Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Click below on any of the questions to expand the field and view the answers. Click here to return to the Help page for more assistance.
General Questions
Do you take a fee off of my investment?
Absolutely not! We are “non-transactional,” meaning you do not process any investment, ACH, or wires through our site. Scorecard.vc is essentially a search engine with a strong scoring utility that allows users to set a score preference before anyone else is allowed to connect with them.
Please Note: Scorecard.vc is for education and research only, not financial advice. Scorecard.vc is not a registered Broker Dealer, Registered Investment Advisor, and is not liable for any user investment engagement. Please view our Legal Disclaimer for more information.
Do you offer bulk discounts/referral programs for representing a network of Startups, Investors, Service Professionals, or Students?
Absolutely! Please click here to learn more and submit your application for bulk discounts.
I’ve heard of other Investor matching tech or search engines--what makes Scorecard different?
Great question! The landscape is growing rapidly in the space, which we actually applaud––the more tools and transparency around VC creates a more equitable industry for us all!
Scorecard focuses primarily on the scoring aspect, not just the matching. Access to a database, spreadsheet, or search engine is great, but having an Investor’s email to send a cold pitch or submit through a website form may only get you so far (or nowhere at all).
Scorecard lets Investors set a minimum thesis score, along with the specific conditions for the deals they seek, so only the companies closest to their investment thesis can connect. This method provides both users with an ideal experience–if the Startup is not a good fit, they see precisely why; if the Startup is a good fit, they can get sent along, and the Investor can have a fact sheet to start a more efficient due diligence process (for investment consideration).
More companies will launch in this space, and we are confident Scorecard can give you the best experience!
Does using Scorecard.vc count as a solicitation for securities?
Depending upon which regulatory pathway an entity chooses to raise capital, the entity may be limited in how it can connect with potential investors.
Companies conducting an offering under Rule 506(b) of Regulation D, for example, cannot use general solicitation to market the securities. Display of offering information on unrestricted public websites, for example, would likely constitute general solicitation. If you have questions about whether using Scorecard.vc may conflict with the regulatory pathway you have chosen, you should seek legal counsel.
At Scorecard.vc, before any offering information is displayed, a user must sign up for a password restricted account, complete a questionnaire that records your investment profile and characteristics, and pay a listing fee. Even then, information only on those offerings that match your investment profile are displayed and accessible.
Site Questions
How do I match with Investors, Startups, and Service Professionals?
Connecting with any other third party on Scorecard requires you to have a Post. This is where we match conditional between Startups raising capital with Investors deploying capital, Funds/SPVs with Limited Partner (LP) Investors, and Service Providers with Startups in need.
Your first 7 days of your post are free, and you can start a draft and update anytime for free before going live with your Post. When your Post is live, you can run an unlimited amount of Scorecard Reports to either invite or apply (when a minimum thesis score is met) with your ideal matches. We even provide you a target list based on your goal and Post.
What’s the difference between the Profile and a Post?
A Profile is a free tool that lets you view opportunities, track listings, and access our online courses, credentials, and growth charts. A Post is what is used to score against other users’ Posts and invite/apply (when you are above their minimum thesis score).
Think of a Profile as having the ability to see a house, the Post as the front door, and the minimum thesis score as the key to getting inside–you can only go so far without it!
Your first 7 days of your post are free, and you can start a draft and update anytime for free before going live with your Post. When your Post is live, you can run an unlimited amount of Scorecard Reports to either invite or apply (when a minimum thesis score is met) with your ideal matches. We even provide you a target list based on your goal and Post.
The Post form is long--how come?
This is our favorite question! Yes, the form is long, but for a good reason: Investors need a lot of data to make the best decision on which Startups to invest. Asking both the quantity and quality of our questions allow us to build the best measurement tool with our Scorecard Report. This data can help Investors find the best deals for their thesis and make for a more efficient review process.
We interviewed thousands of Startups, Investors, Educators, and VC ecosystem partners to ask what their “wish list” of questions would be, then meticulously built our tech around the best experience possible. Scorecard has already been described as a “game changer” by successful Investors, and we could not be more excited to work with you!
Funding + Bridge Round Overview
Funding rounds for Startups are broken up by different growth stages. Typically, a company starts with a “Friends & Family” round, which can privately circulate to actual Friends & Family. When you are open to taking capital from other Investors, you typically start at a PreSeed stage, then advance to Seed, Series A, Series B, etc. Here is a great article witha deeper breakdown from the folks at Startups.com.
A Bridge round is a funding round that “bridges” the gap between two more common rounds and always follows the round for which it is named. For instance, a “PreSeed+/Bridge Round” is a round that would happen after a Pre-Seed round but before a Seed round. All of the rounds are listed in order, from the earliest (Friends & Family) to the latest available with Scorecard.vc (Series F).
What is a Lead Investor?
A Lead Investor is typically the largest Investor who is participating in a funding round and may even influence or set the terms of the round (post-money valuation, etc.). Some Investors are required to be the Lead Investor per their thesis, while others may have a preference (but no requirement). Some non-Lead Investors may even require you to have a Lead Investor committed before they are willing to participate in your fundraising round.