For founders
Raise, apply, pitch and exhibit — while you build.
Fundraising and program applications eat the weeks you should spend on the product. Drop in your deck: we find investors whose focus fits your stage and sector, accelerators, competitions, grants and shows worth your time, and do the paperwork with your facts.
What you’re after
The goals we work on with you.
Raise a round
Angels and funds whose published focus covers your stage and sector. One personal email per investor, sent from your Gmail after your approval, with polite follow-ups.
Join an accelerator or incubator
Cohorts with real deadlines; application forms filled from your deck and business plan.
Win stages and prizes
Pitch competitions, demo days and startup awards your stage is eligible for.
Find non-dilutive money and customers
Grants and public programs (their portals usually need your company login, so they come as handoffs), trade shows and direct client leads.
What we chase for you
The opportunities we look for.
- InvestorsMatched on stage, sector, geography and cheque size, where the investor publishes them.
- AcceleratorsCohort programs with funding, mentors and a demo day.
- IncubatorsSpace and support for very early companies.
- Startup competitionsPrize money and exposure, often behind a simple online form.
- Pitch eventsDemo days and pitch nights in front of investors.
- Government programs and subsidiesPublic funds, subsidies and certifications, prepared as handoffs.
- GrantsNon-dilutive grants for research-heavy and impact companies.
- Trade shows and exhibitionsTrade shows where you can exhibit, pitch or speak.
- Direct client leadsCompanies that may buy what you sell, one tailored email each.
- Co-founder matching programsPrograms that help you find a co-founder.
A worked example
ExampleTwo founders of a climate-software startup, raising a pre-seed round
An illustration, not a real person or a real posting
1Drops in
The pitch deck, a one-page summary and a link to the website.
2Profile
Early-stage founders, climate software; problem, market, traction and the round they're raising, quoted directly from the deck.
3Goal
Close the pre-seed within nine months. Milestones: materials ready, 50 matched investors contacted, 10 meetings, a term sheet.
4This week's picks
Eight investors whose published focus covers climate software at pre-seed, two accelerators and one public innovation grant.
5Prepared and submitted
Each investor gets a personal email from the founders' own Gmail, approved one by one. The accelerator forms are filled from the deck and submitted after a tap.
6Handoff
The grant portal needs the company's own login, so it arrives as a handoff with every section drafted to its word limit.
7Course correction
We never start a new conversation with the same investor within 30 days. If replies stay low, the plan suggests an accelerator first, to build signal.
What you upload
Start with what you already have.
Pitch deck
The most useful single file: problem, solution, traction, team, round.
Business plan or one-pager
For programs and grants that ask for more detail.
Financial summary
Only if you want it used. It's never sent without your approval.
Links
Website, product page, app store listing, demo video.
Every week
What happens while you get on with your life.
- New investors and programs that fit your stage and sector
- Approved investor emails sent from your Gmail within daily limits
- Follow-ups after the number of days your plan sets, until a reply is recorded
- Your funnel: contacted, replied, meetings, term sheets
Stays with you
The steps that are yours.
- Pitch meetings and due diligence
- Signing term sheets and agreements
- Company logins for grant and government portals, prepared as handoffs
- Exhibition and application fees
Questions
What people in your position ask.
Won't investors see this as mass email?
Each email is written for one investor, says why your company fits their published focus, and is sent from your own address. Daily limits apply, no new conversation with the same person within 30 days, and an investor whose reply asks to stop is never emailed again by anyone on Onward Scout.
Do you share my deck with anyone?
Only with the investors and programs you approve, as part of an application or an email you confirmed.
Start with what you have.
Drop in your documents, see what you can go after, and decide later. Free, and nothing is sent until you tap.