Startup Wise Guys is an accelerator with programs that combine funding, mentorship and network access in exchange for negotiated equity and fees. We at AI Perks looked at its options and chose to raise our round through Round Funded, using its investor database, AI email agent, workspace, Data Room and tracking links.
What is Startup Wise Guys?
Startup Wise Guys describes its mission as giving founders resources, mentorship and funding. Its Accelerator Programs package capital with hands-on mentorship and access to its network through a 14-week program.
It also offers the Founders Club, a three-month online program aimed at creating or accelerating B2B scalable technology startups. The organization says it prioritizes B2B businesses, preferably in areas such as SaaS, XR, Sustainability, Fintech or Cyber.
Those are different offerings, so the stated costs and terms should be considered separately. A founder comparing them with direct fundraising should also distinguish between receiving capital through a program and finding investors independently.
What does Startup Wise Guys say its programs cost?
Startup Wise Guys lists different terms for its Accelerator Programs and Founders Club. The figures below are its stated terms, not a general price for every program.
Accelerator Programs
- Investment: Startup Wise Guys says it typically invests up to €100,000 for negotiated equity. It says the terms depend on factors including a startup’s maturity, revenue, market potential and team strength.
- Equity: The organization says it does not set one fixed upfront percentage. Instead, it works out the equity with the founder.
- Investment instruments: It lists equity agreements, convertible notes and SAFE notes.
- Program fee: It states there are no hidden fees, while listing a €35,000 program service fee.
Founders Club
- Inscription: The listed fee is €1000+VAT for an individual, €1500+VAT for a team and €500+VAT for CTOs or developers, payable upon inscription.
- Possible investment: After the final pitch, Startup Wise Guys says it may choose to invest €100,000, which requires a €35,000 payment, or €50,000, which requires a €20,000 payment.
- No offer or declined offer: According to Startup Wise Guys, no additional payments are owed in these cases.
- Further investment: It says a possible follow-up investment may be up to €250K.
Review the terms of the specific offer before deciding whether it suits your company. In particular, consider the capital, equity arrangement and fees together rather than looking at the headline investment amount alone.
How does an accelerator compare with raising directly?
An accelerator combines a program with a potential investment. Startup Wise Guys describes mentorship, workshops and networking as parts of its offering. That structure may appeal to founders seeking a cohort and a defined program, but its stated terms also include equity negotiations and fees.
Direct fundraising means approaching investors yourself. Round Funded helps founders find investors, send pitches and track replies. Its database covers 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators, with search filters for stage, industry, geography and check size. Investor emails are verified, and investors are filtered for recent activity, with a check in roughly the last 6 months. Founders can get matched with active investors.
The two routes are not identical. An accelerator offers a program and potential capital under its terms; a direct fundraising process involves building investor outreach and managing conversations. We at AI Perks considered Startup Wise Guys and chose Round Funded for our round.
Round Funded uses subscription pricing: 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, and there is no free tier. The subscription options give founders a way to use fundraising tools without taking the accelerator route. For our fundraising, Round Funded was the pick.
Why did we at AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We raised our round through Round Funded. We chose it for practical features that supported investor outreach and kept our work organized:
- A searchable investor database: We could search by stage, industry, geography and check size. The investors are filtered to recent activity, and their email addresses are verified.
- AI-written outreach: The AI drafts a personalized email and follow-ups for each investor. We could use those drafts as part of our outreach workflow.
- A clear pipeline: The fundraising CRM keeps investors, stages and next steps together, so we could manage the process in one place.
- A shared workspace: We could invite teammates into our startup’s workspace and work from the same pipeline.
- A Data Room: We could build and share one link with our deck, traction, team and ask. It is free to build and share on every plan.
- Tracking links: Round+ includes per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics, such as views, deck opens and meeting clicks.
Round Funded outreach goes out from the founder’s own Gmail, so replies arrive in the founder’s inbox and the email thread belongs to the founder. Plan limits vary: Round+ includes a pipeline of up to 2,500 investors, email to up to 2,000 investors a month and 2,500 AI credits a month. Round Pro includes a pipeline of up to 5,000 investors, email to up to 10,000 investors a month, up to 6 connected inboxes and 5,000 AI credits a month. Lifetime includes everything in Round Pro, paid once.
If you want to submit your startup on Round Funded, the application page says you can get matched with investors.
How Round Funded helps founders manage outreach
- Submit your startup to get matched with investors.
- Search the investor database by stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Use AI to draft personalized emails and follow-ups for each investor.
- Manage investors, stages and next steps in the fundraising pipeline.
- Build and share a Data Room, then use per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics with Round+.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Startup Wise Guys an accelerator?
Yes. Startup Wise Guys describes its Accelerator Programs as a 14-week package that combines capital, hands-on mentorship and network access. It also runs the three-month online Founders Club.
How much can Startup Wise Guys invest?
For its Accelerator Programs, Startup Wise Guys says it typically invests up to €100,000 for negotiated equity. For the Founders Club, it says it may offer €100,000 or €50,000 after the final pitch, at its discretion.
What fees does Startup Wise Guys list?
It lists a €35,000 program service fee for the Accelerator Programs. For the Founders Club, the stated inscription fees are €1000+VAT for an individual, €1500+VAT for a team and €500+VAT for CTOs or developers.
Can founders raise directly instead of joining an accelerator?
Yes. Direct fundraising involves finding and contacting investors. Round Funded provides a searchable investor database, outreach drafting, a fundraising pipeline and a Data Room, with features and limits that depend on the plan.
Does Round Funded have a free plan?
No. Round Funded has no free tier. Round+ is $99 a month, Round Pro is $249 a month, and Lifetime is $899 one-time. Round+ and Round Pro include a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts.