21st Fund

Product Introduction

1. Definition: 21st Fund is an AI-powered financial intelligence platform (technical category: SaaS FinTech) specializing in non-dilutive funding discovery. It aggregates grants, tax credits, and equity-free investments through automated data scraping and machine learning.
2. Core Value Proposition: It eliminates equity dilution for startups and SMBs by providing instant access to $2M+ non-dilutive capital using proprietary Agentic AI, reducing funding search time from months to minutes.

Main Features

1. Agentic AI Funding Discovery Engine:

   • How it works: The AI scans 1M+ grants across 20+ countries in real-time, using NLP to match user profiles with eligibility criteria. It prioritizes opportunities based on success probability algorithms.
   • Technologies: Combines transformer-based language models (e.g., BERT variants) with automated web scrapers and semantic analysis APIs.

2. Non-Dilutive Capital Dashboard:

   • How it works: Centralizes active grants, tax credits, and government subsidies into a searchable database. Users filter by amount ($1k–$2M+), industry, and deadline, with AI-generated application checklists.
   • Technologies: Cloud-synced NoSQL database with React-based UI and automated compliance validators.

3. Instant Match Algorithm:

   • How it works: Analyzes company data (industry, location, revenue stage) against funding parameters to deliver personalized matches in <60 seconds, including success probability scores.
   • Technologies: Ensemble machine learning models (Random Forest + Gradient Boosting) trained on historical grant-award data.

Problems Solved

1. Pain Point: Startups waste 200+ hours manually searching fragmented grant databases, risking missed deadlines or eligibility mismatches.
2. Target Audience:
   • Pre-seed/seed-stage startup founders
   • SaaS and cleantech SMEs
   • Underrepresented founders (e.g., women/minority-led ventures)
   • R&D-intensive biotech/hardware startups
3. Use Cases:
   • A biotech startup securing $500k NIH grants without investor dilution
   • An edtech SME claiming R&D tax credits in 3 countries
   • Pre-revenue founders accessing prototype development grants

Unique Advantages

1. Differentiation: Unlike generic grant databases (GrantWatch) or dilutive platforms (AngelList), 21st Fund uses predictive AI to quantify approval odds and exclusively targets non-dilutive capital.
2. Key Innovation: Agentic AI autonomously verifies funding source credibility and updates opportunities hourly, solving data staleness in traditional databases.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does 21st Fund guarantee grant approval?
   No, it increases success probability by 3.5x through AI-optimized matching and application guidance, but final approval depends on applicant submissions.

2. How does 21st Fund’s free model generate revenue?
   It offers premium tiers for application automation and expert consultations, but core discovery remains free with no credit checks.

3. Which countries are supported for grant discovery?
   The platform covers 20+ countries including the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, and Singapore, with AI-translated opportunities.

4. Can nonprofits use 21st Fund?
   Yes, its algorithm identifies nonprofit-specific grants, corporate sponsorships, and operational funding up to $1.2M.

5. How current is the funding opportunity data?
   Opportunities are updated hourly via automated web scraping, with expiration alerts sent 72 hours before deadlines.