Evalyze.ai vs. OpenVC: Which Investor Platform is better?

If you’ve ever tried raising money, you may spend weeks (sometimes months) scrolling through LinkedIn, sending cold emails, and asking friends for intros only to wonder, “Am I even talking to the right people?”

To make a shortcut, most founders try to use platforms like OpenVC and Evalyze.ai. Both promise to make fundraising a little less painful and a lot more focused.

OpenVC does it by building a big, transparent community of investors who openly share what they’re looking for.

Evalyze, on the other hand, uses AI to scan your pitch deck and instantly show you which investors are actually a fit.

So the question is: if you’re a founder who wants to raise smarter and faster, which one should you bet on? Let’s break it down.

What Is OpenVC?

OpenVC started as a community project where investors publicly post their “investment thesis” (basically, what kind of startups they want to back, what stage, how much they typically write, and whether they’re open to cold pitches).

It is refreshingly transparent about which investors will actually accept a deck from a stranger.

Here’s what you get with OpenVC:

• A searchable investor database: You can filter by stage (pre-seed, seed, Series A), geography, industry, or typical check size.
• Cold outreach: Investors who opt in are open to hearing from founders, and the platform claims around a 40% reply rate on cold messages. That’s miles better than blindly blasting emails.
• Intros on autopilot: OpenVC can scan your network and help find warm introductions.
• Inbound requests: Once you’re listed on the platform, investors can actually reach out to you.
• A toolbox of resources: From pitch deck templates and fundability checklists to masterclasses, legal connections, and even MVP builders. Some are free, some are premium.

The pricing? Freemium. You can get a ton of value for free, but there are extra perks if you upgrade (think masterclasses, templates, and startup perks worth a couple million).

What Is Evalyze?

Evalyze.ai is like having a fundraising co-pilot sitting next to you, one that doesn’t get tired, doesn’t ghost you, and actually knows which investors make sense for your startup. Instead of spending endless hours researching, Evalyze uses AI to take your pitch deck, analyze it, and instantly match you with investors who are a good fit.

Here’s where it really shines:

• Pitch deck analysis (with a score): Upload your deck, and Evalyze will give you an Investor Readiness Score, plus practical suggestions to make it stronger before you start pitching. It’s like a dress rehearsal, but without the awkward feedback.

• AI-powered investor matching: No more guessing who might care about your space. Evalyze compares your startup’s stage, sector, and location against a database of 10,000+ VCs, angels, and accelerators.

• Outreach automation (Soon): Instead of manually drafting dozens of cold emails, Evalyze can generate personalized outreach and help you track replies.

• A fundraising dashboard: All your campaigns, matches, and investor engagement in one place so you’re not stuck juggling spreadsheets and sticky notes.

• Extra resources: Think curated investor lists, ready-to-use cold email templates, and fundraising playbooks written specifically for founders.

The best part? You can start for free. And if you want to unlock advanced features (like pro-level campaigns and more automation), there’s a Pro plan you can upgrade to when you’re ready.

OpenVC vs Evalyze: Feature Comparison

Both platforms help you connect with investors, but they go about it in very different ways.

Investor Discovery

• OpenVC: You’ll get access to a big, transparent investor database. Super useful, but you’ll still need to spend time filtering, scrolling, and picking through the list.
• Evalyze: Instead of digging around, Evalyze just does the matchmaking for you. Upload your deck, and it automatically suggests investors who actually fit your stage, sector, and geography.

Pitch Deck Support

• OpenVC: Provides templates and the chance to get feedback from the community. Helpful if you want examples or peer input.
• Evalyze: Takes a more hands-on approach with its Investor Readiness Score, a quick audit that highlights what’s strong in your deck and what needs fixing before you send it out.

Outreach & Intros

• OpenVC: You can submit directly to investors who’ve said they accept cold decks, and it also helps find warm intros through your network.
• Evalyze: Automates the grindy part. It can generate personalized cold emails, help you track responses, and manage your outreach campaigns in one place.

Resources & Ecosystem

• OpenVC: Think of it as a giant toolbox for fundability checks, legal connections, MVP builders, masterclasses, perks, and more.
• Evalyze: Keeps it tighter and more focused: investor lists, outreach templates, and resources designed specifically to get you pitch-ready fast.

Speed & Simplicity

• OpenVC: Great resources, but you’ll need to put in more manual work to filter, search, and reach out.
• Evalyze: The AI cuts through the noise. You can go from “I have a deck” to “I’m talking to investors” in a matter of minutes, not weeks.

Which One Should You Choose?

It really depends on what you need right now:

• If you’re looking for a big community vibe, tons of free resources, and you don’t mind doing a bit of digging yourself, then OpenVC is a solid pick. It’s like having a huge library of investors and tools at your fingertips.
• But if what you really want is speed, less guesswork, and a bit of AI support to take the heavy lifting off your shoulders, then Evalyze is a better choice. It’s built for founders who’d rather spend time talking to investors than endlessly searching for them.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, both platforms bring value to the table. Think of OpenVC as the Swiss Army knife, lots of tools, lots of ways to explore. On the other hand, Evalyze is more like a laser-focused co-pilot designed to get you investor-ready and matched in record time.

So, if your top priority is getting in front of the right investors quickly and launching campaigns in days instead of weeks, Evalyze.ai is the smarter choice.