What Is Gust for Startups, and Is It Worth It?
Gust is a New York startup platform, founded in 2004, that sells Gust Launch: Delaware C-Corp incorporation, a cap table, SAFEs and option plans across three plans priced from $450 to $3,500 a year. It also runs deal flow software for angel groups. It fits founders who want company setup and equity in one place. To find and email active investors directly, use Round Funded.
Gust at a Glance
| Gust | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A platform to incorporate, run and fund a startup (Gust Launch), plus deal flow software for angel groups and accelerators |
| Best for | Founders who want a Delaware C-Corp, a digital cap table and legal agreements under one plan |
| Pricing | Start $450/year, Accelerate $1,250/year, Raise $3,500/year, per Gust's pricing page, as of October 2026 |
| Founded, headquarters | 2004, New York, NY; formerly known as Angelsoft (PitchBook) |
| Investor email outreach | Not found in the pages we reviewed |
What Gust Is and How It Works
PitchBook lists Gust's founding year as 2004 and its former name as Angelsoft, and Gust's own company profile names David Rose as Founder and Executive Chairman.
Today the founder product is Gust Launch, which Gust calls a "Company as a Service" platform. It forms a Delaware C-Corporation online, and Gust says you can be up and running in as little as three days, with the certificate of incorporation, a Delaware registered agent and an IRS EIN listed as part of incorporation. After that come bylaws, board setup, founder stock with 83(b) elections and an automatically managed cap table.
The fundraising layer has two parts. Paperwork: Gust lets you create and issue SAFEs and convertible notes electronically, with board approvals and online signatures, and says the raise is reflected on your cap table. Discovery: Gust describes "Find your Funding" as matching with angel groups and VCs, prospecting for more, and applying with your Gust Company Profile.
On the other side of the marketplace, Gust for Investors is deal flow software that investor groups use to receive deal flow, manage their pipeline and perform due diligence. Gust's homepage lists names such as New York Angels, Paris Business Angels and Melbourne Angels. There is also Gust for Accelerators, aimed at managing the application process and cohorts.
Gust Pricing in 2026
Gust publishes three Gust Launch plans, each priced per year. Per Gust's pricing page (the page footer is dated 2026; a Head West Guide review from February 2025 lists the same three prices):
- Start, $450/year. Incorporation, post-incorporation setup, founder stock issuance with 83(b), a digital cap table, business banking (through Brex, per Head West Guide) and a Delaware registered agent, with the yearly agent fee included.
- Accelerate, $1,250/year. Everything in Start, plus founder IP assignment, unlimited NDAs, contractor and advisor agreements, cap table modeling, unlimited SAFEs and convertible notes, a startup legal network and dedicated support.
- Raise, $3,500/year. Everything in Start and Accelerate, plus an option plan, a 409A valuation, and option issuance and exercise.
Third-party figures differ. Capterra lists a starting price of $300 per user per year, a figure that does not appear on the Gust pricing page we reviewed. For history: in 2017 Inc. reported Gust launched its incorporation platform at $99 a month. We did not find pricing for Gust for Investors or Gust for Accelerators in the pages we reviewed.
What Gust Does Well
- Incorporation and equity under one plan. Gust Launch covers the Delaware C-Corp, registered agent, EIN, founder stock, cap table and SAFEs. Round Funded does not incorporate companies or manage equity; it is a fundraising tool.
- Unlimited SAFEs and notes from $1,250 a year. Accelerate lists unlimited SAFEs and convertible notes plus cap table modeling, which Gust describes as round modeling and waterfall analysis.
- Options in the same plan. The Raise plan bundles an option plan, a 409A valuation, and option issuance and exercise.
- Long-running investor network. A 2023 Gust investor page says 350+ investor groups use it for deal flow, with no limits on group membership or file storage.
- Human support. Gust's homepage describes Mission Control office hours hosted by David S. Rose and the Gust team, and Accelerate lists dedicated support. A testimonial on that homepage calls the support team "responsive" (one customer, not an independent review).
Where Gust Falls Short
- Funding is matching and applying. Gust describes "Find your Funding" as matching with angel groups and VCs and applying with your Company Profile; we did not find a way to email investors directly in the pages we reviewed.
- Few public reviews. Capterra's Gust listing, last updated September 28, 2026, shows 0 user reviews, and the "Gust" profile on G2 belongs to an unrelated WordPress theme, so we found little independent feedback on Gust itself.
- Conflicting third-party data. Capterra says Gust lacks vesting management, while Gust's own pricing page describes customizable vesting schedules. Capterra's $300 per user per year starting price also differs from Gust's published plans.
