Scout Top Startups Before Demo Day via MCP.
Every YC batch company scanned, traction signals ranked, top picks added to your pipeline , scout Demo Day before the crowd arrives
Works with every AI agent you already use
…and any MCP-compatible client
Waiting for input…
Gemini How It Works
Demo Day is in 3 weeks. The YC W26 batch has 240 companies. You invest in B2B SaaS at Seed stage.
Maybe 40 of those 240 are relevant to your thesis. Of those 40, maybe 8 have real early traction. You want to meet those 8 before every other Seed fund does.
Your AI agent queries Crunchbase for all companies in the YC W26 batch , name, sector, founding team, location, and initial description.
It returns 240 records. The agent filters by your criteria: B2B, SaaS, enterprise or SMB focus. That narrows to 43 companies.
Now Harmonic reads early traction signals for each of the 43: Has the company started hiring? (3 companies added 5+ employees in the last 30 days , strong pre-Demo Day signal.) Is there press coverage? (2 companies were featured in TechCrunch before Demo Day , unusual and noteworthy.) Is website traffic growing? (7 companies show consistent month-over-month traffic growth.) Has a product launched? (5 companies have public-facing products with user reviews.) The agent ranks all 43 by a composite traction score and creates 3 tiers.
Tier 1 (meet immediately): 8 companies with 2+ traction signals. Tier 2 (monitor): 15 companies with 1 signal. Tier 3 (skip for now): 20 companies with no external signals yet.
The Tier 1 list goes into your Attio pipeline , 8 records with full context. Your associate starts scheduling founder calls.
By the time Demo Day happens, you have already had 4 conversations.
Connector Orchestration: 3 Connectors, one intelligent agent
Connect Crunchbase, Harmonic and Attio Connectors so your AI agent scans entire accelerator batches from Crunchbase (YC, Techstars, 500 Global , every graduating company with sector, team and initial funding), ranks them by early traction signals from Harmonic (hiring velocity, web traffic, product launches, press coverage), and adds the top-ranked companies directly into your Attio deal pipeline. YC launches 250+ companies every batch. Techstars runs 12+ programs per cohort. You have 2 weeks between Demo Day announcements and the first term sheets being signed. If you are still reading one-liners on the YC directory while other funds are already scheduling founder calls, you are already behind. This workflow gives you a ranked, traction-filtered shortlist before the crowd shows up.
Crunchbase
triggerScans accelerator batches , every company with sector, team and funding data
search_organizations get_organization_details list_funding_rounds search_people Harmonic
actionRanks companies by early traction , hiring, web traffic, product signals
search_startups list_traction_signals enrich_company get_company_stats Attio
actionAdds top-ranked companies to your deal pipeline with traction scores
create_record query_records search_records assert_record Run This Automation Today
Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any AI agent to the Vinkius catalog and run this automation in minutes.
Build Your Own Connector
Convert any internal API into a Connector. Import a spec, define Agent Skills, or deploy with MCPFusion.
- Import from OpenAPI, Swagger, or YAML specs
- Create Agent Skills with progressive disclosure
- Deploy to edge with MCPFusion framework
- Built in DLP, auth, and compliance on each call
- Real time usage dashboard and cost metering
- Publish to catalog or keep private
Connect & Automate
The 3 servers this recipe uses are ready in the catalog. Connect them once, paste a prompt, and your AI runs the full workflow.
- Crunchbase, Harmonic & Attio ready in the catalog right now
- Add more from 5,800+ servers whenever you need
- Connections are secured and compliant by default
- Track usage and costs across all your servers
- Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
- New servers and recipes added weekly
Superpowers you didn't know your AI had
The Vinkius catalog gives your agent access to 5,800+ Connectors and the intelligence to combine them. Imagine never logging into another dashboard. Your AI handles the work across all tools, in one conversation. That's what this connectivity layer was built for.
Cross-Platform Intelligence
Your agent doesn't just connect to tools. It understands the relationships between them. Data flows where it needs to go, automatically, with full context preserved across all platforms.
