Directory (20 Minutes)
- Open the official companies list.
- Set industry to your niche (or the closest parent).
- Restrict batch to the last three cohorts. “All time” is a graveyard of pivots and dead links.
- Count how many descriptions share your job-to-be-done. Three well-funded clones is a market. Thirty clones with the same sentence is a feature war.
- Click through 10 profiles. Steal language, not features. If every company says “AI-powered OS for X,” your landing page needs a sharper outcome.
- Export or copy a shortlist of 15 names into a sheet. Add a column: competitor, adjacent partner, or ignore.
- Close the directory. Open your launch checklist.
Filters that matter
| Filter | Use it for | Trap |
|---|---|---|
| Batch year | Current thesis vs leftover 2019 noise | Treating a 2012 company as a 2026 competitor |
| Industry | Density in your vertical | Missing the tag they actually used |
| Status / active | Teams still shipping | Assuming stealth means “easy niche” |
Cross-check (do not skip)
- Crunchbase - rounds, acquirers, headcount guesses
- Their live product - pricing page, changelog, careers. A directory blurb lies. A pricing page lies less.
- Search - who already ranks for the query you want
Official Directory vs Third-Party Databases
| Source | Best for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| YC companies | Batch membership, founder copy | Free |
| Crunchbase | Round history, M&A | Freemium / paid |
| PitchBook | Institutional cap tables | Enterprise |
| ScrollLaunch | Your own listing + weekly rank + dofollow page | Free tier |
Use YC to confirm who is in a batch. Use paid databases when you need money history. Use ScrollLaunch when you are ready to be a public product, which the YC directory will not do for you.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the directory as a static list. Batches ship twice a year. Recrawl before you rewrite positioning.
- Ignoring early-stage rows because they have no Series B headline. Those are the earliest tell on a new job-to-be-done.
- Launching on demo day. You are competing with every journalist’s batch roundup. Wait 2-4 weeks.
- Building a me-too because “YC funded 12 of these.” That is a warning, not a green light, unless you have a wedge.
- Confusing YC research with distribution. After the sheet is done, run how to launch a SaaS and where to launch a startup.
After the Spreadsheet: Launch Like a Non-YC Company
Most people reading this are not in a batch. That is fine. The public stack is the same:
- Confirm signup works.
- Product Hunt for the spike if you can sit in comments - 10 steps.
- ScrollLaunch the same week for
/products/[slug]and a dofollow you can inspect. - 10-15 Free + Dofollow directories.
Track the deadline in public on MakeItLast if the research rabbit hole is eating the ship date.
Key Takeaways
- Y Combinator startup directory = free research on ycombinator.com/companies, not a place to list your startup.
- Filter recent batches + industry. Then talk to users.
- Pair official data with a live product check and, if needed, Crunchbase.
- Do not launch into demo-day noise. Do not skip launch surfaces after the research.
Next: export two batches, pick five adjacent founders to learn from (not spam), then submit on ScrollLaunch.
Related guides
- How to Launch a SaaS Product (2026) - eight-week system after the niche is real
- Where to Launch a Startup in 2026 - PH + weekly board + directories
- How to Get Your First 1,000 Users - no-ads loop
- Product Hunt Launch Guide - spike-day mechanics
- Best SaaS Directories to Submit (2026)
- Startup directories · Launch on ScrollLaunch
FAQ
What is the Y Combinator startup directory?
Y Combinator’s public, searchable list of companies it has funded - batch, industry tags, and founder-submitted profiles. Official URL: ycombinator.com/companies.
Is the YC startup directory free?
Yes. Browsing and filtering the official list is free. Crunchbase and PitchBook charge for deeper financial layers.
How do I use the YC directory for market validation?
Filter your industry and the last three batches. Many well-funded teams on the same job means demand exists and the wedge must be sharp. Almost nobody on the job means blue ocean or unproven demand - talk to users before you write more code.
Can I list my startup in the Y Combinator directory?
Only if YC funded you. Everyone else needs a different listing surface. For a lasting public product URL, use ScrollLaunch. For coverage, use the directories archive.
When should I launch relative to YC demo days?
Aim for 2-4 weeks after the noisy week, when search interest is still up and the homepage is not 40 batch posts. Avoid launching in a dead week with zero ecosystem conversation and avoid launching into the demo-day firehose.
Should I use the official directory or Crunchbase?
Both. Official directory confirms batch and founder copy. Crunchbase adds rounds and acquirers. Neither replaces a conversation with someone who has the problem.
How does ScrollLaunch fit with YC directory research?
YC data is input. ScrollLaunch is output: weekly leaderboard plus a dofollow product page. Research does not substitute for a crawlable listing.
