Best investor databases for founders raising a seed round (2026)

• Start free: Signal by NFX, OpenVC's free plan, Foundersuite Basic and VC Sheet cost nothing (checked 2026-11-09).
• Pay for workflow (outreach, pipeline, data room), not for a bigger list of famous names.
• Crunchbase and PitchBook are research platforms; use them to check a fund's recent seed deals.
• Zalarma is an investor database for startup founders: 33,282 US startup investors, including 5,982 angel and 8,385 family-office records (Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01).

Short answer: for most seed founders, start with one free investor search tool and one way to run the raise. Signal by NFX is free and strong on curated seed lists by sector. OpenVC's free plan adds deck sharing and a CRM. Foundersuite is the fullest fundraising workspace, with a free Basic plan and paid tiers. Crunchbase and PitchBook are research platforms, useful for checking a fund's recent deals but built for analysts. VC Sheet is a free, curated set of fund lists. Zalarma is an investor database for startup founders, focused on US investors by stage, check size, sector and state, with a free list of 5 hand-picked investors for your round.

Every price below is as each company published it on its own site when we checked on 2026-11-09. We're Zalarma, so we've kept our own entry factual and listed it with the others. Confirm prices on each vendor's site before you buy.

Seed-round investor databases side by side

OpenVC

OpenVC is a fundraising platform for founders. Its pricing page says most features are free for all founders, including unlimited investor search, deck sharing and analytics, a CRM and unlimited team members, and it advertises a database of 12,000+ VCs, angels and more. Premium ($99/month or $299/year) adds more daily outreach, extra investor filters such as check size and lead preference, and an intro finder. Good for: founders who want one free place to search and track a raise.

Signal by NFX

Signal is an investing network from the venture firm NFX. Founders can browse investor lists by stage and sector (its home page shows seed lists such as SaaS, FinTech and Marketplaces, and now pre-seed lists), and investors keep their own profiles. NFX's FAQ says Signal is 100% free. Good for: a free, well-known starting list for a venture-backable seed round.

Foundersuite

Foundersuite combines an investor database (searchable by stage, sector, geography and investor type) with an investor CRM, email campaigns, deck hosting and tracking, investor updates and a data room. Its Basic plan is free; paid plans add larger pipelines, warm-intro paths and support. Good for: founders running a large, time-boxed raise who want the workflow in one tool.

Crunchbase

Crunchbase is a private-company intelligence platform: company profiles, funding rounds, valuation insights and forecasts, with search, saved lists and exports on paid plans. Good for: checking which investors led recent seed rounds in your space, and researching a fund before a meeting.

VC Sheet

VC Sheet publishes curated "sheets" of venture funds, for example funds that lead pre-seed rounds, deeptech funds or funds with scout programs, which you can filter by stage, industry focus and geography. It also offers a free form that suggests matching investors from your deck. Good for: quickly browsing institutional seed funds by theme.

PitchBook

PitchBook is a private-capital data platform for investment professionals, covering companies, deals, funds and investors. Pricing is on request and depends on seats and firm type. Good for: teams that need deep deal and fund data; most seed founders don't need a seat.

Zalarma

Zalarma is an investor database for startup founders. It covers 33,282 US startup investors, searchable by stage, check size, sector, state and investor type. Where it's strongest:

• Angels and family offices, not just funds. 5,982 angel or syndicate records and 8,385 family-office records among its US startup investors.
• Seed coverage. 19,738 US investor records list seed and 8,652 list pre-seed.
• Founders outside the big hubs. 10,508 of the US startup investors with a known state are outside California, New York and Massachusetts, with lists by state and city.
• A free shortlist. Tell us your round and within 2 business days you get 5 hand-picked investors, each with a one-line why-they-fit and the warmest route we can see. Zalarma never shares your details with investors without your OK, and doesn't charge investors or take a success fee.

Trade-offs: Zalarma is US-focused, full database accounts are by invitation, and it doesn't host decks or send outreach campaigns. Many founders pair it with a free workspace like OpenVC or Foundersuite Basic.

Zalarma figures: Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01. Counts under 10 are suppressed.

How to choose for a seed round

1. Find who fits first. Filter by stage, check size, sector and geography before you look at brand. See how to build an investor target list.
2. Start free. Signal, OpenVC's free plan, Foundersuite Basic, VC Sheet and Zalarma's match list cost nothing.
3. Pay for workflow, not names. Upgrade when you need more outreach, a bigger pipeline or a data room.
4. Use research platforms for checking. Crunchbase or PitchBook help you confirm a fund's recent seed deals before you pitch.

For a wider comparison that also covers Visible, Dealroom, CB Insights, Tracxn and AngelList, see investor databases for founders, compared.