platform · vc tech stack

the modern vc tech stack, layer by layer

a fund's tech stack has four layers now: sourcing, crm, research, and - new in 2026 - agents that tie them together. here's what belongs in each, the tools that fill it, and the honest gaps, so you can assemble a stack instead of collecting logos.

what is a vc tech stack?

a vc tech stack is the set of tools a fund uses to run its investing operation, organized by job: sourcing (finding companies), crm (managing pipeline and relationships), research (diligencing deals), and increasingly an agent layer that automates work across all three. the strongest stacks are deliberate about which tool owns which job, rather than paying three vendors for overlapping features.

the four layers

sourcing decides what enters the funnel - frontrun for pre-round signal, harmonic or crunchbase for coverage. crm runs the pipeline - affinity or a spreadsheet. research diligences the deal - pitchbook, cb insights. the agent layer - claude code or cursor plus mcp servers - lets one prompt reach across all of them. most funds are strong on crm and research and weakest on sourcing and agents, which is exactly where the edge is in 2026.

where the agent layer changes everything

the newest layer is an agent that sources, enriches, and drafts outreach on its own. it only works if your tools expose real agent access. frontrun ships an mcp server (npx frontrun-mcp-server, 29 tools) so an agent can pull pre-round signal directly - the difference between a stack you operate by hand and one that runs a first pass for you.

layer	job	tools
Sourcing	find companies, ideally pre-round	frontrun, harmonic, crunchbase
CRM	manage pipeline & relationships	affinity, spreadsheets
Research	diligence an announced deal	pitchbook, cb insights
Agents	automate across the stack	claude code / cursor + mcp

which is right for you

building a stack from scratch

buy one tool per layer, not three. start with sourcing and crm; add research and an agent layer as volume grows.

you feel over-tooled

audit for overlap - if two tools both diligence announced companies, drop one. the layer most funds are actually missing is pre-round sourcing.

you want an agent-native stack

prioritize tools with mcp/api. frontrun is mcp-native, so it drops straight into a claude code or cursor workflow.

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 in a modern vc tech stack?

four layers: sourcing (frontrun, harmonic), crm (affinity), research (pitchbook, cb insights), and an agent layer (claude code or cursor plus mcp servers) that automates work across them.

what is the best sourcing tool in a vc stack?

for pre-round signal, frontrun - it flags companies from investor follow-graph convergence before a round, at $99/mo, and is mcp-native so it fits an agent-driven stack.

do i need an agent layer in 2026?

not required, but it's the fastest-growing edge. an agent that can reach your sourcing signal via mcp runs the first pass of discovery and outreach, which is why agent-ready tools matter.

see the signal before the round

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

start free trial →

all of frontrun · comparisons · tool roundup · trending startups