Hustle Fund is a pre-seed investor, while Round Funded helps founders run investor outreach. We at AI Perks looked at Hustle Fund and chose Round Funded for our round because its database, email-writing agent and workspace tools fit the fundraising work we needed to manage.
What should founders know about Hustle Fund?
Hustle Fund describes itself as a team of software generalists that invests at the pre-seed stage. It says it does not focus on particular verticals, though its portfolio is mostly B2B, fintech, digital health and SaaS, with some Web3. It says companies should have at least a minimum viable product. Hustle Fund does not describe itself as a traditional accelerator, and says it only occasionally invests in Series A rounds for companies already in its portfolio.
Its stated geographic focus is mostly the United States, Canada and Southeast Asia, with selective investments beginning in Africa and Latin America. The fund sizes it lists are Fund I at $11.5M, Fund II at $33.6M and Fund III at $46M.
Hustle Fund also lists categories it does not invest in: pharmaceuticals and medical devices, art or film projects, land, restaurants, physical retail and traditional brick-and-mortar small businesses. These are Hustle Fund’s descriptions of its own focus and exclusions.
What are Hustle Fund’s stated terms?
Hustle Fund says its first check is $150K. The pages reviewed for this comparison do not state an equity percentage or a fee. Hustle Fund says that if a founder has not set terms, it will propose high-level terms in an email after an interview.
Other details it publishes include:
- It says 99% of interviews are remote.
- It says it decides in 1-2 meetings and wires within the week.
- It says it usually assesses within 48 hours of a General Partner call whether it wants to invest $150,000 USD.
- It reports investing in about 10% of companies it interviews, with an overall application-to-investment acceptance rate below 1%.
- It says it does not coach founders outside its fund.
Hustle Fund says it supports portfolio companies through its Silicon Valley network and growth programs. It also says it will not fund the bulk of a round because of its check size. That distinction matters: a founder who pursues a check from the fund may still need to raise the remaining capital elsewhere.
How does Round Funded compare with Hustle Fund?
The two serve different roles. Hustle Fund is a fund that may invest in a company. Round Funded is a platform for finding investors, sending pitches and tracking replies. We at AI Perks considered Hustle Fund, then chose Round Funded to support our round and manage outreach.
The platform includes a searchable database of 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators. Founders can search by stage, industry, geography and check size. Investors are filtered for recent activity, defined as a check in roughly the last 6 months, and emails are verified.
Round Funded also provides an AI agent that drafts personalized outreach emails and follow-ups for each investor. Its fundraising pipeline keeps investor records, stages and next steps together. Teammates can be invited into the startup workspace.
The Data Room lets founders put a deck, traction, team and ask on one link. It is free to build and share on every plan. Per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics, including views, deck opens and meeting clicks, are included with Round+.
Outreach is sent from the founder’s own Gmail, so replies arrive in the founder’s inbox and the email thread belongs to the founder. These tools support the founder’s fundraising process; they do not guarantee investment or a completed round. Submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
What does each option cost?
Hustle Fund’s reviewed pages do not state a fee for its investment. The $150K first check is an investment amount, not a subscription price. The pages also do not state an equity percentage for that check, so founders should ask Hustle Fund directly about terms.
Round Funded has three paid plans:
| Plan | Price | Included capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Round+ | $99 a month | Up to 2,500 investors in the pipeline, email up to 2,000 investors a month, and 2,500 AI credits a month |
| Round Pro | $249 a month | Up to 5,000 investors in the pipeline, email up to 10,000 investors a month, up to 6 connected inboxes, and 5,000 AI credits a month |
| Lifetime | $899 one-time | Everything in Round Pro, paid once |
Round+ and Round Pro include a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. Round Funded does not have a free tier. Its site and product work in 12 languages.
The key difference is the kind of support involved. Hustle Fund may provide a check, while Round Funded provides tools to find and contact investors for the raise. Our choice was Round Funded because we wanted to organize investor outreach beyond a single potential check.
What should you choose for your fundraising plan?
A founder could consider applying to Hustle Fund while also seeking other investors. Hustle Fund says it will not supply the bulk of a round, and that it will assess existing terms if a founder already has a lead investor.
Round Funded also includes accelerators in its database, such as YC, Techstars, Antler, 500 and 100+ regional programs. These are matched by stage, industry and region. So the choice is not necessarily between applying to a fund and pursuing other funding paths. We at AI Perks chose Round Funded as the platform for running our investor process. Founders can get matched with investors on Round Funded.
How Round Funded helps founders manage outreach
- Submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
- Search the investor database by stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Use the AI agent to draft a personalized email and follow-ups for each investor.
- Keep investors, fundraising stages and next steps together in the pipeline, and invite teammates into the workspace.
- Build and share a Data Room link, then use per-investor tracking and engagement analytics with Round+.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hustle Fund an investor or a fundraising platform?
Hustle Fund describes itself as a pre-seed fund. Round Funded helps founders find investors, send pitches and track replies. The two have different roles in a fundraising process.
How much is Hustle Fund’s first check?
Hustle Fund states that its first check is $150K. It also says it does not fund the bulk of a round, so founders may need to raise the remainder from other investors.
Does Hustle Fund publish its equity terms?
The Hustle Fund pages reviewed here do not give an equity percentage for the first check. Hustle Fund says it may propose high-level terms after an interview if the founder has not set terms.
Can founders pursue Hustle Fund and other investors at the same time?
Hustle Fund says it will consider investing alongside an existing lead investor, and that it does not provide the bulk of a round. Founders can therefore consider an application while organizing outreach to other investors.