Every deal here was read by a person first.
No algorithm scores a founder. Joe Apfelbaum or someone on the team reads every application, checks what can be checked, and either lists the deal, asks for more, or says no plainly. Here is exactly what that means.
The four checks
Founder identities and work history confirmed on LinkedIn, plus a call with Joe or a team member. We look for people who answer the hard question directly.
Revenue, retention and burn matched to a source: a billing export, bank statement or accountant letter, shared under NDA. We don't publish the documents; we confirm the claims.
At least two customer references spoken to, when the company has customers. For pre-revenue deals we say so, and we vet the pilots or letters of intent instead.
Cap table and prior-round terms reviewed for anything an investor should know up front: stacked preferences, unusual advisor grants, outstanding notes.
All four checks done, nothing found that contradicts what the founders told us. The deal can be shown to approved investors and included in the Monthly Drop.
What it doesn't mean: that we think you should invest, that the company will succeed, or that we've audited anything. It's a review, not a recommendation.
The deal is in review, or the founders chose to list before the checks were complete. You can see the anonymous card and save it. Introductions wait until the review is done.
Deals that fail a check are not listed at all. We tell the founders why.
The company paid for placement: a featured spot on a page or in the Drop. Sponsored deals go through exactly the same four checks. Paying never changes the review, and the label is always shown.
Featured partners in the directory work the same way.
Who does the vetting
Joe Apfelbaum, with a small team. Joe has spent twenty years building companies and a network of about 30,000 connections, and has introduced hundreds of founders to investors over that time. The team members who review deals are named on each deal page.
We are not an investment adviser, broker-dealer or funding portal, and we don't take a success fee on investments. Sponsorship and featured placements are our revenue, and they're labeled.