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Automate scraping Y Combinator startups with Apify & Google Sheets

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Automate scraping Y Combinator startups with Apify & Google Sheets preview
Open on n8n.io

Important notice

This workflow is provided as-is. Please review and test before using in production.

1. Workflow Overview

Disclaimer Community nodes are used, and template can only be used on self hosted n8n instances. This n8n template from Intuz provide...

Best for

  • Lead Generation automation workflows
  • intermediate n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

@apify/n8n-nodes-apify.apify, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.manualtrigger, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by Intuz .

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Automate scraping Y Combinator startups with Apify & Google Sheets
Workflow name
Automate scraping Y Combinator startups with Apify & Google Sheets

Disclaimer

Community nodes are used, and template can only be used on self-hosted n8n instances.

This n8n template from Intuz provides a complete solution to automate the process of scraping company and founder data from Y Combinator.

It systematically extracts valuable information from your target search and organizes it directly into a Google Sheet, building a powerful prospecting list with minimal effort.

Who's this workflow for?

  • Sales Teams & SDRs
  • Venture Capitalists
  • Angel Investors
  • Market Researchers
  • Startup Founders

How it works

1. Trigger the Scrape: You start the workflow manually whenever you want to gather new company data.

2. Scrape Y Combinator: An Apify actor automatically visits your specified Y Combinator search URL (e.g., filtered by batch, industry, or region) and scrapes the details of each company listed.

3. Retrieve Structured Data: The workflow fetches the neatly structured data from Apify, including company names, descriptions, websites, founder details, and more.

4. Log to Google Sheets: All the scraped information is added or updated as new rows in your designated Google Sheet, creating an organized and actionable database.

Setup Instructions

1. Apify Configuration:

  • In the Run an Actor node, connect your Apify account.
  • Select the Y Combinator Directory Scraper actor.
  • In the Custom Body field, replace {YOUR_Y_COMBINATOR_SEARCH_URL} with the actual URL from the Y Combinator website after you've applied your desired filters.
  • You can adjust the maxCompanies value to control how many companies are scraped per run.

2. Google Sheets Configuration:

  • In the Add data to Google Sheet node, connect your Google Sheets account.
  • Select the Document (spreadsheet) and Sheet where you want to save the data. Make sure the sheet has the required columns listed in the "Key Requirements" section.

3. Execute the Workflow:

  • Click the "Execute workflow" button to run the scraper and populate your Google Sheet.

Key Requirements to Use This Template

  • n8n Instance: An active n8n account (Cloud or self-hosted).
  • Apify Account: An active Apify account with an API key. You will also need sufficient credits or a subscription plan to run the Y Combinator Directory Scraper actor.
  • Google Account & Sheet: A Google account and a pre-made Google Sheet. The sheet must have the following columns created in advance: Company, Location, Website, LinkedIn, Founded, Description, Industry Tags, Founder 1 Name, Founder 1 LinkedIn, Founder 2 Name, and Founder 2 LinkedIn.

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1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Run an Actor

Type / Role
@apify/n8n-nodes-apify.apify - apify
Config choices
Version 1

Block 2 - Get dataset items

Type / Role
@apify/n8n-nodes-apify.apify - apify
Config choices
Version 1

Block 3 - Sticky Note

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 4 - Start Workflow

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger - manualTrigger
Config choices
Version 1

Block 5 - Sticky Note1

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 6 - Sticky Note2

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 7 - Sticky Note3

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 8 - Add data to Google Sheet

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.7

Block 9 - Sticky Note4

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

3. Summary Table

Workflow Automate scraping Y Combinator startups with Apify & Google Sheets
Complexity intermediate
Nodes 9
Categories Lead Generation
Author Intuz
Published 29 Aug 2025

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/8013/8013.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

    Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.

  4. 4. Test with sample data

    Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.

  5. 5. Activate and monitor

    Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Automate scraping Y Combinator startups with Apify & Google Sheets do?

Disclaimer Community nodes are used, and template can only be used on self hosted n8n instances. This n8n template from Intuz provide...

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your Lead Generation use case.