11 Best Deal Flow Management Software in 2024 [Compared]

By Sruthy

By Sruthy

Sruthy, with her 10+ years of experience, is a dynamic professional who seamlessly blends her creative soul with technical prowess. With a Technical Degree in Graphics Design and Communications and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics and Communication, she brings a unique combination of artistic flair…

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Updated July 1, 2024

Understand the meaning of deal flow and compare the top Deal Flow Software along with defining the process and features of an effective deal flow:

Deal flow is defined as the number of quality investment opportunities presented with the company or investor at a given point in time.

Investment opportunities can include venture funding, private placements, syndication, Initial Public Offerings (IPO), mergers, and acquisitions.

The deal flow needs to be managed efficiently and the process of storing and organizing customer information, tracking leads, and managing the pipeline is known as deal flow management.

There are a number of deal flow management tools available in the market. These tools are used by: Venture capitalists, Startup investors, Angel investors, Angel groups, and Financial institutions.

Deal Flow Software – Review

Deal Flow Software

Some of the best tools are:

  • iDeals
  • DealRoom
  • 4Degrees
  • Attio
  • Zapflow

This article covers the meaning of deal flow and deal flow management, along with defining the process and features of an effective deal flow followed by market share, expert advice, and some FAQs. A list of the best deal flow management software with a comparison of the top five software is covered along with their reviews, conclusions, and review process.

Deal Flow Process

The deal flow process includes the following steps:

Step 1: Deal Sourcing: The first step in deal flow is to find appropriate deals. Deals can be sourced through personal networks, referrals, direct deal sourcing tactics, etc.

Step 2: Deal Screening: After getting leads, in the second step, they are screened where all information related to them is collected for further review.

Step 3: Review the selected Deals: Now the deals with all necessary information are being reviewed and only the qualified leads go down in the next step.

Step 4: Due Diligence: At this stage, the selected leads are now reviewed thoroughly by doing competitive analysis or by interviewing the customers.

Step 5: The decision by the investment committee: Under this stage, the investment committee decides on whether or not to invest in the leads finalized in the due diligence step.

Step 6: Deal Closure: This is the final step where the deal is officially closed and a term sheet is signed for the approval of funds.

Effective Deal Flow Features

Effective deal flow is the one that has the following features:

  • Centralized valuable information where all data related to the customer is stored in one place with customizable columns and a visual leaderboard that reflects the sales pipeline.
  • No gaps exist between the interaction of a customer with different departments and recording all interactions in one place.
  • The pipeline visually displays the entire customer journey or shows exactly where the customer is in the sales process at a glance.
  • A custom dashboard should be there to visually show the team’s progress, revenue, potential deals to close, and so on to analyze the sales pipeline, revenue forecast, and more.
  • Automated data entry: No data entry tasks or updated statuses, instead it is done with the automated workflow feature where you can set triggers and actions to be done.
  • Can integrate with tools used in day-to-day work by marketing teams, customer service, finance, and many others.
  • Accessible from anywhere, whether you are in the office or at home, or on the go. It must-have mobile access.

Market Trend: According to research by Marketsandmarkets.com, the market for virtual data rooms is expected to grow up to $3.2 billion by 2026 with a compound annual growth rate of 14.5%. It was estimated at $1.6 billion in 2021.

virtual-data-room-market

Expert Advice: To select the best deal flow management tool that best fits your business, you need to clarify two factors: your budget and your specific needs. There are several deal flow tools, each has different pricing plans with different sets of features like- sharing and collaborating documents in a secure way, deal sourcing, diligence, integration, project management, accessing the fund’s pipeline, and so on.