Contextual Reasoning
Each decision your agent makes considers the full picture. It reads CRM data, checks calendars, reviews conversation history, and acts on everything at once. Not step by step. All at once.
Productivity at Scale
What used to take 45 minutes across five different dashboards now takes one sentence. Your agent runs the entire workflow end to end while you focus on decisions that actually matter.
Zero-Config Reliability
No API keys to paste. No webhooks to configure. No YAML to debug. Connect your Connectors once, and your agent handles the rest. Each time, without intervention.
Made for
exactly this
Your AI agent taps into the entire Vinkius AI Connectors to handle these for you. You describe what you need. It does the rest.
Seed-stage VCs preparing for YC Demo Day who need to identify the most promising companies in a 240-company batch before other investors crowd the best founders
Early-stage fund associates responsible for deal sourcing who need a systematic way to scout accelerator graduates across YC, Techstars, 500 Global and regional programs
Angel investors with limited time who can only take 5-8 meetings per batch and need a data-driven method to select the highest-traction companies
VC platform teams tracking emerging startups who need to build a longitudinal database of accelerator graduates for future deal flow
Frequently Asked Questions About This Connector Orchestration
Which Connectors do I need for this workflow?
Three: Crunchbase, Harmonic and Attio. Connect all three to your AI client before running any prompt from this page.
Does this work with Claude Desktop, Cursor or Windsurf?
Yes. Any AI client that supports the Model Context Protocol works , Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline and others. Connect the Connectors and paste a prompt.
Can I scout batches from accelerators other than YC?
Yes. Crunchbase tracks graduates from Techstars, 500 Global, Antler, Plug and Play, and dozens of regional programs. Change the accelerator name in your prompt and the agent adapts.
How early before Demo Day should I run this?
3-4 weeks before Demo Day is ideal. YC typically publishes the batch directory 2-3 weeks before. The earlier you scout, the more time you have for pre-Demo Day founder conversations.
Is traction data reliable for pre-Seed companies?
Harmonic tracks external signals , hiring, press, traffic, product launches. Not all early-stage companies have visible traction. The absence of signals does not mean the company is weak , it may mean they are in stealth. The signals help you prioritize, not disqualify.
Can I share the scouting list with my partners?
The ranked list is in your Attio CRM, accessible to your team. For partner review, export the Tier 1 list or share the Attio pipeline view. The data stays in your tools.
Benchmark Seed Valuations Using Connectors
Your portfolio valuations compared, market comps pulled, benchmark report built , know if $12M pre-money for a Seed is reasonable before you negotiate
Build Data-Backed Investment Theses Using MCP
Funding trends mapped, public market multiples benchmarked, sector thesis documented , build your investment thesis on data, not slides
Build Market Landscape Maps Using Connectors
Every player mapped, every round tracked, every segment visualized , walk into the IC meeting with the market map, not a guess
Connectors for Accelerator Alumni Tracking
Alumni funding rounds tracked, traction signals monitored, portfolio performance measured , prove your accelerator's value with real numbers
Connectors for Competitive Intelligence
Competitors mapped, hiring signals tracked, market moves surfaced , know what is happening around your portfolio company before the founder tells you
Connectors for Founder Background Checks
Founder claims verified, previous companies checked, team history validated , know who you are admitting before the program starts
Connectors used in this workflow
Crunchbase
Crunchbase MCP for AI Agents. Connect your agent to the Crunchbase API to perform deep business intelligence, track startup funding, and map investment networks. It lets your AI client pull real-time data on companies, founders, and VC activity without you having to browse the website manually.
Harmonic
Harmonic MCP lets you pull startup intelligence directly into your AI agent. Use it to enrich company data, find new investment targets, and pull investor portfolios without leaving your chat window. It turns your agent into a research analyst that knows the startup landscape.
Attio
Attio MCP lets you connect your CRM directly to your AI agent. You can query, create, and update records for people, companies, and deals using natural language. It handles custom objects and attributes, making it easy to manage complex relationship data without leaving your chat interface. It's built for anyone who needs to turn CRM data into actionable insights or automated updates quickly.