platform · deal flow tools

deal flow tools that fill the top of the funnel

deal flow is the stream of investment opportunities reaching your fund. deal flow tools help you source it, track it, and manage it. the stack has three layers - and most funds are strong on tracking but weak on sourcing, which is where the returns actually start.

what are deal flow tools?

deal flow tools are the software a fund uses to run its pipeline. there are three layers: sourcing (finding companies before or as they raise), management (a crm like affinity or a spreadsheet to track conversations), and research (databases to diligence a company once it's in the pipeline). frontrun is a sourcing tool - it fills the top of the funnel with pre-round signal, then hands off to whatever crm you already use.

the three layers of a deal flow stack

sourcing decides what enters your pipeline. management decides how you move it through. research decides whether you commit. a crm like affinity is excellent at the middle layer but doesn't generate net-new companies - it organizes the ones you already found. that's the gap frontrun fills: it's the source, not the system of record.

why sourcing is the layer that compounds

a better crm makes you faster. better sourcing makes you earlier - and earliness is what wins allocations at pre-seed and seed. frontrun surfaces companies from investor follow-graph convergence, often months before a round, so your pipeline starts with deals your competitors haven't seen yet. it complements your crm rather than replacing it.

layer	what it does	example
Sourcing	finds net-new companies, ideally pre-round	frontrun
Management	tracks pipeline & relationships	affinity, spreadsheets
Research	diligences a company in-pipeline	pitchbook, crunchbase

which is right for you

you have a crm but a thin top-of-funnel

you don't need another crm - you need a source. frontrun feeds pre-round companies into whatever pipeline tool you already run.

you want the whole loop automated

frontrun's api + mcp let an agent source, enrich the founder, and draft the first outreach, then drop it into your crm.

you're a solo gp or angel

start with sourcing. one $99/mo source of early signal beats an expensive crm with nothing good in it.

the receipts

frontrun's flags carry dated provenance, so "we saw it early" is checkable per company:

@techdollarhq - flagged at 13 followers, $3M pre-seed 123 days later
@orthogonal_sh - flagged 184 days before a $4.3M round led by Pantera
@rialto_xyz - flagged at 18 followers, 26 days before its Robinhood partner announcement

frequently asked

what is the difference between deal flow software and a crm?

a crm (like affinity) organizes deals you've already found. deal flow sourcing software (like frontrun) generates net-new companies to put into that crm. you want both, and they're complementary.

what are the best deal flow tools for a small fund?

for a solo gp or small fund, prioritize a strong sourcing tool over an expensive crm. frontrun is $99/mo and surfaces pre-round companies; a spreadsheet or affinity's free tier can handle tracking early on.

can i automate my deal flow?

yes. frontrun exposes its signal through an mcp server and rest api, so an ai agent can run sourcing, founder enrichment, and outreach drafting, then hand off to your crm.

see the signal before the round

7-day free trial · $99/mo · API + MCP for agents

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