If you’re in sales, business development, or just trying to keep tabs on companies you care about, you know how tough it can be to get real-time updates on funding rounds and financial news. Sure, there’s a flood of info out there, but most of it is noise. That’s where Owler comes in: it promises to help you track financial updates for your target accounts so you never miss a funding event, acquisition, or other money moves.
But does it actually work? How do you set it up without drowning in junk alerts or missing the good stuff? This guide cuts through the hype. Here’s how to actually use Owler to track funding and financial updates—without wasting your time.
Step 1: Get Set Up with Owler (Free or Paid)
First things first—Owler offers both free and paid versions. The free version gives you basic company profiles and some news alerts. Paid plans (like Owler Pro) unlock more alerts, filters, and export options.
Quick honest take: - If you only need to track a handful of companies and don’t mind a bit of manual work, free is fine. - If you’re tracking a larger list, need exports, or want more granular filters, you’ll want Pro. (No, this isn’t an ad. The free version is pretty limited.)
To get started: 1. Go to the Owler website and sign up. 2. Fill out your profile basics. You’ll probably get nudged to select companies to “follow” right away. 3. Confirm your email and log in.
Pro tip: Use a work email if you’re planning to track a lot of business accounts—Owler sometimes prioritizes business users for features and support.
Step 2: Build Your Target Account List
Owler is only as good as the companies you follow. If you want to catch funding rounds, you need to actually follow the right accounts.
Here’s how: - Use the search bar to look up each company you care about. Big companies, startups, customers, competitors—whatever matters to you. - On each company’s profile, hit the “Follow” button. This adds them to your feed and tracking list. - You can also upload a list (CSV) if you’re on Owler Pro. This saves a ton of time if you’ve got dozens or hundreds of accounts.
What matters (and what doesn’t): - Don’t bother following companies just because they’re “trending” or Owler suggests them. Stick to your real targets. - Clean up your list every few months. Otherwise, you’ll get buried in random news about companies you don’t care about anymore.
Step 3: Set Up Financial Alerts (and Tweak Your Settings)
This is the meat of it—Owler’s alerts are what make it useful for tracking funding rounds, acquisitions, and financial news.
By default, Owler will send you: - News alerts for any company you follow (some relevant, some not). - Major funding rounds or acquisitions (but not always instantly).
To tune your alerts: 1. Go to your profile or settings. 2. Look for “Notifications” or “Email Preferences.” 3. Set how often you want alerts: instant, daily, or weekly digests. 4. Filter by type—select only “Funding Events,” “Acquisitions,” or “Financial Updates” if that’s all you care about. 5. Turn off categories you don’t want (like generic news or leadership changes).
What works: - Instant alerts are best if you need to act on funding news fast (e.g., sales teams). - Daily digests are less noisy if you just want to scan for important updates.
What doesn’t: - Don’t expect every funding round to show up within minutes. Sometimes it takes a day or two for news to hit Owler’s feeds. - Owler sometimes misses small, stealthy raises—especially for early-stage startups that don’t issue press releases. You’re still better off than checking every site manually.
Pro tip: Use a dedicated folder or label in your email client for Owler alerts. Otherwise, they’ll get lost in your inbox.
Step 4: Dig Into the Financial Details
When you get an alert or see a funding event in your feed, click through to the company’s profile. Here’s what you’ll typically find:
- Funding summary: Latest funding round amount, date, lead investors, total funding to date.
- Financials (if available): Revenue estimates, employee count, growth trends.
- News timeline: Breakdown of recent funding, acquisitions, and major headlines.
What works: - Owler’s funding data is usually pulled from press releases, reputable news sources, and sometimes user submissions. For big companies and late-stage startups, it’s reliable. - You can often see a pattern—if a company raises money every 18 months, you’ll spot it.
What to ignore: - Revenue estimates are just that—estimates. Take them with a grain of salt, especially for private companies. - “Growth” metrics are usually based on headcount or media mentions, not audited numbers.
Pro tip: If you see a funding round that matters, dig deeper. Check the source link (usually at the bottom of the news item) for the original announcement—it often has more details than Owler summarizes.
Step 5: Use Lists and Export Features (If You Have Pro)
If you’re managing a big target account list, Owler Pro’s lists and exports save real time.
How to use it: - Create custom lists (e.g., “Q3 Prospects,” “Top Competitors,” or “High-Risk Accounts”). - Export company lists, funding events, or news items to CSV for use in your CRM or spreadsheets. - Set up alerts per list, not just per company—handy if you’re juggling lots of priorities.
What works: - Exporting to CSV lets you sort, filter, or merge Owler data with your own notes. - Lists keep you organized, especially when sharing with teammates.
What doesn’t: - Don’t rely on Owler’s exports for deep financial analysis. The data is best for triggering action—like reaching out after a funding round—not for building a financial model.
Step 6: Combine Owler with Other Tools (Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket)
Owler is good, but not perfect. It works best as part of a broader toolkit.
Other sources to consider: - Crunchbase: Sometimes catches early-stage rounds Owler misses, but has its own gaps. - LinkedIn: Good for employee count trends or leadership changes. - Google Alerts: Set up for company names—sometimes catches weird one-off news Owler skips.
Reality check: Even with all these tools, you’ll still miss some news—especially stealthy raises or confidential deals. Don’t stress about being perfect; aim for “good enough to act.”
Pro Tips & Honest Takeaways
- Don’t set and forget. Review your target list and alert settings every few months to avoid alert fatigue.
- Be skeptical of data. Not every funding round or revenue number is accurate. Always check the source if it’s important.
- Start small. Set up Owler for your top 10-20 accounts and expand once you’re comfortable with the workflow.
- Use alerts as a trigger, not gospel. Treat Owler as your nudge to dig deeper, not your single source of truth.
Keep It Simple—Iterate as You Go
The best way to use Owler for tracking funding rounds and financial updates? Don’t overcomplicate it. Build your account list, set up focused alerts, and check in when you get notified. Fine-tune over time based on what you actually find useful. You’ll never catch every single update, but you’ll catch a lot more than if you try to do it all manually—or if you just hope someone else tells you.
And if Owler stops being useful? Move on, or add another tool to the mix. The goal is to spend less time chasing news and more time acting on it.