For founders and investors
Every pitch brings you closer to investors.
60 days unlimited access (first tier: Core for founders, VC Pro for investors) with code INDIEHACKERS. Sign up to claim it automatically.
- Pitch the real bar
- Scored on cited evidence
- Found by thesis, not network
- A record that compounds
16 calibrated investors on Gatekeep
Browse the rosterOnly 2 founders have ever passed the bar. Think you can?
Live from the platform · Updated September 24, 2026
For founders
Pitch the investor's real criteria, get scored across 12 dimensions, and if you pass, your report goes to the real VC.
Pick an investor
Claimed profiles are calibrated by the real investor. Look for the green check.
Pitch for 30 minutes
Answer real questions. Think on your feet. Get scored across 12 dimensions.
Reach the VC
Pass the bar and your scored report lands in their inbox. For real.
Pitch once, and matching investors can also find you through Discovery, investors you never pitched. How it works →
Start pitchingFor investors
Founders qualify themselves by pitching an AI persona calibrated to your thesis. You still take the meeting. The AI filters the noise.
Claim your persona
Your profile is already here. Claim it and calibrate it to your actual criteria.
Set your scoring bar
Define the minimum score, set red flags, and calibrate your must-ask questions.
Receive handoffs
Only founders who pass your bar reach your inbox. Review, accept, connect.
Turn on Discovery Mode and you also see anonymized founders matched to your thesis, founders who never pitched you directly. Included with Pro and Scale. Details →
Claim your personaLive demo
Pitch a real investor's bar right now.
30 minutes, 12 dimensions, a real verdict. This demo speaks in Justin's real voice.
The workspace
Run the round from one place.
Founders keep the pipeline, the self-updating data room, and diligence readiness in view. Investors work scored handoffs, blind matches, and pipeline analytics on the same record.
thesis fit
Northstar Ventures
AI infra · pre-seed
Index Capital
Devtools · seed
report filed
Sequoia Capital
Answered 3 days ago
Benchmark
Answered 5 days ago
booked
Andreessen Horowitz
Call Tue, 10:00
terms on the table
Drafting terms
SAFE · diligence open
- CompanyProfile, round, teamLive
- Metrics12 facts extractedLive
- Deck v43 changes since last pitchLive
- Pitch evidence3 scored pitches citedLive
- Cited diligence5 sourced recordsLive
- UpdatesWeekly note to investorsSent
Assembled live on every read · 3 investors opened this week
Next gap: incorporation docs for the data room.
What one pitch leaves behind
The record.
Scores cited to what you said, an action plan, and a record that carries into every later conversation. Then the record travels two ways.
- 01Pitch 30 minutesone recordThe conversation is captured end to end, in the investor's own style.
- 02Scored and citedevidence12 dimensions, every number tied to what you actually said.
- 03An action plannext stepsThe exact weaknesses to fix, in priority order, before the next pitch.
- 04Deck diffs and trajectorycompoundsVersions, changes, and scores accumulate into a record that shows progress.
Reach the investor you pitched
Pass the bar and your scored report lands with that investor. They review it, accept, and send a calendar link. If they decline, you get the exact reasons.
Get found by investors you never pitched
Your anonymized evidence can match investors who opted into Discovery, even if you never pitched them. They request an intro. You approve. Only then do they see who you are.
How Discovery worksEither way you keep the report: evidence-cited feedback, benchmarks, and a next-step plan.
Discovery Mode
One record, many doors.
Matching investors see your evidence, never your name, until you approve the intro. The same record keeps surfacing new fits as you pitch.
- 01Pitch any investorone recordThe conversation becomes scored, cited evidence across 12 dimensions.
- 02Matching investors see it anonymouslyblindOpted-in investors see the evidence and the fit reasons, never your name.
- 03They request an introyour callThe request lands with you. No cold DMs, no spray.
- 04You approve the revealyou decideOnly then does your identity unlock for that investor. Decline and you stay invisible.
For founders
Get found, on your terms
- Matching uses your evidence and thesis fit, not who you know.
- Fit reasons come with every match, so you know why an investor is interested.
- Visibility is a setting: turn it off and the record stays practice-only.
For investors
Thesis-matched, pre-screened founders
- Matches arrive only when the evidence clears your own published bar.
- Every match carries the scored evidence and the fit reasons behind it.
- First contact is a request the founder can decline. No cold inbox.
Where Discovery sits in your plan
Founders: Free shows you 1 discovery match without the reasons. Core unlocks all matches with fit reasons. Pro adds 10-investor syndication and warm intro requests.
Investors: Discovery Mode ships with Pro ($50/mo) and Scale ($150/mo). Claiming your persona and receiving direct handoffs stays free.
Why this compounds
A pitch is a moment. A record is an asset.
Gatekeep is early. What is not early is the direction: evidence, judgment, and outcomes accumulating in one place, owned by the people who create them.
Evidence graph
Every pitch adds structured, cited records: what the founder claimed, what public sources substantiate, what changed between attempts. Records are queryable and exportable.
Decision data
Accepts, declines, score feedback, meetings, and terms feed precision and observed-versus-stated views. Your calibration improves with every deal you run through the platform.
