The YC Map
Show HN: Map of 5000 YC Startups
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What is The YC Map?
The YC Map by PlatoSeed is an interactive 2D atlas that charts every Y Combinator company—over 6,800 startups—based on what they do rather than geography. The map uses AI embeddings from company descriptions, reduced to two coordinates via UMAP, creating continents and clusters of similar startups. Users can zoom in to explore industry clusters, click on dots to see company names and details, and even drop their own idea on the map to see where it fits relative to funded startups.
Key features include Deep Search for finding startups by idea or industry, AI-powered Q&A to ask questions about the startup ecosystem, the ability to search for your own idea and see its position on the map, zoomable navigation where names appear as you zoom in, filtering by status (Active/Graveyard), and industry viewing modes. The map shows the
The YC Map pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
The YC Map is free to access and explore. Basic map browsing, zooming, clicking on companies, and dropping your own idea on the map are available without payment. Full features including Deep Search, AI Q&A, saving companies, and exporting data require creating a free account with Google or email. No paid plans or subscription tiers are publicly listed on the website; enterprise or white-label solutions may be available through custom contact.
The YC Map pros
- Charts 6,800+ YC companies in one interactive map
- Organizes startups by what they do, not geography
- Uses AI embeddings to cluster similar companies
- Drop your own idea to see where it fits on the map
- Shows both active startups and graveyard (failed companies)
- Deep Search finds startups by idea or industry
- AI Q&A lets you ask questions about the ecosystem
- Zoom navigation reveals company names progressively
- Filter by Active or Graveyard status
- View companies by industry clusters
- Helps avoid competing with well-funded ideas
- Study YC startup pivots and evolution
- Generate rated variant ideas based on existing startups
- Free to access and explore the map
- Regularly updated with new YC batches
- Visual atlas makes ecosystem exploration intuitive
- No coding required to use the map
The YC Map cons
- No advanced search beyond idea/industry filtering
- Limited company details in free view
- No API access for free users
- Cannot export company data without signup
- Map may load slowly with all 6,800+ dots
- No batch year filtering like geographic maps
- Limited filtering options compared to directories
- Requires Google or email signup for full features
Frequently asked questions about The YC Map
What is The YC Map?
The YC Map is an interactive 2D atlas charting over 6,800 Y Combinator startups based on what they do. It uses AI embeddings of company descriptions reduced to two coordinates via UMAP, creating a visual map where similar companies cluster together in continents and groups.
How many companies are on the map?
The map includes 6,800+ Y Combinator companies, covering startups from the earliest batches through the most recent. The number grows as new batches are announced and added to the platform.
How is the map organized?
Unlike geographic maps, this map organizes companies by what they do. AI embeddings from company descriptions are clustered using UMAP dimension reduction, creating continents and groups of similar startups. Companies in the same cluster build similar products or serve similar markets.
Can I drop my own idea on the map?
Yes, you can input your own idea and the map will show where it fits relative to existing YC startups. This helps you see if your idea is already funded or if there's a gap in the market.
What is Deep Search?
Deep Search is an AI-powered feature that lets you find startups by describing your idea or industry. It searches across all 6,800+ companies to surface relevant matches based on what they.build, not just keywords.
What is the Graveyard on the map?
The Graveyard shows YC startups that have failed or shut down. Viewing the graveyard alongside active companies helps users understand which ideas didn't succeed and study how startups pivoted before failing.
Is the map free to use?
Yes, basic access to the map is free. You can browse, zoom, click on companies, and drop your idea without payment. Full features like Deep Search and AI Q&A require creating a free account.
How often is the map updated?
The map is regularly updated with new YC batches as they're announced. When YC releases a new batch of companies, they are added to the map to maintain the complete atlas of 6,800+ startups.
What is AI Q&A?
AI Q&A is a feature that lets you ask questions about the YC startup ecosystem. You can ask about trends, specific industries, or patterns across companies, and the AI will answer based on the map's data.
Who should use The YC Map?
The map is designed for entrepreneurs wanting to avoid competing with funded ideas, investors researching the YC ecosystem, founders looking for market gaps, and startup enthusiasts exploring innovation trends. It helps users find what's already funded before building or applying to YC.