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List of Top Deal Flow Management Software

Remarkable and popularly known Deal Flow Software list:

  1. iDeals
  2. Folk
  3. DealRoom
  4. 4Degrees
  5. Attio
  6. Zapflow
  7. F6S
  8. Altvia
  9. Intralinks
  10. Metabeta
  11. Sevanta
  12. eFront

Comparison of Some Top Deal Flow Software

SoftwareBest forSupportDeploymentPricing
iDealsSharing and collaborating documents in a secure way.Windows
Android
iPhone/iPad
Mac
Web-based
Cloud Hosted
On-Premise
Contact for pricing.
FolkAutomatic pipeline creationWeb-basedCloud-BasedStarts at $18/member/month
DealRoomDeal sourcing, diligence, integration, and project management.Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone/iPad
Mac
Web-based
Cloud HostedStarts from $1,250 per month
4DegreesSupporting deal teams throughout the deal lifecycle.Android
iPhone
iPad
Web-Based
Cloud, SaaSContact for pricing.
AttioAccessing the fund’s pipeline from anywhere.Windows
Mac
iPhone
iPad
SaaSContact for pricing.
ZapflowPrivate equity and venture capital teams.Android
iPhone
iPad
Web-Based
Cloud, SaaS,Starts from $130 per month.

Detailed reviews:

#1) iDeals

Best for sharing and collaborating documents in a secure way.

iDeals

iDeals is a deal flow software that enables its users to share documents and collaborate with other team members virtually in a safe and secure way. Famous brands like Accenture, Deloitte, CITI, KPMG, and many more trust it.

It provides an easy-to-use interface with no plug-in requirements that takes hardly 15 minutes to deploy to the data room and supports more than 25 file formats.

It is loaded with some professional services, including bulk uploading, syncing, customizing, and so on.

Features:

  • Manage documents through bulk uploading, drag and drop, automatic index numbering, and so on.
  • Ensures document security through granular document permissions, built-in redaction, and more.
  • Easy to use interface with no plugins, single sign-on, multilingual access, and scroll-through viewer.
  • Ensures access security with access control and security.
  • Helps in user management through detailed user permissions, excel viewing permissions, user invitations, and more.
  • Enables you to track user activity through color-coded and group overview reports.

Pros:

  • Enables control of the access of users.
  • Provides high security to the data.
  • Various insights and reports are available.

Cons:

  • Some users suggested improvements in the data room index.

Verdict: iDeals is recommended for its features like documentation and access security. This includes built-in redaction, remote shred, secure fence views, two-factor authentication, and more. Some users reported problems in uploading long name files.

Pricing:

  • A 30-day free trial is available.
  • Pro – Contact for pricing.
  • Business – Contact for pricing.
  • Enterprise – Contact for pricing.

#2) Folk

Best for Automatic pipeline creation.

Folk

Folk makes closing deals simple with the help of quick-to-setup and collaborative pipelines. The entire process of Pipeline creation is automated in Folk so you barely have to do anything. The tool can sync contacts directly from Outlook and Gmail. You’ll also have no issue importing contacts from any platform with just a single click. 

Besides creating a pipeline, Folk also streamlines collaboration to make deal closure considerably more convenient. You can easily collaborate with your team members on the platform by sending reminders, posting comments, and more. 

Features:

  • Auto-Sync Contacts from Gmail and Outlook
  • One-click contact enrichment
  • Auto De-Duplication for Content
  • Dashboard for tracking results

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Good automation
  • Write emails with AI

Cons:

  • The support could be more responsive.

Verdict: Folk is a software that makes it to my list because of its ability to create pipelines automatically. With superior result tracking and the ability to personalize emails, you have a platform that can help you close deals faster. 

Price: Folk offers two plans. The standard plan costs $18/member/month. The premium plan costs $29/member/month. Try the plan for free.


#3) DealRoom

Best for deal sourcing, diligence, integration, and project management.

DealRoom

DealRoom is a deal flow management platform founded in 2012 and now trusted by 2000+ companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Energizer, Emerson, Allstate, and more. It helps in tracking deal flow, provides detailed analytics, and can integrate with useful M&A tools.

It provides powerful solutions categorized by workflows, industry & use case, and by role. It includes pipeline management, due diligence, post-merger integration, virtual deal rooms, M&A project management, and so on.

