Short answer: the best tool to find investors depends on what you need. Use Gatsbie if you want AI to tell you which investors actually fit your startup and why. Use Signal by NFX or OpenVC for a free list to browse. Use Crunchbase to research companies and funding rounds. Use PitchBook if you are an institution with a five-figure data budget.
Fundraising is not about reaching the most investors. It is about reaching the right ones. A fund that has never written a cheque in your sector or at your stage will not reply, however good your deck is. So the tool you pick should help you answer one question fast: who is likely to invest in a company like mine?
The tools at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Gatsbie | AI matching: a ranked shortlist with a fit score and a written reason for each fund, plus outreach and tracking | Free plan; paid plans from a few euros a month |
| Signal by NFX | Free investor lists by sector and stage, community-edited | Free |
| OpenVC | Free directory and submitting your deck to investors who accept cold pitches | Free; paid plans available |
| Crunchbase | Researching companies, funding rounds and who invested in them | Pro reported at about $49–$99 a month |
| PitchBook | Deep private-market data for institutions | Quote only; third-party estimates start around $12,000 a year |
| Foundersuite | A mature fundraising CRM for a large, process-heavy raise | Paid plans |
| Metal | AI investor ranking and warm-intro mapping for later seed and Series A | Quote after a demo |
1. Gatsbie: AI that tells you who fits
Gatsbie compares your startup with more than 12,000 investor profiles (VCs, angels, family offices and corporate VCs) built from public sources. Upload your pitch deck and Gatsbie reads it, then scores every fund against your startup. You get a ranked list where each investor has a fit score, a verdict and a written reason, and a personalised email ready to send. After you send it, Gatsbie shows you who opened your email, your profile or your deck.
You do not even need an account: with investor matching by email you email your deck and get your investor list back.
Good to know: Gatsbie is newer than the other tools here, so it has fewer public reviews.
2. Signal by NFX: a free starting list
Signal is a free investor network run by the venture firm NFX. Investors are organised into lists by sector and stage, and you can connect Gmail to see who you already know. The data is partly edited by the community, so check that a fund is still active before you contact it.
3. OpenVC: free directory and cold pitching
OpenVC is a large free directory with a simple way to send your deck to investors who accept cold pitches. Profiles show themes, stages and countries but not portfolio companies, so you will research each fund's thesis elsewhere.
4. Crunchbase: research, not matching
Crunchbase is excellent for looking up a company, its funding rounds and its investors. It is a research database rather than a fundraising tool: you build your own investor list from the rounds you find.
5. PitchBook: the institutional option
PitchBook has some of the deepest private-market data available, but it is priced for investment firms, banks and advisers. It does not publish prices; third-party estimates put a single seat at roughly $12,000 to $20,000 a year. For most early-stage founders it is more than they need.
6. Foundersuite and 7. Metal
Foundersuite is a long-established fundraising CRM with a very large investor database, good for running a structured raise. Metal is an AI fundraising platform that ranks investors and maps warm introductions through your Gmail and LinkedIn; access starts with a demo.
How to choose
- Pre-seed or seed, small budget: start with a free list (Signal, OpenVC) and use Gatsbie's free plan to see which of those investors actually fit.
- You want a shortlist, not a spreadsheet: Gatsbie.
- You need company and round research: Crunchbase.
- You run an institution: PitchBook.
Many founders combine two tools: one for research and one for matching and tracking. Whatever you choose, read each investor's thesis and recent portfolio before you send the first email.
See our side-by-side table in Gatsbie vs Metal, OpenVC, Foundersuite and Visible, or start free on Gatsbie.
Prices as published or reported in October 2026. Sources: each company's website; Crunchbase and PitchBook prices from third-party reviews (G2, Vendr data cited by PitchBook pricing guides).