Question 1

What is CAPLINK and who is it for?

Accepted Answer

CAPLINK is a comprehensive fundraising and investment platform designed for three user groups: Founders looking to raise capital, Investors seeking quality dealflow, and Advisors supporting clients through the fundraising process. The platform provides tools for investor research, CRM, data rooms, benchmarking, and networking to streamline the entire fundraising journey.

Question 2

Is the platform for free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can sign up for free with several features such as access to our extensive investor database. However, we recommend to use a PRO account with full functionality including fundraising and CRM tools

Question 3

How can you connect with investors?

Accepted Answer

The platforms offers several ways to connect with investors. You public landing page is the most powerful tool. You can implement it on your company website easily and investors can connect with you directly through the landing page. You can also use our extensive investor database to research investors and connect with them

Question 4

How do I create an account on CAPLINK?

Accepted Answer

Click "Start Free Trial" on our landing page. You'll be asked to select your role (Founder, Investor, or Advisor), then complete a multi-step registration process with your email, company/profile details, and password. Email verification is required to activate your account. No credit card is needed for the free trial.

Question 5

What are the different user roles and their benefits?

Accepted Answer

• Founders: Access investor database, CRM for managing investor relationships, data room for secure document sharing, pitchdeck hosting, performance benchmarking, co-investor radar, and founder networking.

• Investors: Browse verified startup database, set investment criteria for matching, receive startup alerts, access pitchdecks and data rooms from portfolio companies, and connect with founders.

• Advisors: Manage advisory engagements, access client CRM views, review pitchdecks, access data rooms, and support founders throughout fundraising.

Question 6

Do you offer a data room tool?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can connect your own google drive with our platform and use it as dataroom. We offer extensive functionality such as access rights, automated watermarking, view and download rights by user

Question 7

How do I learn to use the platform?

Accepted Answer

When you first log in, an interactive tour will automatically guide you through the platform's key features based on your role. If you skip the tour or want to repeat it later, you can restart it anytime from the Help Center. The tour covers dashboard navigation, setting up processes, using the database and CRM, and managing your profile.

Question 8

What subscription plans are available?

Accepted Answer

We offer tiered subscription plans for each user role (Founder, Investor, Advisor). Each plan type includes a Free tier with basic features and Pro tiers that unlock advanced modules like CRM automation, benchmarking, co-investor radar, and enhanced document sharing. Visit our Pricing page for current rates and feature comparisons by role.

Question 9

What's the difference between Free and Pro plans?

Accepted Answer

Free plans provide basic access to browse databases, limited CRM functionality, and essential profile features. Pro plans unlock advanced modules including: full CRM with pipeline management and outreach campaigns, secure data rooms with engagement analytics, performance benchmarking against peers, co-investor network analysis, and priority support. The specific modules vary by user role.

Question 10

How does billing work?

Accepted Answer

We offer monthly and annual billing options. Annual plans offer discounted rates. Payment is processed securely via Stripe using credit/debit cards. You can manage your subscription, view invoices, and update payment methods from your account settings. VAT is applied where applicable and we support VAT validation for EU businesses.

Question 11

Can I upgrade, downgrade, or cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can change your plan at any time from your account settings. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades and cancellations become effective at the end of your current billing period, so you retain access to Pro features until then. All changes are processed through our secure customer portal.

Question 12

How do I find the right investors for my startup?

Accepted Answer

Use our Investor Database to search thousands of verified investors by investment stage, sector focus, ticket size, geography, and more. Apply advanced filters to narrow your search, save favorite investors, and add them directly to your CRM pipeline. Each investor profile includes investment thesis, portfolio companies, team members, and contact information.

Question 13

How does the CRM help me manage investor relationships?

Accepted Answer

The CRM provides a Kanban-style pipeline to track investors through stages (Contacted, Meeting Scheduled, Due Diligence, Term Sheet, Closed). Features include: interaction timeline with notes, automated follow-up reminders, email outreach campaigns, deadline tracking, and team collaboration. Export your pipeline data anytime for external analysis.

Question 14

How do I securely share documents with investors?

Accepted Answer

Create a Data Room to share due diligence documents securely. Features include: granular access permissions (per investor or group), engagement analytics (who viewed what and when), download tracking, Q&A module for investor questions, watermarking, and Google Drive integration for easy file syncing. You control who sees your sensitive information.

Question 15

How can I compare my startup's performance to peers?

Accepted Answer

Our Benchmarking module shows anonymous aggregate metrics from similar startups. Compare your ARR growth, MRR, net retention, gross retention, Rule of 40, and runway against percentile ranges (25th, 50th, 75th). Filter by stage and sector to get relevant comparisons. This helps you understand market standards and communicate your performance to investors.

Question 16

Can I fundraise privately without appearing in the startup database?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Activate Stealth Mode to keep your fundraising activity confidential. Your company can still be listed in the startup database for discovery, but fundraising details remain hidden. You retain full access to investor research, CRM, and all tools. Selectively reveal fundraising information to specific investors when ready. Toggle this setting in your fundraising process configuration.

