Question 1

What is Hockystick?

Accepted Answer

A verified fundraising platform where founders and investors meet, negotiate, and close deals — entirely in-platform, from first contact to signed agreement.

Question 2

How does founder verification work?

Accepted Answer

Five tiers — Identity, Claims, Operational, Capital, and Hockystick Verified — each built by uploading real documents that AI cross-checks. Your verification tier is visible to investors before they request access.

Question 3

What documents do I need to get started?

Accepted Answer

Incorporation documents, bank or revenue statements, customer contracts, and team employment records. Each builds your verification tier — you choose how much to verify.

Question 4

How do deal rooms work?

Accepted Answer

Private, NDA-gated spaces where you share documents, run due diligence, hold structured interviews, and negotiate terms with a specific investor. All content stays inside the room.

Question 5

What happens during due diligence?

Accepted Answer

A structured DD checklist with AI-powered document analysis. Findings are source-cited and confidence-scored — never presented as verified fact without backing.

Question 6

How do structured interviews work?

Accepted Answer

Five video meeting stages — Introduction, Product Demo, Financial Discussion, Terms Discussion, and Investment Terms — each with AI note extraction. Notes are source-cited to the transcript.

Question 7

How are terms negotiated?

Accepted Answer

Per-term propose, accept, reject, or counter — with a full audit trail. Four instrument types: SAFE, Equity, Debt, and Company Sale. Both parties see updates in real time.

Question 8

What does the closing process look like?

Accepted Answer

Terms lock, the platform generates a summary, a lawyer (optional) drafts the agreement, both parties sign, payment is confirmed, the deal closes, and the room becomes a permanent archive with auto-generated invoices.

Question 9

How much does Hockystick cost?

Accepted Answer

Free during beta. After launch: $49/month for founders, with a 1.5% success fee on closed deals (minimum $500, maximum $15,000). No fee if the deal doesn’t close.

Question 10

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

NDA-gated deal rooms, role-based access control, DIFC governing law, and DIAC arbitration. Documents are access-logged and never shared outside the room.

Question 11

Can I use Hockystick from anywhere?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hockystick is a global platform. Founders and investors from any jurisdiction can use it.

Question 12

How do I find startups on Hockystick?

Accepted Answer

Thesis-matched deal flow, a searchable founder directory, and AI-powered Deal Intake analysis. Set your investment thesis and the platform surfaces matching founders automatically.

Question 13

What investor verification is required?

Accepted Answer

The same tier system as founders — fund details, thesis, and track record build your verification tier. Founders see your tier before granting deal-room access.

Question 14

What can I see before requesting access to a founder?

Accepted Answer

Their public profile and verification tier. Full details — documents, financials, team — unlock inside the deal room after mutual disclosure.

Question 15

How does thesis matching work?

Accepted Answer

You set your stage, sector, geography, and cheque-size preferences. The platform matches founders to your thesis and sends alerts when new matches appear.

Question 16

What AI analysis do I get?

Accepted Answer

Deal briefs, DD findings, and meeting note extraction — all source-cited with confidence scores. The AI never asserts claims as verified fact.

Question 17

Who built Hockystick?

Accepted Answer

Venture Tech LLC, headquartered at DIFC FinTech Hive, Dubai.

Question 18

What jurisdictions does Hockystick cover?

Accepted Answer

Hockystick is a global platform. DIFC governing law applies to platform terms; deals operate under whatever jurisdiction the parties agree to.

Question 19

How is the platform fee calculated?

Accepted Answer

1.5% of the closed deal amount, with a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $15,000. The fee is charged at closing, never before. If a deal doesn’t close, no fee is charged.

Question 20

What happens after a deal closes?

Accepted Answer

The deal room becomes a read-only archive. Both parties retain permanent access to all documents, terms, agreements, signed copies, payment proof, and invoices.

Question 21

Can I involve my lawyer?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Either party can invite legal counsel at the closing stage. Lawyers see the term summary and agreement only — they have zero access to earlier due diligence, negotiation history, or fee details.

Question 22

What if a deal doesn't close?

Accepted Answer

No fee is charged. Either party can exit at any point. All room content is preserved — nothing is deleted.

Feature	Traditional	Competitors	Hockystick
Verification	None — reputation only	Founders only	Both sides, evidence-based
Structured due diligence	Ad-hoc, in email	Basic checklist	Workstation + AI analysis
AI interviews	None	None	5 stages, source-cited notes
Term negotiation	Lawyers + email	Document upload	4 instruments, per-term audit
Agreement + close	Offline, weeks	Not supported	Sign, pay, close in-platform
Fee transparency	Opaque advisory %	Subscription only	1.5% at close, capped

From first meeting to signed agreement. One platform.

Verified from day one

Deal rooms with teeth

Structured interviews, AI notes

Negotiate terms, not emails

Close the deal. Get the invoice.

A directory of startups actually raising right now

Northwind Robotics

Lumen Health

Kestrel Logistics

Aldergrove Foods

Solace Finance

Palisade Security

Competitors verify founders. We verify both.

Founders are verified

Investors are verified

How it works

Raise on your terms, with your work already verified

Thesis-matched deal flow you can actually trust

One platform. The whole transaction.

Simple, honest pricing

Frequently asked questions

Start closing deals today.