Features:

  • Collaborate with everyone, including internal as well as external team members.
  • Provides access to deal information, including deal contacts, review notes, and more.
  • Manage documents with features like drag and drop upload, 4-level permissions, full-text search, and more.
  • Integrate with modern tools like Slack, Salesforce, Okta, etc.
  • Other features include pre-built templates, diligence management and communication, and so on.

Pros:

  • Bulk upload is available.
  • Provides control over access and other permissions.
  • The activity dashboard and its tracking are available.

Cons:

  • Absent a feature of sorting the document date-wise.

Verdict: DealRoom is recommended for its secure and easy-to-use virtual data room solution that includes features like protecting sensitive documents, storing and connecting documents, controlling data, analytics on user behavior, and so on.

Pricing:

  • A free trial is available.
  • Pricing plans are categorized as under:-
    • Pipeline only: $1,250 per month
    • Single project: $1,500 per month
    • Cross-team professional: Contact for pricing.
    • Enterprise: Contact for pricing.

Website: DealRoom


#4) 4Degrees

Best for supporting deal teams throughout the deal lifecycle.

4Degrees

4Degrees is a deal flow management tool built for dealmakers to streamline deal origination and save time on data entry. Users can build stronger relationships with it. On a single platform, it provides relationship intelligence, automation, and deal management.

It serves industries including venture capital, private equity, mergers & acquisition, investment banking, and more. Famous brands including Augment Ventures, Harlem Capital Partners, and so on trust it.

It is loaded with powerful features like smart search, strengthening relationships, engaging thoughtfully, auto-generated reports, etc.

Features:

  • Enables you to visualize and track transactions through the deal flow pipeline.
  • Helps in deal management through custom reports, access to key metrics, and identifying new opportunities.
  • The mobile app is available to access the pipeline from anywhere on the go.
  • Helps in deal sourcing through finding deals and building stronger relationships.
  • Automate the data entry process and save time.
  • Enables you to customize the stages of the pipeline as per the need and builds custom reports.

Pros:

  • Enables tracking deal pipelines and workflows.
  • Provides automatically generated reports.
  • Easily accessible from anywhere via mobile.

Cons:

  • Email Marketing is not that good, not able to send bulk emails.
  • Some users recommended enhancing its mobile application.

Verdict: 4Degrees is recommended for automatically tracking deals with actionable intelligence. It is best for its features like automated search, prior client communication, easily visualizing metrics, auto-generated reports, and so on.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: 4Degrees


#5) Attio

Best for accessing the fund’s pipeline from anywhere.

Attio

Attio is a relationship management tool that was established in 2019. It is helpful for startups, venture capital, private equity, and deal flow. Under deal Flow, it helps in building workflows to manage deal flow processes. This ensures frictionless deal tracking, effortless high-quality data, real-time collaboration, and more.

It serves Mid-Size Businesses, Small businesses, enterprises, Freelance, Non-profit, and Government. It includes easy-to-use templates and management solutions and has an open-source API.

Features:

  • Enables team members to access and analyze data and avoid friction in deal tracking.
  • Ensures high-quality data with no duplicates, automatically enriched profiles, and so on.
  • Collaborate with the team on features like full-featured notes, easy permissions, and more.
  • Enables you to add custom data types for currency, dates, and more.
  • It can be integrated with useful tools like Slack, Google Sheets, LinkedIn, Trello, Asana, and so on.
  • Other features include contact analysis, Chrome extensions, quick actions, etc.

Pros:

  • Enables you to connect to your tech stack.
  • A mobile app is present to access the software anywhere on the go.
  • Helps in collaborating with the team easily.

Cons:

  • Automatic data capture and relationship intelligence are absent.

Verdict: Attio is recommended for making fast and effective decisions on deal flow. It is best for its features like custom data types, real-time collaboration, mobile-ready, easily-set permissions, and many more.

Pricing:

  • A free trial is available.
  • Contact for pricing.

