Connectd and Round Funded serve different startup needs, and we at AI Perks chose Round Funded for our fundraising round. We wanted investor discovery, AI-written emails, a teammate workspace, a Data Room and tracking links in one workflow.
What is Connectd, and what does it offer?
According to Connectd, it is a London platform founded in 2019 that connects startups and scaleups with fractional executives, advisors and non-executive directors. It focuses on matching businesses with people who can take on part-time leadership, advisory or non-executive roles.
Connectd says startups can review curated matches from a pool of more than 6,500 vetted experts. Startups can begin intro calls with multiple candidates within 48 hours. A matched expert works with a startup for six months at no cost, after which the startup can convert the relationship into a paid engagement on its own terms.
That is Connectd’s scope. It is a talent-matching offer, rather than an investor-search and email-outreach workflow. We looked at Connectd while considering our fundraising needs. For raising our round, we chose Round Funded.
Does Connectd include an investor database?
Connectd matches startups with executives, advisors and non-executive directors. It does not offer an investor database or a tool for emailing investors. That distinction matters when comparing services: the question is not whether one platform is universally better, but whether its functions match the task a founder is trying to complete.
For a fundraising round, we wanted to find investors and manage outreach. Round Funded covers more than 60,000 active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators. Investors can be searched by stage, industry, geography and check size. They are filtered to recent activity, with a check in roughly the last six months, and emails are verified.
Round Funded also includes a fundraising pipeline for organizing investors, stages and next steps. Its AI drafts personalized outreach emails and follow-ups, and outreach goes from the founder’s own Gmail. Replies land in the founder’s inbox, and the email thread belongs to the founder. These are the types of fundraising functions that informed our choice.
How do Connectd and Round Funded pricing compare?
Connectd says a matched expert works with a startup for six months at no cost. Connectd does not publish a startup price list.
Round Funded lists Round+ at $99 a month and Round Pro at $249 a month. Both include a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. There is no free tier. A Lifetime plan costs $899 one-time and includes everything in Round Pro.
The plans also differ in their listed limits:
| Plan | Price | Investor pipeline | Monthly email limit | AI credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round+ | $99 a month | Up to 2,500 investors | Up to 2,000 investors | 2,500 a month |
| Round Pro | $249 a month | Up to 5,000 investors | Up to 10,000 investors | 5,000 a month |
| Lifetime | $899 one-time | Everything in Round Pro | Everything in Round Pro | Everything in Round Pro |
Round Pro also allows up to six connected inboxes. The Lifetime plan is paid once. The comparison is between Connectd’s expert-matching offer and Round Funded’s fundraising plans, not between equivalent products.
Why did AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We at AI Perks raised our round through Round Funded. We chose it because its features suited the fundraising work we wanted to organize: a clean investor database, an AI agent that writes the emails, a convenient interface, the option to invite teammates into the workspace, the Data Room and tracking links.
The database and outreach workflow were important to us. The platform brings investor discovery together with AI-drafted emails and follow-ups. Sending from the founder’s own Gmail keeps replies in the founder’s inbox, with the conversation thread belonging to the founder.
We also wanted a place for the team to keep fundraising activity organized. The pipeline brings investors, fundraising stages and next steps together, and teammates can be invited into the startup’s workspace. The Data Room lets founders build and share one link containing a deck, traction, team and ask. Building and sharing it is free on every plan.
Per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics, including views, deck opens and meeting clicks, come with Round+. Those elements made the platform a fit for the work we needed to coordinate. If you want to submit your startup on Round Funded, its apply page says startups can get matched with investors.
What should founders compare before choosing?
Start with the job to be done. A founder looking for a fractional executive, advisor or non-executive director can assess Connectd based on the matching model it describes. A founder organizing investor discovery and outreach should check whether a service offers those specific functions.
Then review what each service publishes about its costs and included features. For Connectd, the six-month no-cost expert arrangement is listed on its startup page, and Connectd does not publish a startup price list. For Round Funded, the monthly and one-time plan prices, trial terms and plan limits are listed above.
Finally, consider the workflow itself: finding investors, drafting emails, managing stages, sharing fundraising materials and coordinating with teammates. We chose Round Funded because those features addressed the fundraising tasks we wanted to bring together. You can get matched with active investors by submitting a startup through its apply page.
How Round Funded helps founders plan outreach
- 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 emails and follow-ups for selected investors.
- Organize investors, stages and next steps in the fundraising pipeline, and invite teammates into the workspace.
- Build and share a Data Room link with the deck, traction, team and ask. Round+ includes per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Connectd match startups with?
According to Connectd, its platform matches startups and scaleups with fractional executives, advisors and non-executive directors. It has a pool of more than 6,500 vetted experts.
How long does a Connectd match work with a startup at no cost?
Connectd says a matched expert works with a startup for six months at no cost. After that period, a startup can convert the expert to a paid engagement on its own terms.
Does Connectd publish startup pricing?
Connectd does not publish a startup price list.
Does Connectd provide investor email outreach?
Connectd focuses on talent matching, not an investor database or a way to email investors. We chose Round Funded for investor discovery and outreach when raising our round.
What does Round Funded cost?
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.