Can Preqin help you raise a startup round? We at AI Perks looked at it, then raised our round through Round Funded, because Preqin serves fund managers and allocators while Round Funded serves founders.
Whenever founders go hunting for investor data, Preqin tends to surface, so it landed on our shortlist. Below is what we found and how we made the call.
What is Preqin, and who actually uses it?
Preqin supplies data to the alternative assets industry and dates back to 2003. Its main product, Preqin Pro, is a platform of alternative assets data. Preqin says its clients lean on the database for due diligence, benchmarking performance, market research and spotting investment opportunities.
The typical user is a fund manager. That means someone raising a fund from LPs, comparing fund returns against peers, or spreading capital across alternative asset classes, usually under an annual contract. In August 2025 Preqin shipped Business Development Dashboard 2.0, which surfaces fund manager data, contact updates and upcoming fund launches so that users can pick their moment to reach out.
A founder's task is different: put a pitch in front of VCs and angels who back startups.
What does Preqin cost, and can you sign up yourself?
We could not find a published price. Outside estimates scatter widely, from roughly $2,100 a year to $81,000, and one source quotes $15,000 to $81,000 a year on annual contracts. The cheapest numbers are unverified, and none comes from an official Preqin price list.
Signing up is not self-serve either. Preqin Pro starts with a "Book a demo" step. In the pages we reviewed we saw no trial and no self-serve registration, though a free account does exist for reading research reports and statistics.
Is Preqin a good fit for a startup round?
Price and signup aside, three points stood out to us:
- A different kind of investor data. Preqin is about funds, managers and LPs. You will not find a list of active VCs and angels narrowed to recent checks.
- Doubts about freshness. A reviewer in July 2026 who used Preqin Pro to profile and target fundraising investors described the data as "stale and outdated" compared with newer tools. A reviewer in May 2023 said contact emails "usually bounce."
- A thin pool of reviews. These are individual views, yet a founder's round lives in email, so they weighed on us.
Why did we at AI Perks go with Round Funded?
Our round came together through Round Funded. Six features tipped it:
- A clean investor database. You can search 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators by stage, industry, geography and check size. Only investors with a check in roughly the last 6 months make the cut, and the emails are verified.
- An AI agent that writes the emails. For each investor, the AI drafts a tailored outreach email plus follow-ups. Everything is sent from your own Gmail, so replies reach your inbox and you own the thread.
- A convenient interface. Each investor, their stage and the next step all sit together in a single pipeline.
- Inviting teammates. Your colleagues can join the startup's workspace.
- The Data Room. Deck, traction, team and ask sit behind one link, free to build and share on every plan.
- Tracking links. Round+ adds a tracked link for each investor along with engagement analytics: views, deck opens and meeting clicks.
If this is how you want to run your raise, you can get matched with active investors from the apply page.
Preqin or Round Funded: how do they compare side by side?
| Preqin | Round Funded | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Fund managers and allocators | Founders raising from VCs and angels |
| Investor data | Funds, managers and LPs | 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators with a check in roughly the last 6 months |
| Price | No published price, annual contracts | Round+ $99/month, Round Pro $249/month, Lifetime $899 one-time |
| Getting started | Demo | 3-day free trial on Round+ and Round Pro for first-time accounts |
| Outreach | Dashboard helps time outreach | AI-drafted emails from your own Gmail plus a built-in pipeline |
| AI assistants | Preqin MCP for private markets data | MCP server so Claude or Cursor can search investors, read the pipeline and draft outreach |
For a founder raising a round, our pick is Round Funded: 60,000+ active investors and prices you can read upfront.
What are Round Funded's plans and prices?
- Round+ at $99 a month: room for 2,500 investors in the pipeline, emails to as many as 2,000 investors a month, and 2,500 AI credits monthly.
- Round Pro at $249 a month: a pipeline of up to 5,000 investors, emails to up to 10,000 investors a month, up to 6 connected inboxes and 5,000 AI credits monthly.
- Lifetime at $899, paid once.
First-time accounts get a 3-day free trial on Round+ and Round Pro. No free tier exists, but the Data Room costs nothing to build and share on any plan. Round Funded has no affiliation with Preqin or BlackRock, and the facts here are as of October 2026. Ready to start? Submit your startup on Round Funded.
How Round Funded helps you reach active investors
- Submit your startup and enter your stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Browse the 60,000+ VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators, then filter down to those who wrote a check in roughly the past 6 months.
- Have the AI draft a tailored email and follow-ups for every investor, and send them through your own Gmail.
- Build your Data Room with deck, traction, team and ask, then share it as one link.
- Watch each investor, their stage and the next step in your pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Preqin for?
Preqin is a data supplier serving the alternative assets industry since 2003. Its Preqin Pro platform is used for due diligence, performance benchmarking, market research and sourcing investment opportunities.
What is the price of Preqin?
No published price turned up. Preqin Pro is sold under annual contracts, and outside estimates run from about $2,100 a year to $81,000, with one source putting it at $15,000 to $81,000. Treat all of these as unverified.
Can startup founders use Preqin to raise a round?
It is not aimed at them. Preqin addresses fund managers and allocators: people raising a fund from LPs, comparing fund performance and allocating across alternative asset classes.
Can you try Preqin Pro for free?
A free account gives access to research reports and statistics, yet Preqin Pro itself begins with a demo. The pages we reviewed showed no trial and no self-serve Preqin Pro registration.
What do you get from Round Funded when raising a startup round?
You can search 60,000+ active investors, send AI-drafted emails through your own Gmail, follow the round in a pipeline and share a free Data Room. Submit your startup on Round Funded to begin.
Is there a free trial on Round Funded?
Yes, for first-time accounts: Round+ and Round Pro each come with a 3-day free trial. There is no free tier, but the Data Room is free to build and share on every plan.