Website: Attio


#6) Zapflow

Best for private equity and venture capital teams.

Zapflow

Zapflow is a powerful platform for managing deal flow. Corporate teams, partners, associates, and analysts benefit from it. It helps in saving time with increased visibility and better decision-making with insights and reporting tools.

It requires no data entry and provides 100% security with GDPR compliance. This ensures data security, network security, automated audit logs, two-factor authentication, and so on.

It was founded in 2016 in Helsinki, FI, where its clients are spread in over 36 countries and have a remote working culture.

Features:

  • Requires no manual data entry, data goes directly into the deal funnel.
  • Ensures 100% security with two-factor authentication, data, and network security.
  • Helps in collaboration, communication, contribution, centralization, and clarity.
  • Keep everything in one place to help you visualize all deals in a second.
  • Automatically grow market insights and help in narrowing deals effortlessly.
  • Helps in reporting by quickly gathering data and creating customizable reports.
  • Other services include fundraising tools, Zapflow explorer, and more.

Pros:

  • Automate the data entry.
  • Provides insights to visualize everything in one place.
  • The reports customization feature is available.

Cons:

  • Features like compliance tracking, portfolio rebalancing, and risk management are absent.
  • It can only be operated only on the web, a mobile app is not available.

Verdict: Zapflow is best for providing 100% data and network security with no manual data entry requirements. It supports both Android and iOS and is typically used by Startups, SMEs, Agencies, and enterprises.

Pricing:

  • Starter: $130 per month
  • Pro: $725 per month
  • Pro+: $1,790 per month
  • Enterprise: Contact for pricing.

Website: Zapflow


#7) F6S

Best for enhancing data, discovering the best startups, and collaborating with your team – for free.

F6S

F6S is one of the best deal flow CRM software trusted by more than 13,500 companies, including Oracle, Mastercard, Techstars, and many more. It was founded in 2011 and is considered the world’s largest platform for founders. It helps in searching, collaborating, and selecting the right startups. The services are free of cost.

Features:

  • Collaborate with 2 to 10,000 team members on a single platform.
  • Customized workflows are available to search for and capture new startup companies
  • Connects with the startups through scouting analysts and help in getting network intros.
  • Relevant to businesses of certain industries and helps in making a better ranking in search engines.
  • Capture connections directly from your Gmail account.

Pros:

  • It is free to use its services.
  • Provides good customer service.
  • Works on SEO to get a better ranking.

Cons:

  • Some users are reporting difficulty in navigating the UI.

Verdict: F6S is recommended for managing deal flow, fundraising, and collaboration opportunities. Its customer support is excellent and quickly resolves issues faced by its users. Various users applauded it as it helped them in getting AWS credits easily.

Pricing: Free

Website: F6S


#8) Altvia

Best for managing, tracking, and reporting on investment pipelines.

Altvia

Altvia is a deal flow management platform established in 2006 built for fundraising, deploying capital, monitoring portfolio, and LP loyalty. It manages deal flow through tracking information related to deals, fund details, and due diligence. It optimizes the evaluation process of investment opportunities from search to completion with detailed tracking, interaction with emails, and streamlining due diligence.

It provides services including custom reporting, data analytics, deal tracking, AIM investment sourcing, and more.

Features:

  • Tracks information related to deals, fund details, and due diligence.
  • Provides insights on metrics and fund holdings.
  • Custom reporting and data analytics are available.
  • Provides AIM investment souring and clear insights on deal stages.
  • Tracks portfolio investments by having a watch on performance metrics and storing portfolio details with custom fields.
  • Mobile access is available to view reports and dashboards.

Pros:

  • Provides tracking features to track portfolio investments, certain metrics, and more.
  • Provides good customer service with very knowledgeable support staff.
  • Mobile access is present.

Cons:

  • Some issues that are present in Salesforce that have the same issues as Altvia.

