The Solo GP's Tech Stack: 12 Tools for Screening 100+ Deals Per Year

Why Solo GPs Need Different Tools

Most venture tools are built for institutional investors with analysts, data teams, and dedicated research. Solo GPs have none of that. We need tools that give us the same signal in a fraction of the time.

After 5 years of investing as a solo GP, here's my current tech stack for screening 100+ deals per year.

My 12 Essential Tools

Category 1: Company Verification

1. Soloanalyst (yes, this is our product)

What it does: Cross-references startup claims against 50+ public data sources. Company registration, team background, revenue verification, market sizing.

Why I use it: Catches the lies that slip through other checks. 5-minute verification vs 5 hours of manual DD.

2. Crunchbase

What it does: Funding history, investor information, acquisition data, company timelines.

Why I use it: Verify funding claims. Cross-reference round sizes and investor lists. Find similar companies to understand competitive landscape.

3. PitchBook

What it does: More detailed than Crunchbase on private company data. News, contacts, similar deals.

Why I use it: For deeper research on companies that pass initial screen. Good for understanding valuation benchmarks.

Category 2: Team Research

4. LinkedIn

What it does: Employment history, education, connections, activity.

Why I use it: Verify founder claims. Check employment dates. Look at network quality.

5. Hunter.io

What it does: Find email addresses associated with company domains. Verify if people actually work at claimed companies.

Why I use it: Verify team members exist at claimed companies. Find reference contacts.

6. Google

What it does: Search for founder name + "fraud", "lawsuit", "scam" etc.

Why I use it: Catch red flags that don't show up in formal databases.

Category 3: Market Research

7. IBISWorld

What it does: Industry reports, market size data, competitive landscape analysis.

Why I use it: Verify TAM claims. Understand industry structure before meetings.

8. Statista

What it does: Market statistics, industry data, growth rates.

Why I use it: Quick validation of market size claims. Find comparable data points.

9. SimilarWeb

What it does: Website traffic analysis, user engagement, referral sources.

Why I use it: Verify "100,000 users" claims. Cross-check web traffic against claimed traction.

Category 4: Financial Analysis

10. Stripe

What it does: Payment processing data. Shows actual revenue if connected.

Why I use it: Ask founders for Stripe dashboard during DD. Real payment data vs claimed metrics.

11. Capshare (now Carta)

What it does: Cap table management. Ownership percentages, option pools, dilution calculations.

Why I use it: Verify cap table claims. Model dilution across rounds. Check for unusual terms.

12. Brex

What it does: Business banking with insights. Burn rate analysis, expense patterns.

Why I use it: With founder permission, can see actual burn rate patterns. More accurate than claimed numbers.

My Workflow: How I Use These Tools

Initial Screen (15 minutes per deal)

1. Soloanalyst verification (5 min)

   • Run company URL through Soloanalyst
   • Check composite score and red flags
   • If score <60, pass immediately

2. Crunchbase check (3 min)

   • Verify funding history
   • Check if previous rounds match claimed
   • Look for similar companies

3. LinkedIn sweep (5 min)

   • Verify founder employment history
   • Check connection quality
   • Look for red flags

4. Google search (2 min)

   • Founder name + "fraud", "scam", "lawsuit"
   • Company name + "lawsuit", "SEC"

Decision: Pass or proceed to first meeting

First Meeting Prep (30 minutes)

1. Soloanalyst deep dive (10 min)

   • Full verification report
   • Red flag analysis
   • Specific questions to ask

2. Market research (10 min)

   • IBISWorld industry report
   • Statista market data
   • Build conviction on TAM

3. SimilarWeb (5 min)

   • Verify web traffic claims
   • Check user engagement patterns
   • Cross-reference with claimed users

4. Hunter.io (5 min)

   • Find email addresses for team verification
   • Identify reference contacts

Decision: Pass or proceed to deep dive

Deep Dive (2 hours)

1. Ask for Stripe dashboard
2. Request cap table (Carta)
3. Verify references via Hunter.io
4. Model dilution scenarios

Decision: Invest or pass

The Tools I Dropped

Didn't Make the Cut

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

• Too expensive for what it does
• Basic LinkedIn search is sufficient

Mattermark

• Crunchbase acquired it, data quality went down
• SimilarWeb covers most traffic needs

ZoomInfo

• Too expensive for solo GP use
• Hunter.io is sufficient for contact finding

Clearbit

• Good for enrichment but not essential
• Soloanalyst covers most data needs

Free vs Paid Tools

Free (Essential)

• Soloanalyst (has free tier)
• LinkedIn (basic)
• Google
• Crunchbase (basic)
• SimilarWeb (limited)

Paid (Worth It)

• Soloanalyst Pro ($49/mo) - worth every penny for verification depth
• PitchBook ($500/mo) - expensive but good for institutional-quality DD
• Brex (free with business account) - burn rate insights

The ROI of Good Tools

Time Savings

Before proper tools: 5-10 hours per deal, screening 20 deals/year = 100-200 hours

After proper tools: 2-3 hours per deal, screening 100+ deals/year = 200-300 hours

Result: 5x more deals screened, same time investment

Quality Improvements

• Catch red flags that manual DD misses
• More systematic verification = fewer emotional decisions
• Better data = better pricing decisions

Result: Higher quality pipeline, better returns

Key Takeaways

1. Soloanalyst is non-negotiable - 5-min verification replaces 5 hours of manual DD
2. Layer your sources - No single tool catches everything
3. Free tools get you 80% - Paid tools are worth it for the remaining 20%
4. Workflow matters more than tools - Have a systematic process
5. 100+ deals/year is possible - With the right tools and workflow

My Current Stack (2024)

Verification:

• Soloanalyst (company, team, financial, market verification)

Research:

• Crunchbase (funding history)
• PitchBook (detailed private data)
• LinkedIn (employment verification)
• Hunter.io (contact finding)

Market:

• IBISWorld (industry reports)
• Statista (market data)
• SimilarWeb (traffic verification)

Financial:

• Stripe (payment verification, with founder permission)
• Carta (cap table analysis)
• Brex (burn rate insights)

This article is part of SoloAnalyst's founder toolkit. For automated verification, try SoloAnalyst.