Community Data vs Selva

Community Data is a free, open database of more than 1 million people and companies, initially focused on the startup ecosystem. Its records are collaboratively maintained in an open-source repository as JSON documents that follow JSON Schema definitions. Schemas cover people, companies, locations, sectors, funding stages, and curated collections. A public GraphQL API lets developers query the data and build applications.

Anyone can contribute by creating or editing a JSON file. Commits are checked against the matching schema, and invalid documents cause a commit to be rejected. A proof-of-concept Next.js editor uses the GitHub API and requires contributors to authenticate with GitHub. Enhancer scripts can use public APIs or websites to structure information for the schemas and import it. Verified document owners are recorded by GitHub username, and their pull requests are automatically merged without review. Schema changes are proposed by pull request and reviewed by core contributors during monthly governance calls. The project uses the MIT License, copyright 2025.

Selva is a web-based map of Latin American startups, investors, and funding activity, combining public information, source links, and market summaries. Its listed coverage includes 4,374 startups, 4,662 investors, and 21 markets, alongside 4,479 company records. Selva says it uses 37 sources, parses articles in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, and links funding rounds to their source articles. Public access shows identities, descriptions, and rolled-up totals. A free account adds round structure, dates, and portfolio lists, while amounts stay hidden. Premium costs $39 a month and adds exact amounts, valuations, revenue, and check sizes. Selva compares disclosed yearly totals with LAVCA benchmarks and publishes those comparisons and coverage figures. Company corrections go through a domain-verified review limited to company employees. Selva warns that information may be incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate and is provided for information and research, not as investment advice. Its terms prohibit scraping, crawling, harvesting, or bulk downloads, and restrict resale or redistribution except where expressly permitted. Selva says it does not sell personal information and loads Google Analytics only with visitor consent.