So, you want to know when your competitors raise money—before you hear it from your boss, or worse, from TechCrunch. This guide is for anyone who needs to keep tabs on rival startups, whether you’re in product, marketing, sales, or just a nosy founder. We’ll cover how to track competitor funding rounds in CB Insights step by step, what actually works, and what’s not worth fussing over.
Let’s keep it simple, honest, and above all, actionable.
Why Bother Tracking Competitor Funding?
Quick reality check: tracking funding isn’t about FOMO or gossip. It’s about knowing when a competitor suddenly has more cash to burn—maybe to poach your customers, flood ads, or speed up product launches. Sometimes it means nothing, but sometimes it’s your early warning.
If you’re reading this, you probably already know why you care. Let’s get to the how.
Step 1: Get Access to CB Insights
You’ll need a paid account. There’s no meaningful free tier—you can poke around a bit, but if you want alerts, exports, and good search, you need to pay up. If your company doesn’t have a subscription, stop here and ask your boss or admin to set it up. If you’re solo or at a tiny startup, this may be overkill; Crunchbase or PitchBook can be cheaper, but they’re not as deep.
Pro tip: If you’re just curious about one or two companies, Google News + Crunchbase free tier might be enough.
Step 2: Make Your Competitor List
Don’t overthink it. You don’t need every company in your space—just the ones you actually care about. Usually, that’s:
- Direct competitors (same product, same customers)
- Up-and-comers you keep hearing about
- Big incumbents making moves in your market
How to build the list: - Start with what you know. - Ask your sales or product team who they run into. - Google “Top [your industry] startups” for a sanity check.
You’ll want their official company names, not brand nicknames. CB Insights can be picky if you type “Acme.com” instead of “Acme Corp, Inc.”
Step 3: Search for Your Competitors in CB Insights
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Head to the Companies Search:
In the main menu, look for “Companies.” Enter your competitor’s name in the search bar. CB Insights’ search is decent, but not Google-level forgiving—spell it right. -
Check the Profiles:
Confirm it’s the right company. Double-check the logo, description, or website link. There are a lot of copycat names out there. -
Add to a List:
For each competitor, hit “Add to List” (sometimes called “Watchlist” or “Saved List”). Create a new list called “Competitors” or something equally obvious.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time filling out tags, custom fields, or adding every minor player unless you really care. The more noise, the more likely you’ll miss something important later.
Step 4: Set Up Funding Alerts
This is where CB Insights actually saves you time.
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Go to Your List:
Find the list you just made (under “Lists” or “Watchlists”). -
Set Up Alerts:
There’ll be a bell icon, “Set Alerts,” or something similar. Click it. -
Choose Funding Events:
You want to be notified about “Funding Rounds” or “Financing Events.” Ignore the other alert types for now (like acquisitions or layoffs), unless you have a specific reason. -
Pick Alert Frequency:
You can usually choose daily, weekly, or real-time. If you’re in a fast-moving industry or your execs get twitchy, go daily. Otherwise, weekly digests cut down on noise.
Email or in-app?
Email is easiest—just make a filter in your inbox so these don’t clutter up your main feed.
Reality check:
CB Insights’ alerts are reliable, but not always instant. Sometimes there’s a lag before funding is confirmed and added to the database. If you need “minute one” news, you’ll want to supplement with Google News alerts for your competitors’ names.
Step 5: Review Funding Data and Dig In
Whenever you get an alert, click through to the funding round. Here’s what matters:
- Amount Raised — Obvious, but keep an eye out: some companies “announce” a round, but the amount is “Undisclosed.” Not much you can do there, unless you have inside sources.
- Investors — Who’s backing them? New blue-chip VCs or just the same angel group as last time?
- Round Type — Is it a bridge round, Series B, or a down round dressed up as something else? Sometimes the real story is in the details.
- Timing — Is it sooner or later than you expected? Are they raising faster than you are?
Don’t get distracted: CB Insights loves to show you extra tabs: “Acquisitions,” “Patents,” “News Mentions.” Stick to funding unless you actually care about those. Scope creep is real.
Step 6: Optional—Export and Share Data
If you need to brief your team or execs, CB Insights lets you export lists and funding data.
- Click “Export” on your list or on an individual company profile.
- Choose CSV or Excel.
- Clean up the file before sharing—CB Insights exports can be a mess of columns you don’t need.
Pro tip: Regular screenshots of the funding timeline often communicate more than a spreadsheet. Execs like visuals.
Step 7: Supplement With Other Tools (If Needed)
CB Insights is solid, but it’s not perfect. Here’s where it can fall short, and what you can do:
- Lag time: Sometimes funding news breaks days before CB Insights picks it up. Set up Google News alerts for your competitors’ names as backup.
- Coverage gaps: Smaller, early-stage rounds can slip through. Crunchbase or Twitter can sometimes spot these faster.
- Investor details: If you’re really digging into who invested, sometimes the press release or Form D filing has more info than CB Insights.
Don’t obsess over getting every single dollar tracked. You’re looking for the big, strategic moves, not every convertible note.
What to Ignore (Seriously)
- CB Insights “Collections” — Collections are their own curated lists. Sometimes helpful, but often too broad or stale for real-time tracking.
- Over-customizing your lists — The more fields and tags you add, the more likely you’ll get bogged down. Keep it simple.
- Chasing every rumor — Not every funding rumor on Twitter is worth your time. Stick to confirmed deals.
Quick Troubleshooting
- Can’t find your competitor?
Double-check the spelling, try alternate names, or search by website URL. Still missing? They may be too early-stage or stealthy. - Too many irrelevant alerts?
Tighten your list. Only track the competitors that matter. - Data looks off?
Cross-check with press releases or SEC filings. No database is perfect.
Wrap Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Tracking competitor funding isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Start with a short list, set up good alerts, and actually read the updates. Ignore the rest. If you find yourself missing stuff, tweak your process. If you’re drowning in noise, cut back.
The best system is the one you’ll keep using. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of “good enough to stay informed.”