Fundraising in 2025 has only grown more competitive. Investors are writing fewer cheques, due diligence is deeper, and founders are under pressure to prove traction earlier than ever before. In this environment, the tools you rely on shape how you present your story, how you track investor interest, and how you manage the chaotic process of raising capital.
Here’s a closer look at the tools that matter most this year, and why founders who treat fundraising seriously are weaving them into their workflow.
DocSend – The Familiar Standard
DocSend has long been the default choice for sending pitch decks, and in many markets it still holds weight. Investors are accustomed to receiving DocSend links, and that familiarity often reduces friction at the start of a process. The platform also provides basic engagement data such as open rates and time spent on the deck.
But while it offers a clean and professional interface, its utility often ends there. Founders know their deck was opened, but not whether it resonated. Was the traction slide skipped? Did the financial model raise concerns? Those insights remain hidden.
For this reason, DocSend is often best suited to founders raising in global hubs where investor familiarity with the tool is an advantage. However, those seeking deeper context and actionable insights are increasingly looking toward more tailored alternatives.
Notion – A Homebase for the Fundraise
Raising capital creates a storm of documents: updated decks, financial models, due diligence files, FAQs, and term sheets. Keeping these scattered across Google Drive folders can quickly erode investor confidence. Notion gives founders a way to centralise everything in one polished, easy-to-navigate space.
In practice, this means you can create a branded data room where investors find everything they need without chasing you for files. You can also manage your fundraising pipeline in Notion, turning a simple database into a lightweight CRM. Each meeting, update, and note is stored in one place, helping your team stay aligned.
The impression this leaves is subtle but powerful. Sending a Notion workspace to an investor communicates organisation, clarity, and attention to detail.
Pitchwise – The Fundraising Command Centre
Too many founders still send their pitch decks as email attachments or generic cloud links. Once you hit “send”, you’re flying blind: no alerts, no idea if the deck was opened, and no insight into whether it got forwarded around a VC firm. Pitchwise changes that reality.
With Pitchwise, founders can see exactly who opened their deck, which slides held their attention, and whether they came back to it later. That kind of information transforms how you follow up. Instead of sending “just checking in” emails, you can anchor your outreach in context: “I noticed you spent time on our revenue model; I’m happy to share how that’s evolving this quarter.”
Beyond analytics, Pitchwise also offers editable pitch deck templates designed to match both your stage (Seed, Series A, Growth) and your sector (fintech, SaaS, e-commerce). These aren’t just pretty designs; they’re annotated frameworks that reflect what investors expect to see. And if you don’t want to spend months building investor lists, the platform includes a curated library with targeted databases and even an Investor Request feature, which connects you with relevant VCs actively deploying capital.
For early-stage founders, especially those outside Silicon Valley, Pitchwise is a fundraising engine that’s beyond a DocSend replacement.
Airtable – Investor Pipeline Management
Fundraising is sales. Just as a startup manages leads in a CRM, a founder must track every investor conversation, from first intro to final decision. Airtable excels here because it combines the flexibility of a spreadsheet with the power of a database.
Founders can map out their investor funnel — Intro, First Call, Follow-Up, Due Diligence, Pass/Invest — and track progress at a glance. With filters and different views, it’s easy to spot where conversations are stalling and which prospects are heating up. More importantly, Airtable ensures you don’t lose track of follow-ups, which is often the difference between momentum and a stalled round.
For founders managing dozens of conversations simultaneously, Airtable transforms scattered notes into a structured fundraising strategy.
Canva – Design Without the Agency Price Tag
Your pitch deck doesn’t have to win design awards, but it does need to look professional. Canva helps founders get there without hiring a designer.
By starting with templates and layering in your branding, you can create a deck that is clean, consistent, and credible. The key is restraint: use Canva to simplify, not to clutter. Clear visuals, legible fonts, and a cohesive flow are enough to keep investors engaged. In early-stage fundraising, clarity always beats flash.
Crunchbase – Smarter Investor Targeting
One of the most common mistakes founders make is pitching investors who were never the right fit. Crunchbase helps eliminate this waste of energy. With its powerful search filters, you can quickly identify funds that back companies in your sector, at your stage, and in your geography.
The platform also surfaces recent deals, which helps you prioritise active investors over those sitting on dry powder. By focusing your outreach on investors already writing cheques, you increase your odds of getting traction.
Used well, Crunchbase is a compass that saves founders from months of misaligned outreach.
Calendly – Removing Friction from the Process
Fundraising conversations often collapse under the weight of back-and-forth scheduling. Calendly eliminates this friction. Instead of endless email threads, you send one link and let investors book directly into your calendar.
This may seem like a small detail, but it signals professionalism and respect for time. For international fundraising, Calendly’s automatic time zone adjustments are invaluable. It keeps the focus on the conversation, not the logistics.
Communities – The Invisible Accelerator
Not every tool is software. Some of the most powerful “fundraising tools” are communities. Slack groups, WhatsApp networks, and curated founder collectives often provide the warm introductions that unlock investor interest.
Warm intros still outperform cold emails by an order of magnitude. Being plugged into communities where founders share investor intelligence and make referrals is one of the most overlooked assets in a fundraising stack.
Final Word
In 2025, only about 1% of pitch decks secure funding. That means 99% don’t. The difference often comes down to preparation, clarity, and the tools you use.
Your fundraising stack doesn’t have to be overwhelming. At the very least, you need a tool for investor engagement (Pitchwise), one for organisation (Notion or Airtable), one for clarity of design (Canva), and one for targeting (Crunchbase). Layer in the others as you grow.
Because fundraising isn’t just about convincing investors. It’s about making sure every step of your process reflects the same clarity, rigour, and professionalism that you want investors to believe in. Curious about the one tool that ties this all together? Explore Pitchwise today
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
