Submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors if you want a direct investor workflow; we at AI Perks raised our round through Round Funded. We considered Seedstars too, but chose Round Funded for its investor database, AI-written emails, shared workspace, Data Room and tracking links.
What should founders compare between Seedstars and Round Funded?
These options involve different parts of fundraising. Seedstars describes both investment routes and programs, with conditions that depend on the particular vehicle. Round Funded is a platform founders can use to discover investors, send pitches and organize outreach.
Before deciding, identify the Seedstars route you are considering. Terms stated for a direct investment vehicle should not automatically be applied to a competition or another program. Then compare those terms with the fundraising workflow you need, including investor discovery, outreach, collaboration and sharing materials.
At AI Perks, we wanted a direct process for raising from investors. We chose Round Funded because it brought our investor research and outreach tasks into one workspace. That is our decision for our round, not a recommendation that every founder should avoid programs. Explore Round Funded’s investor workflow.
What does Seedstars say it invests in?
Seedstars says its investment focus is on emerging and frontier markets. It reports investments in more than 30 countries across Latam, Africa, MENA, CEE and Asia, excluding China. It identifies pre-seed and seed as its investment sweet spot.
The stated sector focus is B2B technology solutions in financial services, market enablement and productivity. Seedstars International Ventures says its first investment ticket is $150,000 to $350,000, depending on stage, and that follow-on funding can reach up to $500,000. It states an ownership target of 3% to 5%.
Seedstars also says it may catalyse or follow in a round, work alongside other funds, or be the first investor of record. It does not take board seats and may not provide the largest ticket in a round. These details describe the relevant investment vehicle, not every Seedstars program or applicant.
How do Seedstars fees and program terms work?
Seedstars says it charges $30,000 per company for access to its value-creation platform. That fee is deducted from its investment, rather than described as an additional charge on top of the investment. Founders should review the applicable vehicle’s terms together, including investment amount, ownership and fees.
Other Seedstars routes have distinct conditions. According to Seedstars World, a competition winner can receive up to USD 500,000 in equity investment and other prizes. Selected winners may participate in a virtual Growth Program featuring 14 weeks of content and USD 50,000 participation, with the possibility of follow-on funding.
A Seedstars application guide lists a six-month duration, a Switzerland location and a $500K investment, while its equity field is shown as a dash. Those details belong to that guide and route. Seedstars says there is no single cheque or equity arrangement that applies across its offerings, and direct investment funds and programs have separate application routes.
For the competition, applicants must have a scalable tech product that has received less than $500,000 in investment. Participation takes two days for the local event, with seven more days for each regional and global summit a participant is selected for. Check the terms for the route in question rather than treating a program, competition and direct investment as interchangeable.
Can founders join a program and raise directly?
Yes. A founder can consider a program while also pursuing direct investor outreach. Taking part in a program is a separate activity from building a round with investors, so one does not automatically replace the other.
Seedstars says founders can submit an investment pitch directly. It aims to respond within a few days after an application if it is interested in a conversation. That describes its stated process, not a commitment to invest or a guarantee of an outcome.
Founders weighing these paths can compare the particular program’s eligibility and participation requirements with the terms of a direct investment route. They can also decide whether they are ready to raise directly and need a way to find investors, prepare outreach and manage follow-ups.
Why did we at AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We raised our round through Round Funded because we wanted a clear investor workflow. The clean investor database helped us organize investor discovery, while the AI agent writes outreach emails. We also valued the convenient interface and the ability to invite teammates into our workspace.
Round Funded 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 six months, and email addresses are verified.
Outreach is sent from the founder’s own Gmail, so replies arrive in that inbox and the email thread belongs to the founder. The AI drafts a personalized email and follow-ups for each investor. The fundraising pipeline keeps investors, stages and next steps together.
We also wanted a Data Room and tracking links. The Data Room lets a founder put a deck, traction, team and ask behind one link, and it is free to build and share on every plan. Per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics, such as views, deck opens and meeting clicks, are included with Round+.
Round Funded has 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; there is no free tier. Round+ includes a pipeline for up to 2,500 investors, email for up to 2,000 investors a month and 2,500 AI credits a month. Round Pro raises those limits to 5,000 investors in the pipeline, 10,000 emails a month and 5,000 AI credits a month, and includes up to 6 connected inboxes. Lifetime includes everything in Round Pro, paid once. See how to submit your startup on Round Funded.
How Round Funded helps founders raise
- Submit your startup on Round Funded to get matched with investors.
- Search the investor catalog using stage, industry, geography and check size, then organize prospects in the fundraising pipeline.
- Use the AI to draft personalized investor emails and follow-ups. Send outreach through your own Gmail.
- Invite teammates into your startup workspace to collaborate on the fundraising pipeline, stages and next steps.
- Build and share a Data Room, then use per-investor tracking links and engagement analytics available with Round+.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Seedstars?
Seedstars describes its work as focused on emerging and frontier markets, with investment activity across Latam, Africa, MENA, CEE and Asia, excluding China. Its offerings include direct investment and separate programs.
How much does Seedstars invest?
Seedstars states that its first investment ticket is $150,000 to $350,000, depending on stage, and that follow-on funding can reach up to $500,000. A Seedstars World competition winner may receive up to USD 500,000 in equity investment and other prizes. These are separate routes.
Does Seedstars charge founders a fee?
Seedstars says its $30,000-per-company value-creation platform fee is deducted from its investment. The applicable fee and investment terms depend on the vehicle, so founders should check the specific terms.
Can a founder apply to a Seedstars program and raise directly?
Yes. A founder can pursue a program or application while raising directly from investors. The routes have distinct terms and requirements.
What did AI Perks choose for its round?
We at AI Perks raised through Round Funded. We chose it for its clean investor database, AI-written emails, convenient interface, teammate access, Data Room and tracking links.