The database referenced in this article, Dakota Marketplace, is the global private markets intelligence platform used by thousands of investment professionals to research LPs, GPs, and private companies. Built by fundraisers for fundraisers, Dakota Marketplace delivers complete, accurate, and daily-updated intelligence across every allocator channel — from family offices and RIAs to sovereign wealth funds and public pensions. Learn More | Book a Demo
Every investment firm's fundraising strategy depends on knowing two things: who else is in the market with a new fund, and which allocators are actively searching for managers.
These are two sides of the same equation. Fund launches tell you your competitive set. New mandates tell you where to focus your outreach.
The problem is that most databases cover one side well and the other side poorly.
Platforms built around Form D aggregation are strong on launches but thin on RFP tracking. Platforms built around mandate alerts are strong on demand-side signal but rarely surface who else is raising against you.
The best fundraising intelligence workflows layer 2-3 sources to fill the gaps.
Below are databases investment sales professionals rely on to track fund launches, new mandates, and everything in between. We've grouped them by what they do best: platforms that cover both sides, launch-focused databases, and mandate-focused databases.
Database That Cover Both Sides
Dakota Marketplace
Dakota Marketplace is the only platform on this list that covers both fund launches and new mandates in a single workflow. It was built by investment sales professionals for investment sales professionals, and its data is updated daily by a dedicated team.
On the fund launches side, Dakota tracks investment firms currently fundraising through its Form D coverage, filterable by strategy, asset class, and target raise. Users can see who's in the market alongside them and adjust positioning accordingly.
On the mandates side, Dakota Marketplace delivers two distinct products. Dakota Searches sends institutional investment search alerts by email and in-platform, so users know the moment an allocator opens a new search. Public Plan Minutes provides daily reports of investment committee meeting notes from public pension boards, capturing hires, RFPs, and allocation changes as soon as they're published.
Beyond launches and mandates, Dakota Marketplace also includes 167,000+ curated allocator accounts and 600,000+ contacts. 100% of allocator accounts commit capital to outside investment firms, with no filler.
Pricing: $16,500/year for one user, ~$1,000/year per additional seat. Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Backstop, and DealCloud.
Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
Databases for Tracking Fund Launches
Preqin
Preqin is one of the most widely used private capital databases and a strong option for tracking fund launches across private equity, venture capital, private debt, real estate, and infrastructure. Its dataset is built on Form D aggregation combined with proprietary research, giving users a broad view of who's currently raising and at what target size.
Preqin's dataset is large, but users often need to layer their own logic on top to identify which launches are actually relevant to their outreach strategy. For firms doing broad market surveillance across private capital, Preqin remains a category leader. For sales teams focused on speed and actionability, it often works best as a supplemental source.
PitchBook
PitchBook is best known as a deal-data platform for private equity and venture capital, but it also tracks fund launches across those asset classes in detail. Users can see who's in the market, target raise sizes, previous fund performance, and LP composition where disclosed.
PitchBook’s strength is depth on PE and VC. Mandate tracking, allocator searches, and RFP flow are not core to the platform. For investment firms whose primary need is understanding the competitive PE or VC fundraising landscape, PitchBook is a strong fit. For sales teams that also need mandate-side signal, it works best paired with another platform.
If you're evaluating your fundraising intelligence stack and want to see how a single platform can cover both the supply and demand sides of the market, book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
HFR (Hedge Fund Research)
HFR is the specialist database for the hedge fund industry, covering launches, closures, performance, and strategy classification across the global hedge fund universe. If you're tracking hedge fund launches specifically, HFR is the most complete source available.
HFR’s scope is deliberately narrow. For hedge fund managers or allocators focused on the hedge fund space, HFR is great. For multi-strategy firms or those raising in other asset classes, it functions as a targeted supplement rather than a primary platform.
SEC EDGAR
SEC EDGAR is the free, public database where every Form D filing lives. It is the raw source of truth for US-based fund launches: any investment firm raising capital under a Regulation D exemption files here, disclosing the offering size, target raise, and executive team.
The obvious advantage is cost. The disadvantage is that EDGAR is unstructured and time-intensive to monitor. There is no strategy tagging, no asset class filter, no alerting system, and no contact information attached to filings. For teams with time and technical resources, EDGAR is a legitimate primary source. For most sales teams, it's better used to spot-check or verify data from other platforms.
Databases for Tracking New Mandates and RFPs
Mandatewire (With Intelligence)
Mandatewire is one of the longest-running mandate and search alert services in the industry. It delivers daily alerts on new mandates, manager hires, and RFPs across pensions, insurers, and other institutional allocators.
Its focus is alerts. The service surfaces that a mandate exists but typically provides less depth on the underlying allocator's contact information, investment history, and decision-making structure. For teams that want mandate signal combined with full allocator profiles in one workflow, it often works best alongside a broader platform.
eVestment
eVestment is a go-to institutional database for consultant relationships, manager performance data, and mandate tracking on the institutional side of the market. Its search and RFP coverage is especially strong for public pensions, corporate pensions, and the consultants who advise them.
The platform's institutional focus is both its strength and its constraint. Coverage of channels outside the traditional institutional market, family offices, RIAs, private banks, wealth managers, is thinner. For firms whose primary channel is institutional and consultant-driven, eVestment is often a core platform. For firms with broader channel strategies, it typically pairs with a platform that covers the full allocator universe.
Build Your Fundraising Intelligence Stack
The reality is that no single database gives you everything.
Most successful investment sales teams layer a core platform that covers both fund launches and new mandates with one or two specialty sources aligned to their asset class or geography.
If you're evaluating your fundraising intelligence stack and want to see how a single platform can cover both the supply and demand sides of the market, book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
