Conduit — AI deal sourcing from $300/mo. 30-day free trial.

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PitchBook Alternative
for Deep-Tech VCs

PitchBook is built for tracking companies that already exist. Conduit is built for finding them before anyone else knows they're coming — scanning research papers, preprints, and patent filings daily.

Conduit
$300–$1,200/mo
vs
PitchBook
$12,000–$20,000/yr
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Different tools. Different jobs.
These products solve different problems. Understanding the distinction helps you choose where to spend your budget.
Conduit

Finds deals before they're startups

Scans 4+ daily sources — ArXiv, USPTO patent filings, academic preprints, and lab publications — to surface breakthrough research with commercial potential. AI scores each finding and generates a deal memo automatically.

  • Pre-startup discovery (research → company pipeline)
  • Daily automated scanning — no manual searching
  • AI-generated investment memos
  • Patent filing alerts (real-time USPTO)
  • Researcher profile pages (h-index, lab, history)
PitchBook

Tracks companies that already exist

Comprehensive database of private and public companies, funding rounds, investors, and M&A transactions. Excellent for due diligence on known companies and market mapping of existing sectors.

  • Company funding history and cap table data
  • Investor network and co-investor tracking
  • M&A and public market data
  • Market reports and sector analysis
  • $12,000–$20,000/year with annual contracts
Feature comparison
Side-by-side breakdown of what each tool covers.
Feature Conduit PitchBook
Price $300–$1,200/mo
Month-to-month, cancel anytime
~$12,000–$20,000/yr
Annual contract required
Research paper scanning (ArXiv) Daily, automated Not available
Patent filing tracker (USPTO) Real-time alerts Limited
AI opportunity scoring 1–10 signal score Manual evaluation
Auto-generated deal memos Per paper/patent Not available
Pre-startup discovery Core use case Companies only
Researcher profile pages h-index, affiliations, papers Not available
Company funding history Not available Comprehensive
Investor network / co-investor data Not available Extensive
M&A and public market data Not available Comprehensive
CRM pipeline (deal stages) Analyst plan+ Available
Weekly digest email Top 10 deals Alerts only
Free trial 30 days, no card Demo only
Commitment Month-to-month Annual contract
How each tool fits into your workflow
Conduit and PitchBook are used at different stages of the deal pipeline.

Conduit — Discovery stage

1

Conduit scans overnight

While you sleep, Conduit scans ArXiv, USPTO, preprint servers, and lab publications for new research matching your thesis.

2

AI scores and memos are ready

You wake up to a prioritized list. Each finding has an AI score (1–10) and a generated memo explaining the commercial angle.

3

Reach out before anyone else

You contact the research team, build the relationship, and position your fund when they're ready to spin out — before they talk to 20 other VCs.

PitchBook — Due diligence stage

1

Company is already known

A startup approaches you, or you hear about them via network. At this point they've likely raised a seed round and have multiple VC conversations in progress.

2

Research funding history

PitchBook shines here — see every investor, every round, every co-investor, comparable companies, and sector benchmarks.

3

Compete on terms

You're now in a process with other funds. The deal terms and your network are what differentiate you — not early discovery.

Which tool is right for you?
It depends on where in the pipeline you're trying to win.
Use Conduit

Pre-startup sourcing

You invest at research/seed stage and want to find founders before they're pitching. Your edge is early access, not due diligence depth.

Use Conduit

Deep-tech thesis

Quantum, biotech, materials, energy, climate. Breakthroughs happen in papers years before companies. Conduit tracks the research layer.

Use Conduit

Small fund, big coverage

You don't have headcount to scan research manually. Conduit is the automated analyst that watches every preprint server and patent filing 24/7.

Use PitchBook

Series A+ investing

Later-stage investing where companies are established, funding history matters, and you need comprehensive market and comparable data.

Use PitchBook

LP reporting / market analysis

You need sector benchmarks, portfolio benchmarking, or market sizing data for LP reports and investment committee presentations.

Use Both

Full-spectrum deep-tech fund

Conduit for early discovery and research sourcing. PitchBook for due diligence once a company is formed. Complementary, not competitive.

See what you've been missing

Most deep-tech VCs hear about breakthroughs months after the research is published.
Conduit puts you at the source — before anyone else is looking.

30-day free trial · No credit card required · Cancel anytime