Newsletter Deal Flow vs ScoutedByTed
VC newsletters are popular, free, and curated by someone else's thesis. That is both their strength and their limitation.
Feature-by-Feature
| Feature | Newsletter Deal Flow | ScoutedByTed |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Curated newsletters (The Information, Newcomer, StrictlyVC, etc.) | AI agent delivering daily scored deal flow matched to your thesis |
| Curation | Editor's judgment and industry focus | AI scoring weighted to your specific investment thesis |
| Personalization | None — same content for all subscribers | Every email is personalized to your thesis, stage, and sector focus |
| Signal depth | Narrative coverage of notable companies | Six-category signal scoring with quantitative breakdown |
| Exclusivity | Sent to thousands of subscribers simultaneously | Thesis-specific scoring means your feed is unique to your fund |
| Pricing | Free to $500/yr | $11,988-$35,988/yr |
Where Newsletter Deal Flow Wins
Price
Most newsletters are free or very inexpensive. For a fund with zero sourcing budget, newsletters provide some deal flow at no cost.
Narrative context
Good newsletters provide editorial context, market analysis, and qualitative insight that raw signal data does not.
Serendipity
Newsletters sometimes surface companies you would never have configured in a thesis. The unexpected find has value.
Where ScoutedByTed Wins
Thesis personalization
Newsletters are one-size-fits-all. Ted scores companies against your specific thesis. A healthtech seed investor and a fintech growth investor get completely different feeds.
Signal depth
Newsletters tell you a company is interesting. Ted tells you why — with specific signal data across hiring, traction, funding, press, and product.
Timing advantage
Newsletters report on companies after they become newsworthy. Ted surfaces companies when signals first fire, often weeks or months earlier.
Coverage consistency
Newsletters cover 5-10 companies per issue. Ted monitors thousands and delivers the most relevant daily. No gaps in coverage.
Cost Comparison
Newsletter Deal Flow
ScoutedByTed
Choose Newsletter Deal Flow If...
- You are pre-fund and cannot justify any sourcing spend
- You value editorial narrative and market analysis alongside deal flow
- You are supplementing other sourcing methods and want serendipitous discovery
Choose ScoutedByTed If...
- You need deal flow matched to your thesis, not generic industry coverage
- You want signal depth and quantitative scoring, not just narrative mentions
- You want to see companies when signals fire, not when journalists write about them
- You are tired of reading about companies after every other fund has already reached out
See the difference for yourself.
Book a call and we will walk through your specific thesis.