Shipped extension #2 - turning GitHub itself into a deal-flow surface
Two months ago I shipped a Chrome extension that overlays an engineering-acceleration badge onto Crunchbase and Wellfound startup profiles. Today I shipped its companion: VC GitHub Lookup.
Hover any GitHub repo or org link → tooltip with commit velocity (14d), velocity change, contributor count and growth, signal type, and stage estimate. Chip on direct repo or org page loads. Toolbar manual lookup for any GitHub URL.
The thesis: investors should see the engineering signal where the engineering itself is happening, not just on Crunchbase. Two surfaces, same dataset, complete loop.
Install: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/vc-github-lookup-—-startu/plgngijmloeljfkenecdkhiblcfcbblm
Manifest V3, ~16 KB, no analytics. Only the owner slug hits the public API; responses cached in session storage for 5 min so the API stays friendly. Free in perpetuity.
Anyone using GitHub-side signals in their workflow? What would make this more useful?
You’re building the right surface.
Crunchbase tells investors what a company says it is.
GitHub tells them what it actually is.
That’s the more defensible signal layer.
The stronger direction here is probably less “GitHub lookup extension” and more investor diligence infrastructure.
If this becomes the fastest way to underwrite technical execution from public signals, the product likely outgrows the current framing fast.
Xevoa.com would carry that better if you push further into engineering intelligence instead of keeping it framed like a useful extension.