Startup databases investors search, and how to get on them
Investors, journalists and search engines look new companies up in a handful of databases. Here are the ones that matter, and how to get your profile onto each.
Startup Databases you can submit to
4 of 4 tested, more in the catalog
| Platform | Authority | What it is | Playbook | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR 90 | The company database investors and journalists look up. | Tested | Run in Claude | |
| DR 86 | Founder and startup profiles, plus programs and deals. | Tested | Run in Claude | |
| DR 79 | Not a startup database: a free general business directory, useful as one more consistent company listing. | Tested | Run in Claude | |
| DR 75 | Startup profiles for founders talking to investors. | Tested | Run in Claude |
Also worth knowing
Well-known names we haven't tested yet, so there's no playbook for them. Submit to these yourself.
- Wellfound Startup profiles and jobs, formerly AngelList Talent.
- LinkedIn company page The profile people check before they trust a new company.
How to get listed on each startup database
Five of the six below let a founder add or correct their own company for free, even the ones investors pay to search; the sixth, YC's directory, only lists companies YC has funded. Here's who uses each, and how to get your profile on it.
Crunchbase
Private-company data for investors, journalists and sales teams, with a free tier anyone can search.
How to get listed: Register for free, then use Contribute Data to add your company. To manage the profile, verify with an email address on your company's own domain. LaunchDistro has a tested playbook for it.
Dealroom
Data on startups, funding and tech ecosystems. Dealroom says tier-1 VCs all use it.
How to get listed: Sign up with your company email, open your company's page and choose to add yourself and make edits, or add your company if it isn't there. Founders who have raised under $10M can claim six months of Premium free.
PitchBook
A paid research platform investors and bankers use for private-market data.
How to get listed: Updating your profile is free. Find your company in PitchBook's free profile previews and press Update this profile, or request access if it isn't listed yet.
CB Insights
Research, market maps and company profiles for investors, corporates and tech buyers.
How to get listed: Submit your company through its Submit Company form, then keep the details current in CB Insights' Editor.
Tracxn
A private-company dataset covering close to five million companies, used by VCs and corporate development teams.
How to get listed: Company pages carry a Claim your Profile option, so a founder can take over the profile and keep it up to date.
Y Combinator directory
YC's public list of the companies it has funded, often the first place people browse YC startups.
How to get listed: Only YC-funded companies appear, so the way on is through the YC program itself.
Sources
- support.crunchbase.com/hc/en-us/articles/115011823988-How-do-I-create-a-Crunchbase-profile
- support.crunchbase.com/hc/en-us/articles/360022296433-How-do-I-verify-my-account
- knowledge.dealroom.co/knowledge/using-dealroom-as-a-founder
- pitchbook.com/help/update-your-profile
- cbinsights.com/submit-company/
- w.tracxn.com/offerings/company-profiles
- ycombinator.com/companies
Why a profile in each one matters
Investors often pay for these databases, but adding or correcting your own company costs nothing. A complete, consistent profile is the part you control.
A profile people look up
An investor or journalist who hears your name checks a database before replying. A missing or stale profile is a question mark.
The same facts everywhere
Name, website, founding date and description come from one product profile, so every database says the same thing.
Nofollow is still useful
Many of these profiles link nofollow. They still help people and AI search find you, and the live check tells you which kind you got.
Explore other distribution channels
AI Engine Directories
Directories where people browse for AI tools, and that AI search tools often cite. Each one here has a playbook tested on a real submission.
Launch Platforms
Where early users look for new products. Launch on a few of them over some weeks, rather than all on one day.
Developer Ecosystems
Where developers and software buyers compare tools and look for alternatives.
High-DR Directories
The strongest domains in our catalog that still take new products. DR is Ahrefs' Domain Rating, read from Ahrefs, never guessed.
MCP Registries
Where developers look for MCP servers to add to Claude, Cursor and other AI apps, and how each one takes a new server.
All directories
The directory index: every category, the names you'd know, and how the rest open with a Launch or Pro.
Frequently asked questions
A searchable record of private companies: what they do, who founded them, how much they've raised and from whom. Investors use them to find and check startups, which is why a complete profile of your own company matters.