The short answer
CB Insights is a market-intelligence platform for strategy and deal teams, with a seat-based terminal and consumption-based data solutions, both priced on request (as of Nov 2026). Zalarma is an investor database for founders: search 33,282 US startup-investor records by stage, check size, sector, state and investor type, with a 5-investor match service.
- CB Insights serves corporate strategy, deal and research teams; Zalarma serves founders choosing investors for a round.
- CB Insights pricing is on request for both its terminal and its data solutions (as of Nov 2026).
- Zalarma covers 33,282 US startup-investor records, each with a public source (Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01).
- Choose CB Insights for market and competitor research at company budget; choose Zalarma for a regional, fit-first investor list.
CB Insights and Zalarma rarely compete for the same buyer, but founders often weigh them when they look for "investor data". CB Insights is a market-intelligence platform built for strategy and deal teams: company discovery and tracking, analyst research, competitive landscapes and investor strategy maps, delivered through a web terminal, mobile app, browser extension and data feeds. Zalarma is an investor database for founders outside the usual circles. It helps them find the angels, angel groups, micro-VCs, family offices and regional funds that fit their stage, sector and city, and plan a warm path to each.
CB Insights details below come from its official pricing page, checked on 2026-11-01.
At a glance
| Zalarma | CB Insights | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Pre-seed to Series A founders, especially outside Silicon Valley and the big accelerator circuit, who need investors that fit their round. | Strategy, corporate development, deal and research teams at investors and large companies. |
| Data coverage focus | US startup investors. 85,848 investor and firm records in total, including 33,282 US records tagged as startup investors (angels, VCs, micro-VCs, family offices, corporate VCs, accelerators), each citing its public source. (Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01) | Private companies and markets. Its pricing page describes coverage from 13M companies, 4M companies tagged to 2K emerging technologies and markets, and 295K investor and incumbent strategy maps. |
| Pricing (as published, checked 2026-11-01) | No published price. Request access to the database, or ask for a free match list. | Pricing on request (as of Nov 2026). The terminal is seat-based and the data solutions (API, data feeds, data-platform access) are consumption-based; both show "Request Pricing". A free trial is offered from the site. |
| Strengths | Filters built around investor fit, including state/metro and check size. Investor profiles with focus, stages and portfolio signals. Watchlists, alerts, CSV export. A "Get matched with 5 investors" service. | Analyst research and ratings, competitive landscapes, market and technology tagging, company tracking and signals, an API and bulk data feeds. |
| Limits | US focus. Investors only, not company or market data. No built-in deck hosting or fundraising CRM. CSV export is quota-limited; research briefs are on premium. | Built for company research teams, so pricing and depth go well beyond what most pre-seed founders need. Investor data is part of a broader market view rather than a founder's fundraising list. |
| Best for | A fit-first US target list, especially regional angels, angel groups and family offices, plus a plan for warm introductions. | Market maps, competitor tracking and investment research inside larger organizations. |
How they differ in practice
Different buyers, different questions
CB Insights answers questions like "which companies are emerging in this technology, who funds them, and which ones should our team look at next?" Those are questions for a corporate strategy group or an investment team, and the product is priced for those teams.
Zalarma answers a founder's question: "which investors are likely to back this round, at my stage, in my sector, near my city, and how do I reach them?" You filter by stage, check size, sector, state or metro and investor type. Each profile shows focus, stages, portfolio signals and the public source behind the record.
Investor depth for early rounds
Early rounds often come from angels, angel groups and family offices whose checks are never announced. Zalarma treats those as core records: 8,385 US startup-investor records in our database are family offices and 5,982 are angels, and 8,652 list pre-seed as a stage (Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01). See family offices and angel investors.
Pricing
CB Insights asks you to request pricing for both its terminal and its data products. Zalarma doesn't publish a price either; access to the database is by request, and you can ask for a free match list first.
When to choose CB Insights instead
- You need competitive and market intelligence for a board deck, a strategy plan or a corporate partnership.
- You sell to large companies and want to understand their technology bets and acquisition patterns.
- Your company has a research budget and a team that will use a full terminal.
- You need an API or data feed of company data for your own product.
When Zalarma fits better
- You're raising a pre-seed, seed or Series A round in the US and need a target list, not a market report.
- You want angels, angel groups and family offices by state or metro.
- You want check size and investor type as filters, plus the public source behind every record.
- You'd rather start from 5 hand-picked investors, each with a one-line why-they-fit, delivered within 2 business days.
Using both
If your company already has CB Insights access, use it to understand your market and spot corporate investors in your space. Then build the round itself from a fit-first list: our target list guide and corporate VC list are good next steps.
Bottom line
CB Insights is a research platform for teams studying markets and companies. Zalarma is a founder's tool for finding the US investors who fit your round and a warm path to them.
Frequently asked questions
How much does CB Insights cost?
CB Insights does not publish prices. Its pricing page shows Request Pricing for both the seat-based terminal and the consumption-based data solutions (as of Nov 2026).
Does CB Insights have a free trial?
Its site offers a free trial sign-up alongside demos. Check the current terms on the CB Insights site.
Is CB Insights useful for finding angel investors?
It covers investors as part of a broad market view. For US angels, angel groups and family offices by state and check size, Zalarma is built for that job.
Does Zalarma offer market or competitor research?
No. Zalarma covers investors only. For market maps and competitor tracking, use a market-intelligence platform.
How do I get matched with investors on Zalarma?
Use the match form. We hand-pick 5 investors who fit your round, each with a one-line why-they-fit, within 2 business days.