Verdict: Altvia is recommended for managing and tracking deal flow. It is best for its features, including reporting, analytics, portfolio investment tracking, AIM investment tracking, and so on. It does not have a demo version.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: Altvia


#9) Intralinks

Best for source and track deals more effectively.

Intralinks

Intralinks is a leading deal flow management software that helps in securely syncing and sharing files, searching or sourcing deals, tracing deal flow, and streamlining due diligence. Other solutions include board reporting, business development & licensing, IPOs, and bankruptcy & restructuring.

It was launched in 1996 as an application service provider and now it supports 140 languages and is spread over 19 countries, where it provides 24/7 multilingual customer support. It is trusted by leading companies globally, including Goldman Sachs, Ares, Loreal, MetLife, Starbucks, and many more.

Features:

  • Forecast global mergers and acquisitions activity in advance with Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor.
  • Helps in deal sourcing by providing over 3,800 investment banks and M&A firms globally.
  • Helps in tracking deal flow by providing clear visibility into the pipeline and to decide for deal selection.
  • Virtual data room service is available to streamline due diligence.
  • Reduce regulatory risks by ensuring secure document exchange, streamlining reporting, and so on.
  • Includes other services related to products- Mergers & Acquisitions, Alternative Investments, Banking & Securities, and Platform.

Pros:

  • Enables control over access and other permissions.
  • Ensures security with two-factor authentication.
  • Provides real-time analytics, reporting, and notifications.

Cons:

  • Complicated user interface.
  • Some users report bugs, clunky, and unnecessary complications.

Verdict: Intralinks is recommended for sourcing and tracking deal flow effectively with services like virtual data rooms, Intralinks Dealnexus (for tapping into deal flow networks), deal alerts, streamlining due diligence, and so on. It does not provide any free trial or no free version is available.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.


#10) Metabeta

The best for deal flow & process management tools for venture capital team and internal processes.

Metabeta

Metabeta is a deal flow CRM for venture capital teams to manage startup portfolios. It provides multiple workspaces for different programs and allows access to related teams. This includes specialized pipelines with messaging features and collaborative diligence.

It keeps track of key metrics and generates scheduled reports on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. It helps with mentor engagement by allowing mentors to connect in one place and offers session scheduling and feedback.

Features:

  • Provides a deal flow pipeline to visualize all incoming deals per program in one place.
  • The deal messaging feature is available for communication and getting notified of new messages.
  • Virtual data rooms are available to securely share files that can be integrated with Google Drive and Dropbox.
  • Allows external experts to access and review individual deals by letting you invite them.
  • Multiple workspaces are available for different programs.
  • Other services include private notes, mentor matching, startup updates, a diligence checklist, and many more.

Pros:

  • Provides a specialized pipeline for email automation.
  • A collaborative diligence option is present.
  • Enables tracking of progress levels through scheduled reports.

Cons:

  • No mobile access.

Verdict: Metabeta is recommended for evaluating new startups, tracking metrics and progress with features like real-time updates, startup updates, session scheduling, and so on. It is also helpful in creating a digital network for mentors and support for portfolio companies.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: Metabeta


#11) Sevanta

Best for mastering deal flow process challenges.

Sevanta

Sevanta is a deal flow management tool for venture capital and private equity. It was launched in 2005 and trusted by popular brands including Samsung, TimeWarner, Inova, and many more. It helps in organizing deal information and files, streaming collaboration, maintaining deal history, and decision-making through the analytics provided.

Its features are categorized under two heads: efficiency and insights. Under efficiency, it provides features for the optimization of workflows and insights. This includes features related to analytics to make strategic decisions.

Features:

  • Collaborates with teams by letting them access the deal flow to share related information.
  • Enables easy handoff of deals through storing and providing deals history.
  • Eliminates duplicate efforts by alerting if a deal has already been seen in the system.
  • Helps in tracking cash flows, maintaining history, managing tasks, finding deals, and more.
  • Other efficient features include streamlining routine tasks, automatic data population, customizable pipeline stages, and more.
  • Features related to insights include user statistics, a historical funnel, email reminders to the team, weekly reports, and so on.

