Is it possible to create a list in clay based on specific techstack right from the start? Not talking about using enrichments later

Yes, you can build techstack-based lists directly in Clay using multiple data providers.

Available Techstack Sources

BuiltWith

• Most comprehensive techstack database
• 90,000+ technologies tracked
• Best for: Detecting marketing tools, analytics, hosting

HG Insights (via Clay)

• Strong B2B software detection
• Good for: Enterprise software stacks
• Better accuracy for SaaS products

Clearbit Tech API

• Simpler, less granular
• Good for: Basic tech detection
• Limited to popular tools

Recommended Approach

1. Start with a company list (from Apollo, LinkedIn Sales Nav, etc.)
2. Add BuiltWith enrichment in Clay
3. Filter by specific technologies using Clay's filter conditions
4. Waterfall to HG Insights if you need deeper SaaS detection

Example Filter Setup

Technology Name contains "Salesforce"
OR Technology Name contains "HubSpot"
OR Technology Category = "CRM"

Cost Considerations

• BuiltWith: ~$0.50 per company lookup
• HG Insights: ~$1.00 per company
• Clearbit: ~$0.30 per company

Start with BuiltWith for most use cases unless you specifically need detailed enterprise software detection.

Check out builtwith.com - there is an integration to Clay. We used BW to create an initial list based on specific tech

Yes, BuiltWith has a direct integration with Clay! You can use the "documentation action to identify technologies used on websites. Access it through Add Column → Add Enrichment → "Find Technology Stack with BuiltWith". You can filter by keyword, category, and detection date to create targeted lists based on specific tech stacks. This gives you another option alongside HG Insights for building tech stack-based company lists from the start.

If you need any more help with creating lists based on specific tech stacks or have other questions, I’m here to assist. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to achieve so I can support you further?

You can't start with techstack as your primary source in Clay's company search. Clay's native search filters are pretty basic — industry, location, headcount, etc. No direct "companies using Salesforce" type filtering.

But there are solid workarounds. Apollo has decent technographics in their company search, so you can build lists there filtered by specific tech stacks and then import the CSV into Clay. It's an extra step but gets you there.

The better approach is using Clay with providers that have strong technographics data. Set up a table with your ICP criteria (size, location, whatever), then enrich with BuiltWith or Datanyze for tech stack validation. BuiltWith is solid for web technologies, Datanyze covers more enterprise software.

What I see working well is starting broad with basic firmographics, then using conditional enrichment. "If company has 50-500 employees AND uses HubSpot, then continue enrichment." This way you're not burning credits on companies that don't match your tech requirements.

Some folks also use Phantom Buster to scrape Apollo or ZoomInfo searches with tech filters, then feed those URLs into Clay. Bit hacky but works if you need to stay in Clay's ecosystem.

The native search limitations are annoying, but the enrichment-based filtering actually gives you more control over data quality. You just pay for it with extra steps and credit usage.