Question 17

How do I discover investment opportunities?

Accepted Answer

Browse our Startup Database with advanced filters for sector, stage, geography, ARR, team size, and growth metrics. View company profiles with real-time metrics, team information, and growth trajectories. Add promising startups to your Favorites/Watchlist, request connections to unlock detailed financial metrics, and receive alerts when startups match your investment criteria.

Question 18

How do I set up investment criteria for matching?

Accepted Answer

Navigate to "Update Investment Criteria" to define your investment preferences: preferred sectors, stages, ticket sizes, geographies, and metric thresholds. The platform uses these criteria to match you with relevant startups, send personalized deal recommendations, and help founders understand if you're a potential fit. Well-defined criteria attract more relevant inbound from entrepreneurs.

Question 19

How does startup screening and alerts work?

Accepted Answer

Create saved searches with specific filters to screen startups automatically. Enable alerts to receive notifications when new startups match your criteria or when existing favorites hit key milestones (e.g., ARR thresholds, new funding rounds). View screening history and manage alert frequency from your dashboard settings.

Question 20

How do I connect with founders and access detailed metrics?

Accepted Answer

Request a "Friendship Connection" with startups to unlock detailed financial metrics, direct messaging, and deeper profile access. Founders approve connection requests, establishing a mutual relationship. Connected startups can share data room access, pitchdecks, and schedule meetings directly through the platform calendar.

Question 21

How do I manage my advisory engagements?

Accepted Answer

Your Advisor Dashboard shows all pending and active engagements. Accept or decline new engagement requests, track project status, manage deliverables, and negotiate fees. View engagement history, completion statistics, and client reviews. The platform handles the workflow from initial request through project completion.

Question 22

What client materials can I access as an advisor?

Accepted Answer

When engaged by a founder, you can be granted access to their CRM (view investor pipeline), pitchdecks (review and provide feedback), and data rooms (access due diligence documents). Access is permission-based and controlled by the founder client. Use in-platform messaging for secure communication and calendar integration for scheduling advisory sessions.

Question 23

What third-party services does CAPLINK use?

Accepted Answer

We integrate with trusted services:

• Stripe: Secure payment processing and subscription management
• Supabase: Database, authentication, and real-time features
• Google Drive: Optional integration for data room file syncing
• Email Services: Transactional emails for notifications, invitations, and newsletters

All integrations are configured securely and comply with data protection standards.

Question 24

How does Google Drive integration work?

Accepted Answer

Connect your Google Drive to automatically sync documents to your data room. Authorize access through secure OAuth, select folders to share, and the platform maintains synchronization. Changes in Google Drive reflect in your data room. You can revoke access anytime from your account settings. This simplifies document management for founders who already use Google Workspace.

Question 25

What data do I need to provide to use the platform?

Accepted Answer

Required for all users: Name, email, company/organization name, and role-specific profile information. Founders additionally provide: Startup details (sector, stage, metrics like ARR, team size, location). Investors additionally provide: Investment thesis, focus areas, typical ticket size. This core data powers matching, search, and platform functionality.

Question 26

What data will be shared with investors?

Accepted Answer

The settings for the visibility of financials and KPIs can be found in the dashboard. The last period, if available, is always displayed, otherwise the upcoming period is displayed. “Friendly” investors are shown the complete time series.

Question 27

What data can I optionally share for enhanced features?

Accepted Answer

Optional sharing includes: Detailed financial metrics (revenue history, burn rate, runway), team member profiles and LinkedIn URLs, pitch deck uploads, data room documents, calendar availability, and historical KPIs. More data enables better benchmarking comparisons, richer profiles for discovery, and improved matching with relevant counterparts. You control what you share.

Question 28

How is my data protected?

Accepted Answer

We implement enterprise-grade security: encrypted data at rest and in transit, role-based access controls, secure authentication with email verification, optional two-factor authentication, and granular permission settings for shared documents. Data rooms feature watermarking and access logging. We comply with GDPR and follow industry best practices for data protection. You can request data export or deletion from account settings.

Question 29

How can I get the most value from CAPLINK?

Accepted Answer

For Founders:
• Complete your company profile thoroughly - detailed profiles appear higher in search
• Keep metrics updated monthly for accurate benchmarking
• Use the CRM pipeline stages consistently to track conversion rates
• Upload pitch materials to your data room early and track engagement
• Connect with fellow founders in the network for introductions

For Investors:
• Define specific investment criteria to receive relevant dealflow
• Set up saved searches with alerts for new matching startups
• Request connections with interesting startups to unlock detailed metrics
• Keep your investor profile updated to attract quality inbound

For Advisors:
• Complete your expertise profile to appear in advisor searches
• Respond promptly to engagement requests
• Request reviews from completed engagements to build credibility

Question 30

How do referral bonuses work?

Accepted Answer

You can invite other founders, investors, and advisors to sign up on the platform. Two things are important here: 1) They must use a different email domain than yours. 2) They must register with a business/paid account. Both you and the person you invite will receive the referral bonus. The best part is: You can earn as many referral bonuses as you like. Just keep inviting people from your network!

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