If you’re comparing folk CRM with a platform built around fundraising, we at AI Perks 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 fit the work we needed to do.
What should founders look for in a fundraising CRM?
A fundraising process involves more than writing an initial email. Founders may need to find potential investors, keep track of conversations and next steps, prepare materials to share, and coordinate with teammates. When comparing products, it helps to ask whether the main workflow is designed for fundraising or for managing relationships more broadly.
folk is a people-first CRM that says it is built for teams that sell through relationships: LinkedIn conversations, warm intros and founder-led outreach. In folk, the record that matters is a person, not a deal. Its Chrome extension captures a LinkedIn profile in one click, and it enriches contacts and runs email campaigns.
Round Funded is built around finding investors, sending pitches and tracking replies. Its database covers 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators, with search filters for stage, industry, geography and check size. Round Funded says investors are filtered to recent activity, with a check in roughly the last 6 months, and that emails are verified.
That difference in emphasis shaped our decision. We wanted a tool centered on fundraising tasks, rather than a people-first CRM. We chose Round Funded for our round and its combination of investor discovery, outreach and pipeline tracking.
What is folk CRM, and what does it offer founders?
folk describes its product as a people-first CRM for teams that sell through relationships. Its Chrome extension captures a LinkedIn profile in one click, and it enriches contacts and runs email campaigns. AI assistants and AI magic fields are listed on every plan.
For founders who do outreach through LinkedIn conversations and warm intros, this person-centered approach may be relevant. Campaigns come with the Standard plan, while sequences, custom objects and Deals start on Premium. Every plan has unlimited members.
These descriptions position folk as a relationship CRM. That can be relevant to founders comparing tools, but folk’s pages do not list an investor database, so it is not the same focus as a dedicated investor discovery and fundraising pipeline. We did not use folk; we looked at it and chose Round Funded for the specific needs of raising our round.
How do folk CRM and Round Funded differ?
The main distinction is the workflow each product describes. Folk’s stated focus is managing relationships around people, with LinkedIn capture, contact enrichment and email campaigns. Round Funded brings investor search, fundraising stages and outreach into a fundraising-focused workflow.
| Comparison | folk | Round Funded |
|---|---|---|
| Stated focus | People-first CRM for teams that sell through relationships | Finding investors, sending pitches and tracking replies |
| Investor discovery | folk’s pages do not list an investor database | Searchable database of 60,000+ active investors and accelerators |
| Outreach | Email campaigns, included from Standard; sequences start on Premium | AI drafts personalized outreach emails and follow-ups |
| Pipeline | Deals start on Premium; the main record is a person | Fundraising stages, investors and next steps in one place |
| Team and materials | Unlimited members on every plan | Teammates can join a startup workspace; Data Room is available on every plan |
Round Funded’s outreach is sent from the founder’s own Gmail, so replies land in the founder’s inbox and the conversation thread belongs to the founder. Its AI drafts personalized emails and follow-ups for each investor. Those details mattered to us because we wanted to connect investor research with the work of contacting and tracking investors.
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, come with Round+. For us, the Data Room and tracking links were part of a workflow focused on fundraising materials and investor activity.
How much does folk CRM cost compared with Round Funded?
According to folk’s pricing page, pricing is per member a month: Standard is $24 billed yearly ($30 monthly), Premium is $48 billed yearly ($60 monthly) and Enterprise is from $80 billed yearly ($100 monthly). Annual billing takes 20% off. There is no free plan, but the page offers a 2-week trial with all premium features and no credit card. Standard allows 2,000 messages per member a month and Premium allows 5,000, with 500 and 1,000 enrichments a month per workspace.
Round Funded has three paid options: Round+ at $99 a month, Round Pro at $249 a month and Lifetime at $899 one-time. Round+ and Round Pro include a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts, and there is no free tier.
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 up to 5,000 investors in the pipeline, 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.
The plans describe different kinds of products, so price alone does not settle the comparison. We chose Round Funded for its fundraising workflow, investor database and tools for managing outreach, materials and teammates.
Why did we at AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We raised our round through Round Funded. Our choice came down to the practical pieces we wanted in one fundraising workflow: a clean investor database, an AI agent that writes emails, a convenient interface, the ability to invite teammates, a Data Room and tracking links.
The database gives founders filters for searching investors by stage, industry, geography and check size. The pipeline keeps investors, fundraising stages and next steps together. AI can draft personalized outreach and follow-ups, while messages go out from the founder’s own Gmail.
We also valued being able to invite teammates into the workspace and share fundraising materials through a Data Room. Round Funded says the Data Room can hold a deck, traction, team and ask on one link. Round+ adds per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics.
Those features matched the job we were trying to do. Folk is a people-first CRM and its pages do not list an investor database, while we wanted a workflow focused on investor discovery and fundraising. We chose Round Funded to organize investor outreach.
How Round Funded helps founders raise a round
- Submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
- Search the investor database by stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Add investors to the fundraising pipeline and keep their stage and next step in one place.
- Use AI to draft personalized investor emails and follow-ups, then send outreach from your own Gmail.
- Invite teammates into your workspace, build and share a Data Room, and use per-investor tracked links with Round+.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is folk CRM?
folk is a people-first CRM that says it is built for teams that sell through relationships: LinkedIn conversations, warm intros and founder-led outreach. Its Chrome extension captures a LinkedIn profile in one click, and it enriches contacts and runs email campaigns.
Does folk CRM have a free plan?
No. folk does not have a free plan. Its pricing page offers a 2-week trial with all premium features and no credit card.
How much does folk cost?
folk lists prices per member a month: Standard at $24 billed yearly ($30 monthly), Premium at $48 billed yearly ($60 monthly) and Enterprise from $80 billed yearly ($100 monthly). Annual billing takes 20% off.
Does folk provide an investor database?
No. folk’s pages do not list an investor database. Round Funded provides a searchable investor database and a pipeline for fundraising stages and next steps.
Why did AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We raised our round through Round Funded and chose it for a clean investor database, AI-written emails, a convenient interface, teammate access, a Data Room and tracking links.