In this startengine review, we look at how StartEngine describes its securities offerings, what its published pricing does and does not cover, and why we at AI Perks chose Round Funded to raise our round. The two platforms address different fundraising workflows, so founders should start by clarifying the kind of raise they plan to pursue.
What is StartEngine, and how does its fundraising model work?
StartEngine says companies use its platform to offer securities to the public. Its primary offering routes are Regulation A, Regulation Crowdfunding, and Regulation D under Rule 506(c). The investor eligibility rules vary: Regulation A and Regulation Crowdfunding can include accredited and non-accredited investors, while Rule 506(c) is limited to accredited investors.
The securities offered may include common or preferred equity. StartEngine also says LLCs can raise through crowdfunding, although doing so may require additional legal work and consideration. Its offering types use standard investment templates, and the company says it does not accept customized investment documents.
StartEngine describes convertible notes with a valuation cap, discount rate, interest rate, and a two-year term. A qualified financing causes the note to convert into equity. If it reaches maturity without converting, principal and interest become due to investors. Its Safe Notes are modeled on the Y Combinator SAFE, require a valuation cap and discount rate, and convert into equity after a qualified financing.
These details make the distinction important: StartEngine describes public securities offerings, while Round Funded helps founders find investors, send pitches, and track replies. Those are different approaches, not interchangeable versions of the same service.
How much does StartEngine cost for founders?
StartEngine lists its Venture Club investor membership at $275 per year. The membership offers a 10% share bonus for investments in participating campaigns and 48-hour early access to new launches from StartEngine Private. This is an investor membership, not a stated fee for companies raising capital.
The company-side StartEngine pricing and fee schedule are not specified in the information covered here. Founders considering an offering should confirm the costs and terms directly with StartEngine rather than treating the Venture Club price as a fundraising fee.
Round Funded publishes three plan options:
| Round Funded plan | Price | Published details |
|---|---|---|
| Round+ | $99 per month | Up to 2,500 investors in the CRM pipeline, emails to up to 2,000 investors monthly, and 2,500 AI credits monthly |
| Round Pro | $249 per month | Up to 5,000 pipeline investors, emails to up to 10,000 investors monthly, up to 6 connected inboxes, and 5,000 AI credits monthly |
| Lifetime | $899 one-time | Round Pro features, paid once |
Round+ and Round Pro have a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. Round Funded does not have a free tier. These are Round Funded prices and do not establish what a StartEngine company offering would cost. Founders can submit a startup on Round Funded to begin the matching process.
What limitations should founders consider?
StartEngine says it uses standard investment templates and does not accept customized investment documents. That can be relevant if a company’s preferred documents do not fit the available templates. Founders should also assess whether the stated terms for its convertible notes or Safe Notes align with the financing structure they are considering.
StartEngine describes its Marketplace as an Alternative Trading System registered with the SEC and operated by its wholly owned broker-dealer subsidiary, StartEngine Primary, LLC. It says the Marketplace matches orders and allows investors to trade certain securities in companies quoted there. Not every company that raises on StartEngine elects to list shares.
StartEngine says investors may place orders at any time, but trading hours are 10 a.m. to noon Pacific time. Its stated quotation requirements include a share price above $1, and only common stock is currently tradable. Eligibility is assessed individually. Companies must trade on the secondary platform for at least 12 months, but meeting the requirements does not assure demand or a liquid market. A company may also be unable to meet the listing requirements promptly.
StartEngine warns that investments on its platform are speculative and illiquid, carry substantial risk, and could result in an investor losing the entire investment. These statements are relevant to the offering and trading model; they do not describe Round Funded’s investor outreach workflow.
StartEngine vs. Round Funded: which fits your raise?
The practical comparison is about the fundraising task. StartEngine describes a platform for public securities offerings. Round Funded is built to help founders find investors, send pitches, and track replies.
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 for recent activity, with a check in roughly the last 6 months, and emails are verified.
We at AI Perks raised our round through Round Funded. We chose it because we wanted a clean investor database, an AI agent that writes outreach emails, a convenient interface, the ability to invite teammates into the workspace, a Data Room, and tracking links. We did not choose it because it offers public securities offerings; the reasons were tied to our investor outreach workflow.
The AI drafts personalized outreach emails and follow-ups for each investor. Messages go out from the founder’s own Gmail, so replies arrive in the founder’s inbox and the conversation stays in that account. The fundraising pipeline keeps investors, stages, and next steps together. Teammates can also be invited into the startup workspace.
The Data Room lets founders put a deck, traction, team, and ask behind one shareable link, and 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+. Founders who want to get matched with active investors can submit their startup for matching.
How Round Funded helps founders manage investor outreach
- Submit your startup on Round Funded to begin the investor matching process.
- Search the investor database using stage, industry, geography, and check size.
- Organize investor prospects in the fundraising pipeline, with stages and next steps in one place.
- Use the AI agent to draft personalized investor emails and follow-ups, then send them through your own Gmail.
- Add your deck, traction, team, and ask to the Data Room, then share the link. Round+ includes per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is StartEngine an investor outreach tool?
StartEngine describes a platform where companies offer securities to the public. Round Funded helps founders search for investors, send pitches, and track replies, so the two services serve different fundraising tasks.
What is the StartEngine Venture Club price?
StartEngine states that Venture Club costs $275 annually. It is an investor membership, and the stated price is not a company fundraising fee.
Can non-accredited investors participate in StartEngine offerings?
According to StartEngine, non-accredited investors may participate in Regulation A and Regulation Crowdfunding offerings. Rule 506(c) offerings are for accredited investors.
Does StartEngine guarantee a secondary market for a company’s shares?
No. StartEngine says not every company chooses to list shares, and meeting its listing requirements does not guarantee demand or a liquid market. Eligibility is decided case by case.
Why did AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We raised our round through Round Funded and chose it for its investor database, AI-written emails, convenient interface, teammate workspace access, Data Room, and tracking links.