How to Add Your Startup to VCbacked (and What Funding Qualifies)
Quick answer
If your startup has raised outside funding, you can add it to VCbacked for free at vcbacked.co/submit-company. You need your company details, the latest round (type, amount, date and investors), one source that proves the round, and a work email at your company's website domain. Confirm the email, and we review and publish the listing, usually within a day.
VCbacked is a database of venture-backed companies. Recruiters, sales teams, investors and job seekers use it to find startups that have recently raised money. Most listings come from public funding data, so newer or quieter rounds are sometimes missing. This guide covers what we list, what proof we need and how to submit your company.
Who qualifies
We list operating companies that have raised outside funding. Your company qualifies if all of these are true:
- It has raised money from outside investors. Angels, venture funds, accelerators, corporate investors or a crowdfunding round.
- It has its own website on its own domain, such as acme.com. A page on a shared host like a Notion, Carrd or Linktree address isn't enough.
- You can confirm it with a work email at that domain. This is how we know the submission comes from the company.
- It is a company building a product or service, not an investment fund, a token sale or a personal project.
Which funding rounds count
| Counts | Doesn't count on its own |
|---|---|
| Pre-seed, seed and angel rounds | Founder savings and friends-and-family loans |
| Series A, B, C and later | Revenue or customer prepayments |
| SAFEs and convertible notes | Crypto token sales and ICOs |
| Accelerator investments (e.g. Y Combinator, Techstars) | Accelerator programs that took no equity |
| Corporate venture and private equity rounds | A bank loan or grant with no investors involved |
| Equity crowdfunding | A round that was announced but hasn't closed |
There is no minimum round size. A $150K pre-seed round from two angels qualifies as long as it closed and we can check it. Venture debt and grants are fine to list as your latest round when the company has also raised equity.
How we verify funding
Every new company needs one source for the latest round. Either of these works:
- A link to a third-party source. This is the fastest to check. Good sources: a press article, your press release, a funding announcement on your blog or LinkedIn, a lead investor's portfolio page or announcement, or a regulatory filing such as an SEC Form D or Companies House record.
- An uploaded document. If the round wasn't announced, upload a PDF or image, up to 10 MB. An investor update, closing confirmation, signed SAFE or share certificate works. You can black out figures you don't want to share. Documents are kept private and are only seen by our review team. They are never published.
We check that the source names your company and matches the round you entered: type, approximate amount, date and investors. Submissions backed by a public link are often reviewed automatically within minutes. Documents and anything we can't match are checked by a person.
What to prepare
- Company name, website and a one-line description of what you do
- Headquarters city and country, industries and employee range
- Founders' full names
- Latest round: type, amount in USD, date and investors
- Your proof of funding: a link or a document
- Optional: LinkedIn and X profiles, a longer description and total raised to date
Step by step
- Go to vcbacked.co/submit-company.
- Fill in the company details and the latest funding round.
- Add your proof of funding: paste a link, or upload a document.
- Enter your name, role and work email. The email must be at your website's domain.
- Open the confirmation email within 48 hours and set a password. That creates your free VCbacked account.
- We review the submission and email you the link to your company page once it is live.
If your company is already listed, the form tells you and links to the listing update form, where you can correct individual fields.
Common reasons a submission is held
- The source doesn't mention the company, or describes a different round
- The website doesn't load or doesn't match the description
- The description reads like an ad rather than a plain summary of what the company does
- The company is an agency, consultancy, online shop or fund rather than a startup
If we can't confirm something, we reply from [email protected] and ask for another source.
Questions
Does it cost anything to add my startup to VCbacked?
No. Adding a company or correcting an existing listing is free and needs no payment details. Confirming your email creates a free VCbacked account.
What funding qualifies a company for VCbacked?
Outside investment in exchange for equity or a future equity stake: pre-seed, seed, angel, Series A and later rounds, convertible notes and SAFEs, accelerator investments, corporate venture rounds, equity crowdfunding and private equity. Companies that have only used founder money or revenue do not qualify yet.
Is there a minimum round size?
No. A $100K pre-seed round from angels qualifies as long as it is real and we can verify it.
How does VCbacked verify a funding round?
Every submission needs one source for the latest round: a link to a press article, press release, investor portfolio page or regulatory filing, or an uploaded document such as an investor update, closing confirmation or SAFE. Uploaded documents are private and only seen by the review team.
Why must I use an email at the company domain?
It is how we confirm you work at the company. The address must be at the same domain as the website you submit, for example [email protected] for acme.com. Gmail, Outlook and other personal addresses are not accepted.
How long until my listing is live?
Most submissions are reviewed within a day of confirming your email. You get an email with the link to your company page when it is published.
My company is already on VCbacked. How do I fix wrong details?
Use the listing update form at app.vcbacked.co/update-listing. Pick the fields to change, enter the new values and confirm with your work email.
Ready to list your startup?
It takes about five minutes. Have your funding link or document ready.
Add your startup