Market intelligence
At volume the graph becomes a market signal: substantiation rates, pass rates by sector and stage, where bars are moving. Built from consented records, never a brokerage of identities.
On the roadmap
What we're building next: from scored pitches to the operating system for venture. One email gets you every launch, no spam.
- 01Evidence graph and decision dataLive
Structured, cited records from every pitch, plus the decision data that calibrates your bar.
- 02Evidence package, benchmarks, API and MCPIn development
Exportable diligence dossiers, sector benchmarks, and access into the systems funds already run.
- 03LP to GP records and capital railsIn development
The same verified-record model on the capital side, through licensed partners.
The operating system for venture.
Global deal flow, one system of record. Founders and investors run the whole loop on Gatekeep, from first pitch to signed terms, and every step works by hand or by agent. The same evidence layer powers the manual workflow today and the autonomous one next. Whoever creates the record owns it.
Roster
Pick your investor.
8 you can pitch right now. 4 more behind the gate: sign in to see who.
Claimed profiles carry a green badge and are calibrated by the real investor
Jason Choong
Aument Capital Partners
Singapore
Evan Buhler
Talok Capital
Carter Wang
886 Studios
Taipei, Taiwan
Wish He
Llama Ventures
jon gall
jon gall
Ivonne Qiu
Argor Capital
Miles G
Horus Group
Bruno Mickael Martins da Silva
1MX AI
Sign in to see who
Sign in to see who
Sign in to see who
Sign in to see who
Behind every green badge: real calibration data from claimed personas
Wish He
Llama Ventures
Thesis: I invest in one sentence. Every deal has to compress into "what I'm investing in is ___" — one sharp, specific, defensible standout, in either the people or the…
Pass bar: Yes means I can write that one sentence and defend it against the "what I'm not investing in" column I write right next …
Open persona →
jon gall
jon gall
Thesis: Invests in consumer crypto, looking for founders living in the future who've discovered secrets the market hasn't figured out yet.
Open persona →
Balu Sriram
ShipsFocus Ventures
Thesis: We look for market wedges where maritime complexity can become operational leverage—not just incremental software. Incremental software makes a process 10% fast…
Pass bar: We invest in founders who understand the industry from inside the workflow, but can build beyond today's constraints. St…
Open persona →
Briefs
What VCs are looking for
6 open briefs · updated as funds post
How it works
Built for both sides of the table.
Founders qualify themselves against your published bar. Every accept, decline, and score rating feeds your calibration: precision stats and threshold suggestions, so the next screen is sharper.
- 01Founders qualify themselvesyour criteriaThey pitch your persona against your published bar, red flags, and signature questions.
- 02Only cleared founders arrivescoredEach handoff is a scored memo with the recommendation and the evidence behind it.
- 03You decideone clickAccept or decline, then send your calendar. No screening calls to get there.
- 04Every decision feeds calibrationcompoundsAccepts, declines, and score ratings build precision stats and threshold suggestions for the next screen.
For founders
What you get
- A qualified path to the fund: pass the bar and the scored report reaches the investor.
- Exact feedback and an action plan when you do not, so the next pitch is sharper.
- One record that carries into every later conversation, with version history and trajectory.
For investors
What you get
- Pre-screened founders, scored against your own criteria while you sleep.
- A memo per handoff with the recommendation and the evidence behind every number.
- A bar that calibrates with every accept and decline, plus pipeline analytics on the record.
Less than a cab to Sand Hill Road.
Free to start. $20/mo Core for unlimited pitches and discovery depth. $50/mo Pro for syndication and warm intros.
Early pricing, locked for as long as you stay subscribed. Prices rise at 1,000 paying members.
$379 once. Core access forever.
Unlimited pitches, no cooldowns, up to 10 discovery matches with fit reasons, benchmarks, the data room, and investor updates. Includes the evidence package (records, sources, dossier exports) and future Core-tier data features. One payment, no subscription.
Enough to get your real score. The deeper discovery layers stay locked.
- 2 full free pitches to start
- 15 AI copilot credits / month
- 1 free pitch every day, forever
- Full 12-dimension verdict + score
- Shareable score card
- Prep brief on every pitch
- 1 discovery match, no reasons
- Sector benchmarks
A fail starts a 7-day retry cooldown on that investor.
Unlimited pitches, and every learning layer unlocked.
- Unlimited pitches across every persona
- No retry cooldowns
- Full 'how to win' prep briefs
- Up to 10 discovery matches with fit reasons
- AI copilot: 150 credits / month
- Sector benchmarks vs other founders
- Score trends + improvement analytics
Everything in Core, plus the access layer. For founders who are ready to be seen.
- Everything in Core
- New-match alerts + update automation
- Syndication to 10 investors on pass
- AI copilot: 500 credits / month
- Warm intro requests to matched investors
Students get 6 months free
Stanford · MIT · Harvard · Berkeley · Wharton · NUS · NTU · HKU +20 more
Don't see your school? Club leaders, email us or book a call and we'll add your university right away.
Pitch the AI. Meet the fund.
