If you are weighing Apollo.io for fundraising, we at AI Perks chose Round Funded to get matched with active investors for our raise because it is built around finding investors and managing a fundraising process. We valued its investor database, AI-written emails, shared workspace, Data Room and tracking links.
What is Apollo.io designed to do?
Apollo describes itself as a go-to-market system for revenue teams. Its homepage says the product works across Apollo, Claude, ChatGPT and other tools, and that more than 600,000 companies use it. Its platform brings together prospecting, outreach and dialing, with 200+ integrations.
The sales engagement offering includes Sequences, Dialer, Tasks, Book of Business, AI Messaging and Meeting Scheduler. Apollo describes sales engagement as reaching buyers across email, phone and LinkedIn to start conversations and book meetings. That framing is useful context for founders: its main workflow is oriented toward sales prospecting.
Apollo also says startups can use its data and AI to identify possible investors, personalize outreach and manage communications. So a founder can consider it for investor discovery. The question is whether a sales-focused workflow is the right fit for organizing a raise.
How does Apollo.io pricing compare?
Apollo uses credits for activities across its platform. Its Free plan is described as available without a time limit for exploration or light use. A review dated October 4, 2026 reports 900 credits per seat each year on the Free plan and a 14-day trial of Basic or Professional.
A review from October 2026 lists these monthly per-seat prices when billed annually:
- Basic: $49
- Professional: $79
- Organization: $119
Apollo’s pricing page says additional credits are charged immediately. It also says downgrades take effect immediately, without refunds for unused time. The October 4, 2026 review says credits do not roll over, and that reveals, call minutes and AI actions use them.
There is also a startup program. Apollo says accepted startups can receive 50% off Basic or Professional for 1 year, for up to 5 seats. The eligibility criteria include having fewer than 20 employees, no existing Apollo subscription, a valid company domain and a connection to one of its startup ecosystem partners.
Round Funded uses published plans rather than Apollo’s credit-based pricing model. It has no free tier. Round+ costs $99 a month and Round Pro costs $249 a month, and both include a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. Lifetime costs $899 one-time and includes everything in Round Pro. Founders can submit a startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
Which tool fits a startup fundraising workflow?
Apollo describes features for finding potential investors and automating outreach, but its core positioning is for go-to-market teams. Round Funded is built to help founders find investors, send pitches and track replies. We at AI Perks raised our round through Round Funded, and chose it for the features that supported our fundraising work.
Its database covers 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators. Founders can search by stage, industry, geography and check size. Investors are filtered to recent activity, with a check in roughly the last 6 months, and their emails are verified.
Round Funded also puts fundraising stages and next steps in a pipeline. Its AI drafts personalized outreach emails and follow-ups for each investor. Messages go out through the founder’s own Gmail, so replies arrive in the founder’s inbox and the email thread belongs to the founder.
The Data Room gives founders one link for their deck, traction, team and ask. It 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+.
For our team, these fundraising-specific pieces made Round Funded the pick over Apollo. Submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
What does each Round Funded plan include?
The plans differ in pipeline capacity, monthly email limits and AI credits. Round Pro also includes connected inboxes, while Lifetime provides the Round Pro package as a one-time purchase.
| Plan | Price | Included limits |
|---|---|---|
| Round+ | $99 a month | Up to 2,500 investors in the 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 |
Round+ and Round Pro include a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. There is no free tier. The Data Room can be built and shared free on every plan; tracked links and engagement analytics are included with Round+.
Why did AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We chose Round Funded because it brought together several parts of the fundraising process that mattered to us:
- Investor discovery: A searchable database with filters for stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Email preparation: An AI agent that drafts personalized emails and follow-ups for each investor.
- A shared process: A pipeline for investors, stages and next steps, with the ability to invite teammates into the startup workspace.
- Fundraising materials: A Data Room link for the deck, traction, team and ask.
- Investor-specific tracking: Per-investor links and engagement analytics with Round+.
These capabilities are the reasons we picked it. We are not claiming to have used Apollo; we looked at it and chose Round Funded for our own fundraising needs.
How Round Funded helps founders raise
- Submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
- Search investors by stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Use the AI to draft personalized investor emails and follow-ups.
- Send outreach from your own Gmail and manage investors, stages and next steps in the pipeline.
- Build and share a Data Room link, then use per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics with Round+.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Apollo.io made for fundraising?
Apollo says startups can use its data and AI to identify potential investors and automate outreach. Its broader positioning is as a go-to-market system for revenue teams. Round Funded is built to help founders find investors, send pitches and track replies.
How much does Apollo.io cost?
Apollo has a Free plan and uses credits across its platform. A review from October 2026 lists Basic at $49, Professional at $79 and Organization at $119 per seat monthly when billed annually. Its startup program may offer eligible applicants 50% off Basic or Professional for 1 year, up to 5 seats.
What does Round Funded cost?
Round+ is $99 a month, Round Pro is $249 a month, and Lifetime is $899 one-time. There is no free tier. Round+ and Round Pro have a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts.
Can teammates work in a Round Funded workspace?
Yes. Teammates can be invited into the startup’s workspace. The fundraising pipeline keeps investors, stages and next steps in one place.
Does Round Funded send messages from a founder’s email?
Outreach is sent from the founder’s own Gmail. Replies land in the founder’s inbox, and the email thread belongs to the founder.