VS PREQIN
Preqin is an institutional private markets platform built for LPs, fund managers, and allocators. FlareSight is a funding signal: it reads SEC Form D filings the moment they post, surfacing newly funded US companies within hours of closing. Know which companies just raised before the enrichment pipeline starts.
They serve different markets. Here is where they differ on the dimensions that matter for funding discovery and deal sourcing.
Preqin sources venture data from fund manager submissions and enrichment pipelines. FlareSight reads the Form D the moment it hits the SEC. 120,000+ US companies indexed, including quiet rounds institutional platforms never see.
Companies allocate budgets most aggressively in the first 30 to 90 days after a round closes. Preqin's venture data arrives after enrichment lag. FlareSight indexes within hours of SEC acceptance. The window starts the day the Form D files.
Preqin requires an enterprise quote before you see a single record. FlareSight has a free tier. Start searching newly funded US companies today, with no sales call and no annual commitment.
FlareSight is one option. Here is how it sits relative to other tools in the private markets and funding discovery space.
Best for: VC analysts, PE deal teams, and investment bankers researching global deal flow.
Where they win: Deep company profiles, deal terms, cap table data, and analyst research covering global markets with academic licensing options.
vs. FlareSight: FlareSight indexes US Form D filings within hours. PitchBook surfaces the same rounds days later after enrichment. For time-sensitive outreach to newly funded US companies, FlareSight is the faster starting point.
Best for: Strategy teams, corporate venture arms, and market researchers tracking sector trends.
Where they win: Analyst reports, Mosaic Scores, competitive benchmarks, and curated market maps that give qualitative context beyond raw deal data.
vs. FlareSight: CB Insights tells you what the market looks like. FlareSight tells you what closed this week. For teams that need to act on a funding event within 72 hours of filing, FlareSight provides the signal first.
Best for: Investors, analysts, and researchers tracking global deal flow.
Where they win: Broad global coverage, investor relationship graphs, acquisition tracking, and historical depth.
vs. FlareSight: FlareSight is faster on US funding discovery (hours vs. days) and indexes quiet rounds that Crunchbase never sees. An estimated ~90% of seed rounds get no top-tier press coverage.
Best for: Corp-dev teams and VCs tracking sector-specific deal flow across global markets.
Where they win: Deep sector taxonomy, coverage of 7M+ companies globally, and a deal-flow CRM for tracking opportunities through an investment pipeline.
vs. FlareSight: FlareSight reads the US government's primary source. For US early-stage rounds, FlareSight sees them the day the Form D files. Tracxn's strength is breadth and sector depth, not filing-day speed.
Best for: Buy-side analysts, portfolio managers, and investment banks that need integrated financial data.
Where they win: Deep public market data, earnings estimates, portfolio analytics, and Excel integration used in institutional investment workflows.
vs. FlareSight: FactSet is built for institutional finance workflows. FlareSight is built for finding which US startups just raised, at a cost accessible to early-stage investors and sales teams.
Private markets data platforms serve different workflows. Six criteria separate the ones that fit your team from the ones that do not.
Related: SEC Form D database | Startup funding database | PitchBook alternative
Three specific workflows. What you search, what you get, and what changes relative to Preqin.
Task: Identifying emerging VC managers with active deal flow in the US market before they raise a new flagship fund, to build a relationship ahead of the formal LP process.
On FlareSight
Filter by round type: seed and Series A. Geography: target states. Pull the last 90 days of filings. Look at which investors appear across multiple deals. Build a list of active managers to track. Do this before the manager publishes a deck or starts an LP raise.
On Preqin
Preqin covers established VC managers with fund performance records, LP lists, and historical IRR. Better for evaluating a manager you have already identified. Less useful for discovering an emerging manager before they have a fund track record.
Task: Sourcing US startup co-investment opportunities at the Series A and B stage where the lead is an established firm, to present to the investment committee within a two-week window.
On FlareSight
Filter by round type: Series A, Series B. Amount: $5M to $30M. Date: last 30 days. See which companies just filed with a notable lead. Export the list. Have a target set before the round announcement reaches the LP community.
On Preqin
Preqin's venture module covers deal terms for larger institutional rounds, but sourcing co-investments from Preqin means working from data that is already known to every institutional LP on the platform. FlareSight puts you ahead of the enrichment cycle.
Task: Building a weekly watchlist of US growth-stage companies that closed a round in the $20M to $100M range to flag for the coverage team as potential M&A or advisory targets.
On FlareSight
Filter by total raised: $20M and above. Round type: growth equity or unspecified. Date: last 7 days. Pull filing details including amount, state, and company name. Flag the ones in covered sectors. Have the list ready before any press release or banker call.
On Preqin
Preqin's deal database covers growth equity rounds with fund and advisor attribution after enrichment. Strong for retrospective deal screening. FlareSight is faster for the weekly trigger: knowing what just closed before the bankers start circulating teasers.
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