Show HN: I built a YC data scraper in under 5 minutes(autonoly.com)
autonoly.com
Show HN: I built a YC data scraper in under 5 minutes
https://www.autonoly.com/blog/682212a2b65a68f26d0c10a4/how-to-scrape-complete-y-combinator-startup-data-in-3-minutes-without-writing-a-single-line-of-code
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I'm an indie hacker who built Autonoly solo over the past 3.5 months. I essentially vibe coded the entire platform based on automation needs I encountered in my own work. I wanted to share a practical example of what it can do - creating a Y Combinator data scraper in just a few minutes without writing any traditional code.
The technical approach is straightforward but effective:
1. Browser automation navigates to YC's company directory 2. For YC's infinite scroll pagination, I implemented a progressive scroll function that iterates about 150 times with calibrated delays (ensuring all ~1000+ companies load) 3. Data extraction uses XPath selectors to identify and capture the structural pattern of each company listing 4. The system then extracts specific data points (company name, description, location, etc.) into a structured CSV
The trickiest parts were getting the XPath patterns right (the DOM structure varies slightly between different company entries) and fine-tuning the scroll timing to ensure complete loading without timeout issues.
What makes this approach effective is that it works with the site's intended user experience. The browser automation renders JavaScript properly, handles dynamic loading, and interacts with elements in a natural way.
While this YC scraper example is specific, I built Autonoly to automate virtually any digital task - data processing, content creation, file management, business workflows, and more. As an indie developer, I kept encountering processes that were tedious to do manually but didn't justify hiring someone or spending weeks on custom code.
I'd love to hear feedback from the HN community, especially from those who've built similar systems or have different approaches to workflow automation. Happy to answer any technical questions about the implementation or discuss the challenges of building automation tools as a solo founder.