Comparison

Raise vs Angel Investment Network vs doing it yourself

Raise, run by Matthew Smith, does targeted outreach from a 1,000+ network, with a free first step and an optional £300 investor follow-up service including VAT.

Angel Investment Network is a pitch-listing platform. Founders submit a pitch and pay a monthly package for listing and emailed matching, according to its rates page, checked on 15 November 2026. Doing it yourself has no platform fee, but you do the research, outreach and follow-up.

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None of these routes can promise that an investor will invest.

How the three approaches compare

The table below sets out the cost model, whether outreach is warm or cold, who does the work, and how follow-up is handled. Angel Investment Network figures are taken from its official rates and entrepreneur FAQ pages, checked on 15 November 2026. Please confirm current packages on its site, as they can change.

Raise, run by Matthew Smith

What it is: A fundraising consultancy. Matthew reviews your one-pager and runs targeted outreach to investors in his network.
Cost: The first step is free. If investors ask for your full deck, an optional investor follow-up service costs £300 including VAT. No equity, commission or success fee.
Warm or cold: Outreach is from a 1,000+ network Matthew already works with, matched to your sector, thesis, geography and cheque size. Typically 50 to 150 investors per founder.
Who does the work: Matthew reviews the one-pager, targets the list, and sends the outreach. You supply the materials.
Follow-up: An optional £300 service, including VAT, covers deck sends, investor questions, a feedback report and warm intros when investors ask to meet, over about 30 days.

Angel Investment Network

What it is: A pitch-listing platform. You register, submit a pitch, and pay for it to be listed and emailed to matching investors.
Cost: Monthly packages, from its rates page (15 November 2026): Pro £179 per month; Global Pro £279 per month; Executive £866 per month, billed quarterly.
Warm or cold: Your pitch is listed and emailed to investors whose criteria match, based on investment amount, region and sector. Contact is through the platform, including optional “nudges”. This is platform matching, not a personal introduction from someone the investor already knows.
Who does the work: You create the pitch on the platform. The platform lists it and emails matching investors. You handle interest that comes back, including any nudges you send.
Follow-up: Investors who show interest can be contacted through the platform. AIN says you get the contact details of investors who show interest, with no extra per-contact fee. Its rates page also advertises a money-back guarantee if you do not get any genuine interest, subject to its refund policy.

Doing it yourself

What it is: You find investors, write outreach, and follow up on your own, often through portfolio founders and LinkedIn.
Cost: No platform fee and no consultancy fee. The cost is your time.
Warm or cold: It is warm when a mutual contact introduces you. It is cold when you write to someone who does not know you.
Who does the work: You do all of it: research, the blurb, the one-pager, the asks, and the follow-up.
Follow-up: Follow-up is entirely on you.

Angel Investment Network package names and prices were copied from angelinvestmentnetwork.co.uk/rates on 15 November 2026.
	Raise, run by Matthew Smith	Angel Investment Network	Doing it yourself
What it is	A fundraising consultancy. Matthew reviews your one-pager and runs targeted outreach to investors in his network.	A pitch-listing platform. You register, submit a pitch, and pay for it to be listed and emailed to matching investors.	You find investors, write outreach, and follow up on your own, often through portfolio founders and LinkedIn.
Cost	The first step is free. If investors ask for your full deck, an optional investor follow-up service costs £300 including VAT. No equity, commission or success fee.	Monthly packages, from its rates page (15 November 2026): Pro £179 per month; Global Pro £279 per month; Executive £866 per month, billed quarterly.	No platform fee and no consultancy fee. The cost is your time.
Warm or cold	Outreach is from a 1,000+ network Matthew already works with, matched to your sector, thesis, geography and cheque size. Typically 50 to 150 investors per founder.	Your pitch is listed and emailed to investors whose criteria match, based on investment amount, region and sector. Contact is through the platform, including optional “nudges”. This is platform matching, not a personal introduction from someone the investor already knows.	It is warm when a mutual contact introduces you. It is cold when you write to someone who does not know you.
Who does the work	Matthew reviews the one-pager, targets the list, and sends the outreach. You supply the materials.	You create the pitch on the platform. The platform lists it and emails matching investors. You handle interest that comes back, including any nudges you send.	You do all of it: research, the blurb, the one-pager, the asks, and the follow-up.
Follow-up	An optional £300 service, including VAT, covers deck sends, investor questions, a feedback report and warm intros when investors ask to meet, over about 30 days.	Investors who show interest can be contacted through the platform. AIN says you get the contact details of investors who show interest, with no extra per-contact fee. Its rates page also advertises a money-back guarantee if you do not get any genuine interest, subject to its refund policy.	Follow-up is entirely on you.

Sources, checked on 15 November 2026: Angel Investment Network rates and entrepreneur FAQ.

How to read this fairly

Angel Investment Network may suit a founder who wants a public pitch listing and is comfortable paying a monthly package for platform distribution.

Doing it yourself may suit a founder who already has strong relationships, or who has time to map portfolio founders and ask for intros carefully.

Raise, run by Matthew Smith, may suit a pre-revenue, pre-seed or seed tech founder in the USA, UK or EU who wants someone to run targeted outreach from an existing 1,000+ network, starting with a free one-pager review. Typical raise size is $250K–$2.5M, and up to $10M for the right opportunity. The network includes 450+ angels ($25K–$250K), 200+ HNWIs ($100K–$1M), 200+ family offices ($150K–$1.5M) and 150+ VCs ($250K–$2M). There are 26 LinkedIn recommendations from founders he has worked with.

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FAQ

Questions founders ask

Short answers about this guide.

What is the difference between Raise and Angel Investment Network?

Raise, run by Matthew Smith, runs targeted outreach from his 1,000+ investor network. The first step is free, and the optional investor follow-up service is a single £300 fee including VAT. Angel Investment Network, according to its own rates page checked on 15 November 2026, is a pitch-listing platform with monthly packages starting at £179, which lists your pitch and emails it to matching investors.

Is it cheaper to do investor outreach myself?

Doing it yourself has no platform fee and no consultancy fee. You also do all of the work: finding the right investors, writing outreach, and following up. Raise, run by Matthew Smith, includes a free first step, then an optional £300 investor follow-up service including VAT if investors ask to see your deck.

Does either option promise investment?

No. Raise does not promise investment. Angel Investment Network also cannot make an investor invest. A listing or a warm introduction can lead to a conversation. It cannot guarantee a cheque.

Who is Raise for?

Raise, run by Matthew Smith, is for tech, AI and SaaS founders in the USA, UK and EU, including pre-revenue, pre-seed and seed. Typical raise size is $250K–$2.5M, and up to $10M for the right opportunity.