What software or service should I use to raise capital?

Each entry follows the same order: what it is, who it fits, what the cost depends on, and what you still set up yourself. No prices are listed. Prices change often, and the only way to verify one is the provider's own pricing page, so check that directly and note the date you checked.

The first entry is Mownt, and it is labelled as Mownt's own view because the author founded the company. Read it with that in mind.

What it is: Software for operators who run their own raise. On a 506(b) raise, the software prevents a commitment from being recorded until the operator marks their own relationship and suitability checks complete. Mownt keeps your contacts, investors, interactions and cap tables. You decide when to export them. Mownt records each soft commitment and shows the indicated total on each deal. You decide which investors to accept.

Who it fits: Operators who want to run the raise themselves rather than hand it to an outside firm.

Cost: Pricing is shared when you apply. Mownt's fees do not depend on whether you raise money, how much you raise, or from whom.

What you set up yourself: Your relationship and suitability checks, your investor list, your email steps and every decision about who invests. Your exemption, your offering documents and your filings stay with your securities attorney.

Written by Alejandro Davila, founder of Mownt. Mownt sells the software described here.

What it is: General tools joined together: a spreadsheet or general contact manager, an email tool, shared file links and e-signature.

Who it fits: Very early raisers with a short contact list and no deal yet, who want to start cheaply and stay flexible.

Cost: Driven by how many separate subscriptions you add and how much of your own time the joins take.

What you set up yourself: Nearly everything. A spreadsheet will not remind you when to follow up or log your emails, so you build a next-touch date for every contact. You also create the fields for accreditation status and for a dated record of each relationship, and you keep the pieces from drifting apart. When contacts live in several tools, people get contacted twice or forgotten.

What it is: Software built mainly for managing investors after they invest: subscriptions, documents, distributions and tax forms.

Who it fits: Sponsors who already have an investor base and need a place to serve it.

Cost: Usually tied to the features you need and the size of the investor base you manage. Check each provider's own pricing page.

What you set up yourself: The work before the investment. A portal processes investments, but it is not a follow-up system, and loading a list and posting a deal rarely raises the money by itself. You still need a way to track prospects, keep in touch and document relationships. Adopt any portal before a raise rather than in the middle of one.

What it is: Firms that run advertising or outreach and pass you booked calls or leads. Promoting an offering to the public is general solicitation, so this usually goes with a 506(c) raise.

Some agencies charge per booked call or per qualified lead. Whether that is permissible depends on how the agency finds leads, whether fees depend on investments closing, and whether it takes part in soliciting or qualifying investors. Ask your attorney.

Compensation that depends on money raised can require broker-dealer registration.

Who it fits: Sponsors raising under 506(c) who have the documents, the verification process and the call capacity ready before any traffic arrives.

Cost: Driven by the fee structure and your advertising spend. Have your attorney review the fee structure before you sign.

What you set up yourself: Approval of every message, because what an agency says on your behalf is your statement. Ownership of your ad accounts, domains and contact records. The investor conversations themselves, and verification of every purchaser before you accept money.

What it is: A paid course, mentorship or peer group that teaches how to raise.

Who it fits: People who want a teacher, structure and a cohort, especially before a first deal or a move into a new asset class.

Cost: Varies widely by program. Judge it against deals the teacher has actually done in your asset class and the access you will really have to them.

What you set up yourself: Your tools and your raise. A program teaches, but afterwards you still choose, configure and run your own systems. When you vet one, check the teacher's own record, ask whether they place students in their own deals (a conflict of interest), and treat reported student results as marketing rather than a benchmark.

Before your first deal, with a short list: A simple stack can work for a short time while you decide. Start the dated relationship record now, because it is hard to rebuild later.

About to raise for the first time: One system that holds your contacts, your relationship notes and your deal sharing saves you from running two databases. Pay monthly at first rather than committing to a long contract.

Raising under 506(c) with paid traffic: You need follow-up that can keep pace with the leads, a verification process, and an attorney's view of any agency's pay.

Serving an established investor base: Post-investment functions such as distributions and tax forms matter more, alongside a system for prospects.

At every stage, learning can come from a program, from experienced peers or from your own reading, and none of these replaces your securities attorney.

This comparison is general education, not legal or investment advice. Before you hire an agency, sign a coaching contract or set up any arrangement where pay is linked to investors, speak with your own securities attorney. The SEC's guide to broker-dealer registration is at https://www.sec.gov/about/reports-publications/investor-publications/guide-broker-dealer-registration.