Claude AI used to automate YC W26 startup research and ranking
A Reddit user on r/ClaudeAI shared an experiment where they used Claude to automate the kind of research a VC associate typically does before meetings. The system investigated every YC W26 startup and produced rankings based on specific criteria.
Research methodology
For each company, Claude performed several automated research tasks:
- Scraped founder LinkedIn profiles to check actual work history
- Searched for press coverage and traction signals
- Examined the product to determine if something real exists or if it's just a landing page
Scoring system
Claude scored each company on four specific criteria:
- Founder credibility
- Product reality
- Market opportunity
- Competition
The system then assigned each company a tier from S (highest) to D (lowest) based on these scores.
Results
The experiment revealed that S tier was "really hard to get." Most companies fell into B or C tiers, which the user noted "honestly makes sense for an early batch." The distribution showed that "a few are genuinely impressive, a few are just vibes and a Webflow site."
The user is seeking community feedback on the rankings and the overall approach to automated startup research.
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
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