Pick an investor. Pitch for 30 minutes. Get scored. If you pass, your report lands in the real VC's inbox. Two free pitches, no catch.
Book a demo call · $20/mo Core, $50/mo Pro, or free every day
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything worth knowing before your first pitch.
01What is Gatekeep?
Gatekeep is a discovery layer between founders and investors. Founders pitch an AI persona built on a real investor's published criteria, get scored across 12 evidence-backed dimensions, and pass the bar for their report to reach the real fund. The same evidence can also match other investors through Discovery Mode, so one pitch works far beyond one inbox.
02How does a pitch work?
Pick an investor, see their real thesis and pass bar, then pitch in a timed 30-minute conversation. The persona asks real questions, challenges weak answers, and follows up. You get a 12-dimension scored report with evidence tied to what you said, plus an action plan.
03How do I meet investors without a network?
Gatekeep replaces the warm intro. You pitch the investor's real bar, and if you pass, your scored report reaches the actual VC. No cold emails, no introductions, no network required. If you are not there yet, you get exact feedback and can retry.
04What is the difference between pitching a persona and Discovery Mode?
Pitching is direct: you choose one investor, and passing their bar surfaces your report to that investor. Discovery runs alongside it: with visibility on, your anonymized evidence can match other investors who opted in, even investors you never pitched. They can request an intro, and you decide whether to reveal who you are.
05How does Discovery Mode work for founders?
Every completed pitch becomes scored, cited evidence. If you are visible in Discovery, matching investors can find an anonymized version of that evidence and request an intro. The request lands in your dashboard. Approve it and the investor finally sees your name and contact. Decline and you stay invisible.
06Do investors see who I am before I approve a connection?
No. Discovery shows investors an anonymized profile with fit reasons, not your identity. Your name and contact unlock only when you approve an intro request. For direct pitches, report surfacing is on by default; turn it off anytime to keep a pitch in practice mode. A report only reaches an investor if you pass their bar and surfacing is on.
07Is Discovery Mode free for investors?
Claiming your persona and receiving direct handoffs is free forever. Discovery Mode, the anonymized founder feed, is included with VC Pro ($50/mo) and Scale ($150/mo). Partners and approved angels have Discovery access as well.
08How do investors get deal flow on Gatekeep?
Claim your persona for free and calibrate it: thesis, red flags, signature questions, and a pass bar. Founders pitch against those real criteria around the clock. Only founders who clear your bar land in your inbox as scored handoffs, and Discovery Mode adds anonymized matches from founders who never pitched you directly.
09Who are the AI investor personas based on?
Personas are based on real investors and funds. Claimed personas are calibrated by the actual investor and carry a green badge. Unclaimed personas are built from public investment data and tell you plainly that reports cannot reach the real fund until the profile is claimed.
10Is it free to pitch?
Yes. You get 2 free pitches to start, plus 1 free pitch every day. Core ($20/mo) adds unlimited pitches and up to 10 discovery matches with fit reasons. Pro ($50/mo) adds 10-investor syndication, warm intro requests, match alerts, and update automation.
11What is the AI copilot, and how much do I get?
Every plan includes an AI copilot that keeps your data current from chat: tell it what changed and it prepares the updates for your confirmation, nothing saves without your yes. Free plans get 15 credits a month; Core gets 150, Pro 500; investors get 15 free, 200 on Pro, 800 on Scale. A message costs 1 credit, research and document analysis cost 3, and approving an update is always free. Out of credits? Upgrade for a bigger monthly allowance, or buy a top-up pack (50 credits for $5, 200 for $15) that never expires.
12What is the founding membership?
A one-time $379 founding membership: Core-level access forever, no subscription. It includes unlimited pitches, no cooldowns, up to 10 discovery matches with fit reasons, benchmarks, the data room, and investor updates, plus future Core-tier data features. Limited to 100 spots.
13What is the founder competition?
The competition runs in rounds. When a round is open, founders enter from the competition page, and the leaderboard scores the whole record rather than one pitch: your best scores across claimed investors, improvement between attempts, how many investors you clear, and persistence. The prize is a $10,000 angel investment commitment, subject to diligence. Between rounds, the competition page shows when the next one opens.
14What if my score is low?
One score is a snapshot, not the whole story. At pre-seed, investors back the founder: how you handle hard questions, what you fix, and how you progress across pitches. Gatekeep tracks that trajectory, and below-bar founders can still be matched with investors through Discovery. The competition scoring works the same way: best scores matter, but improvement, breadth, and persistence carry real weight.
15What happens after I complete a pitch?
You get that investor's verdict on the pitch (Pass, Conditional, or Fail), a score out of 10, a 12-dimension breakdown, evidence-based feedback, a SWOT analysis, and a next-step action plan. A Fail is one investor's read on one conversation, not a verdict on you; your trajectory across pitches is tracked and visible. If you passed, your report can reach the real VC behind the persona.
16What kind of feedback do I get?
A 12-dimension breakdown across Team, Market, Product, Traction, Business, and Pitch Quality. Every score comes with the evidence behind it: what you said, why it moved the score, and exactly what to improve. Plus benchmarks and a prioritized action plan.