Data sourced from Dakota Marketplace, the global LP and GP intelligence platform trusted by thousands of investment professionals. Learn More | Book a Demo
Why These Questions Keep Coming Up
Dakota Marketplace connects to your AI tools and internal systems in two ways, an MCP connector and an API, and nine CRMs integrate out of the box.
Dakota's product team hears the same five questions about them on nearly every webinar and demo call.
Here are the answers upfront, so you can skip a step.
1. Is MCP the Same as the API?
No. They solve different problems.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is conversational access. It is an open standard that lets an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT query Dakota Marketplace live, in plain language, with no engineering work. You ask a question and get the answer inside the tool you already use.
The API is for building. It pulls structured data into your own systems, such as your CRM, a BI tool, or Snowflake, so you can run your own models and automations on top of it. The short version: MCP is how you ask, and the API is how you build. For a fuller breakdown, see API vs. MCP: What's the Difference?
2. Are There Fees for the MCP Connector?
No. The MCP connector is included in every Dakota Marketplace subscription at no additional cost.
The logic is to meet users where they already work. A fundraiser on the road before an allocator meeting is far more likely to be in Claude or ChatGPT than logged into a desktop. If you want to see what that looks like in practice, here's how to query Dakota Marketplace data directly inside Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot.
3. Are There Fees for the API?
Yes. API access is custom-priced to your firm's use case. Packages can be scoped as narrowly as a single news feed or as broadly as a full dataset sync, so the price follows the scope.
Most firms end up using both: MCP for quick research and the API for anything that needs to run on its own.
4. Does It Work With Other AI Platforms, Like Amazon Bedrock?
Yes. The MCP connector works with Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Amazon Bedrock, and any custom-built AI tool that supports MCP integration.
Because MCP is an open standard, you aren't tied to one assistant. Firms building their own internal tools can connect the same way.
5. Does Dakota Integrate With Our CRM?
Yes. Dakota Marketplace has nine out-of-the-box CRM integrations: Salesforce, DealCloud, HubSpot, Backstop, Satuit, Dynamo, Affinity, Pinnacle, and Altvia.
If your CRM isn't on the list, talk to Dakota. The team is open to discussing integrations beyond these nine, and the API gives firms a way to build their own sync.
Learning More About Dakota Marketplace
Whether you ask through MCP, build on the API, or sync to your CRM, the goal is the same: getting the right allocator in front of your team faster. In Dakota Marketplace, you can filter allocators by type, AUM, asset class, and geography, then pull the results into the tools you already use.
Book a demo to see Dakota's API and MCP connector in action.
