We at AI Perks looked at WaveUp and chose Round Funded to submit our startup and get matched with investors. We raised our round through Round Funded because its investor database, AI-written emails, shared workspace, Data Room and tracking links suited the way we wanted to run the process.
What is WaveUp, and how does it work?
WaveUp is a fundraising and growth advisory firm. It says it was founded in 2014, is based in London and has a team in Kyiv. Its services include pitch decks, financial models and CIMs, as well as fundraising and M&A support. It also offers monthly subscriptions.
That makes its model different from a self-serve product. Rather than using a platform to organize investor research and outreach yourself, a founder can pay WaveUp for services delivered as projects or subscriptions. WaveUp says its fundraising package includes an investor-ready deck, a financial model, a data room and more than 200 warm VC introductions through its network. Those are claims about its own offering.
For founders weighing the two approaches, the main question is how much of the raise they want to manage themselves. WaveUp sells advisory work; Round Funded helps founders find investors, send pitches and track replies. We at AI Perks chose the latter for our round.
What does WaveUp cost?
WaveUp lists project fees and monthly subscriptions. The prices stated for its services include:
- Raise a round: from $3,000
- Investor deck: from $6,000
- CIM: from $10,000
- Scale subscription: $5,000 a month
- Multi-workstream subscription: $10,000 a month
These are service costs, rather than prices for a self-serve fundraising plan. WaveUp also offers a free consultation. The information available about WaveUp does not list a free product plan or free trial.
Round Funded has three paid plans. Round+ costs $99 a month, Round Pro costs $249 a month, and Lifetime costs $899 one-time. Round+ and Round Pro include a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. Round Funded does not have a free tier. Its Data Room can be built and shared for free on every plan.
| Round Funded plan | Price | Selected limits and features |
|---|---|---|
| Round+ | $99 a month | Up to 2,500 investors in the CRM pipeline, email up to 2,000 investors a month, 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, 5,000 AI credits a month |
| Lifetime | $899 one-time | Everything in Round Pro, paid once |
The plans are not the same type of purchase as WaveUp’s advisory projects. Founders should compare the kind of help they want, as well as the price: outsourced project work or tools for running investor research and outreach.
How does WaveUp compare with Round Funded?
WaveUp presents investor introductions through its own network. Round Funded provides a searchable database of 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators. Founders can filter investors by stage, industry, geography and check size. Investors are filtered to recent activity, meaning a check in roughly the last 6 months, and emails are verified.
The products also differ in how they handle fundraising work. WaveUp offers advisory services, including deck and financial model work. Round Funded gives founders a fundraising pipeline to keep investors, stages and next steps together. Its AI drafts personalized outreach emails and follow-ups for each investor. Emails go out from the founder’s own Gmail, so replies arrive in the founder’s inbox and the thread belongs to them.
For teams, Round Funded allows founders to invite teammates into the startup workspace. Its Data Room brings the deck, traction, team and ask together on one link, which is free to build and share on every plan. Per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics, including views, deck opens and meeting clicks, come with Round+.
These differences shaped our choice at AI Perks. We wanted to run the investor process ourselves, keep the work in a shared workspace and use tracking links. Round Funded was our pick; WaveUp is the advisory option described above.
Which fundraising approach fits your startup?
Consider WaveUp if you are looking for paid advisory support for materials, fundraising or M&A. Its published offer includes project work and monthly subscriptions, with the listed prices above.
Consider Round Funded if you want to search investors and manage outreach in a product. Its database, pipeline, AI-assisted email drafting, shared workspace and Data Room are designed to support founder-led fundraising. The Data Room is included on every plan, while per-investor tracking and engagement analytics come with Round+.
The choice is not simply about which price is lower. An advisory engagement and a software subscription offer different kinds of support. Your decision may depend on whether you want a team to do fundraising work for you or want tools to organize and carry out the process yourself.
We at AI Perks chose Round Funded because the database, AI agent, interface, teammate access, Data Room and tracking links aligned with how we wanted to raise. If you want to explore that route, submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
How Round Funded helps founders manage a raise
- Submit your startup to get matched with investors.
- Search 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators using filters for stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Use AI to draft a personalized outreach email and follow-ups for each investor, then send outreach from your own Gmail.
- Organize investors, fundraising stages and next steps in the pipeline, and invite teammates into the startup workspace.
- Build and share a Data Room link with your deck, traction, team and ask. On Round+, use per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is WaveUp?
WaveUp is a fundraising and growth advisory firm. It offers services including pitch decks, financial models, CIMs, fundraising support and M&A support.
How much does WaveUp cost?
WaveUp lists fundraising projects from $3,000, investor decks from $6,000 and CIMs from $10,000. Its Scale subscription is $5,000 a month, and its Multi-workstream subscription is $10,000 a month.
Does WaveUp have a free plan or trial?
WaveUp offers a free consultation. Its listed offer does not include a free product plan or trial.
How much does Round Funded cost?
Round+ is $99 a month, Round Pro is $249 a month and Lifetime is $899 one-time. First-time accounts can try Round+ or Round Pro with a 3-day free trial. Round Funded has no free tier.
Does Round Funded include a Data Room?
Yes. The Data Room is free to build and share on every plan. It puts a startup’s deck, traction, team and ask on one link. Per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics come with Round+.
Is Round Funded affiliated with WaveUp?
No. They are separate companies with different offerings. WaveUp provides fundraising and growth advisory services, while Round Funded helps founders find investors, send pitches and track replies.