MCP server · Research
Work at a Startup MCP server
by MIt9
Lets your AI search Y Combinator startup jobs, companies, and roles right inside your chat.
This is a small helper that connects your AI assistant to Work at a Startup, the job board for Y Combinator companies. Once it is set up, you can ask your AI in plain words to find startup jobs and it will go look them up for you. It is handy if you are job hunting, curious about startups, or helping a friend find a role.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you using what it already knows. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to an app or service. This one connects your AI to Work at a Startup, so it can look up real startup job listings and company details when you ask. You do not need to understand how it works inside; you just add it once and then talk to your AI like normal.
What this MCP server does
You ask your AI something like find remote backend jobs at small startups. Your AI passes that request to this helper program. The helper then talks to Work at a Startup and pulls back matching companies and job listings. Your AI reads the results and shows them to you in the chat, often as a short list with names, roles, and links. If you want more detail on one job, you can ask and it will fetch the full description.
What you can do with it
- Search startup jobs by keyword, role, or engineering type
- Filter jobs by remote work, visa sponsorship, or YC batch
- Look up a company's profile, founders, and tech stack
- Read the full description, salary, and equity for a specific job
- Find jobs that match a list of skills you care about
- Compare roles across different startups in one chat
Try asking your AI
- “Find remote backend engineering jobs at YC startups from the last few batches”
- “Show me AI agent jobs at companies with fewer than 20 people”
- “Which startups are hiring for Python and PyTorch skills right now?”
- “Get me the full details and application link for that job listing”
What it gives back to you
You get back a list of matching jobs or companies, usually with names, roles, locations, and short summaries. If you ask for details on one job, you get the full description, salary range, equity, required skills, and a link to apply. If you ask about a company, you get its batch, website, team size, location, founders, and open roles. Everything shows up right in your chat as normal text you can read or copy.
Before you start
What you need
- An AI assistant that supports MCP, like Claude Desktop or Cursor
- The uvx tool installed (a small helper that runs Python programs; the setup guide shows how)
Good to know
It only reads public job and company listings, so it will not change or delete anything, but job details can go out of date, so always check the original listing before applying.
Install it with your AI
Add Work at a Startup MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check Work at a Startup MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,609 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
Job seekers, career changers, and anyone curious about open roles at Y Combinator startups.