Pros:

  • Ensures security with bank-grade certificates.
  • Effective collaboration features are present.
  • Eliminates duplicate efforts.

Cons:

  • Includes customization fees, license fees, consulting fees, and more.

Verdict: Sevanta is best for its features, like tracking portfolio information, user statistics, historical funnels, global encrypted access, and customizable pipeline stages.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: Sevanta


#12) eFront

Best for managing investor pipelines and asset deal-flows.

eFront

eFront is a pipeline and deal flow management software that helps in managing investor pipeline and asset deal flow. It was founded in 1999 and in 2019 it was acquired by BlackRock. Under deal flow management, it includes three solutions: streamline pipeline management, and transform communications and streamline investments for VCs.

It provides analytics dashboards and helps in organizing, storing, and tracking investment information to maintain a pipeline. It helps in engaging investors by providing deal rooms, template generators, data validation, and more.

Features:

  • Provides access to all investor engagement tools on one centralized platform.
  • To engage investors, it provides services like data validation, deal rooms, template generator, and more.
  • Easily track and analyze pipelines at different stages through analytical dashboards.
  • Customizable workflow options are available to track and monitor investment opportunities.
  • With eFront VC, you can easily streamline communication, integrate accounting, administer funds, and so on.
  • Helps in optimizing and automating the investment lifecycle with enterprise solutions.

Pros:

  • A free trial is available.
  • Helps in engaging investors.
  • Automates investment lifecycle.

Cons:

  • Mobile access is not available.

Verdict: eFront is recommended for its features, like analytical dashboards, CRM functionalities, regulatory compliance tools, Microsoft outlook plugins, and many more that help in optimizing deal flow, fundraising, and investor engagement.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: eFront


Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a good deal flow?

A good deal flow must contain features like all customer data in one place, effective customer interaction, visualization of pipelines, custom dashboards, automated workflow, integration, easy access, and so on.

2. How do I create a virtual data room?

Here are some steps to create a virtual data room:
1. Select the best VDR solution with features like ease of use, security, and so on.
2. Deciding on the documents to be placed in the VDR.
3. Organize the files and folders.
4. Define user access.
5. Establish NDAs if necessary.
6. Final check and confirmation for all VDR settings.

3. How do you create a deal flow?

To create a good deal flow, you need to follow the given steps:
1. Decide on the due course of action or process to be followed.
2. Now you need to execute the deal origination strategy (network approach or online deal origination or so on).
3. After deciding on the strategy, you need to gather the company’s data in one place.
4. Now you need to keep track of sources, average time at each stage, and the team performance.

4. What are virtual data rooms used for?

Virtual Data rooms are used for online storing and sharing confidential documents safely and securely. Team members can access these documents at the time of working on a project simultaneously.

5. What is deal flow sourcing?

Deal flow sourcing refers to finding investment opportunities within the market and ensuring a large volume of deals are available for smooth deal flow.
The process of deal sourcing includes the following steps:
1. Hiring professional representatives.
2. Select the method
3. Get the target list
4. Find the information.


Conclusion

Through this research, we concluded how essential a deal flow software can be for any business to grow as it creates accurate sales forecasts, manages sales pipelines, increases revenue, maintains consistent messaging, automates sales tasks, improves collaboration and communication, and more.

Different deal flow tools provide different sets of features with different pricing plans.

Some are good at team collaboration, like DealRoom, Attio, and F6S. Some are good at providing effective dashboards, like- Altvia and eFront. Some are good at managing documents like iDeals and Intralinks. Some are web-based and some are not.

In this way, they all help in their ways to ease the deal flow and make the dealings successful.

Research Process:

  • Time is taken to research this article: We spent 26 hours researching and writing this article so you can get a useful summarized list of tools with a comparison of each for your quick review.
  • Total tools researched online: 20
  • Top tools shortlisted for review: 11
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