- Delaware-centric. Gust Launch is built around forming a Delaware C-Corporation, so it fits founders following that path.
Gust vs Round Funded
| Gust | Round Funded | |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Incorporate, run equity, and match with or apply to angel groups and VCs | Find active investors and run outreach |
| Investor access | Angel groups and VCs matched through Gust, reached by applying with your Company Profile | 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators, filtered to a check in the last 6 months |
| Outreach | Apply with your Gust Company Profile | AI-drafted, personalized emails sent from your own Gmail |
| Pipeline | Deal flow tools on the investor side | Built-in investor CRM pipeline |
| Investor-facing profile | Gust Company Profile | Free Data Room on every plan, tracked links from Round+ |
| Incorporation and equity | Delaware C-Corp, cap table, SAFEs, options | None; a free cap table calculator tool only |
| Pricing | $450, $1,250 or $3,500 per year | Round+ $99/month, Round Pro $249/month, Lifetime $899 one-time |
| Free option | "Get started for free" sign-up, free Corporate Diligence Report | No free tier; 3-day free trial on Round+ and Round Pro for first-time accounts, card required |
Gust wins when your problem is the company itself: forming the C-Corp, keeping a clean cap table, issuing SAFEs and setting up options.
Round Funded wins when the company exists and the job is getting in front of investors. You search active investors, send personalized emails from your own inbox, and manage your investors in one built-in pipeline. See Round Funded pricing.
Best Gust Alternatives in 2026
Capterra files Gust under equity management software, and the four names after Round Funded come from its Gust alternatives page; their ratings and prices are Capterra's figures. Round Funded is the pick if the Delaware C-Corp already exists and you need investors: search 60,000+ active investors and email them from your own Gmail.
| Logo | Tool | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Round Funded | Finding and emailing active investors | From $99/month |
| Vestd | Capterra's best overall Gust alternative, 4.9 from 109 reviews | From £25/month, free version listed | |
| SeedLegals | Capterra rating 4.9 from 83 reviews | From £49/month, free version listed | |
| Eqvista | Capterra's best free plan, 4.8 among reviewers at companies with 1-200 employees | Free plan, per Capterra | |
| J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions | Capterra rating 4.6 from 10 reviews | From $3/user/month | |
 | Gust | Incorporation, cap table and angel group applications | From $450/year |
For a broader cap table comparison, see our Carta page.
Who Should Use Gust
- Use Gust if you are about to incorporate a Delaware C-Corp and want formation, founder stock, cap table, SAFEs and later options under one set of plans.
- Use Gust if you are targeting angel groups that take applications through Gust.
- Use Round Funded if your entity is set up and you need a list of active investors, personalized outreach and a pipeline. Start with Investor Match.
- Use both if you want Gust for the legal and equity stack and Round Funded for reaching investors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Gust cost?
Gust Launch costs $450 a year for Start, $1,250 a year for Accelerate and $3,500 a year for Raise, per Gust's pricing page as of October 2026. Accelerate adds unlimited SAFEs, notes and legal agreements, and Raise adds an option plan and a 409A valuation. Capterra separately lists a $300 per user per year starting price.
Does Gust have a free plan or free trial?
Gust's homepage has "Get started for free" sign-up buttons for founders, and its company profile offers a free Corporate Diligence Report. We did not find a free Launch plan or trial on the pricing page we reviewed, though Capterra lists a free trial and no free version, so confirm at signup. Round Funded has no free tier, but its free Find Investors tool returns matches.
Is Gust legit, and is it worth it?
Gust looks established on the public record we reviewed: PitchBook lists it as privately held and venture capital-backed, founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York. It is worth it if you need incorporation, a cap table and SAFEs under one plan. Independent reviews are scarce: Capterra's Gust listing shows 0 user reviews as of its September 2026 update.
What is Gust Launch?
Gust Launch is Gust's "Company as a Service" product. It forms a Delaware C-Corporation online, and Gust says you can be up and running in as little as three days. Depending on the plan, it adds founder stock with 83(b) elections, a digital cap table, legal agreements, SAFEs, convertible notes and, on Raise, an option plan with a 409A valuation.
Is Gust angel network software?
Partly. Gust for Investors is deal flow software that investor groups use to receive deal flow, manage their pipeline and perform due diligence, per a 2023 Gust investor page. Founders sit on the other side, matching with angel groups and VCs and applying with a Gust Company Profile.
Can Gust help me find investors?
Gust describes "Find your Funding" as matching with angel groups and VCs, prospecting for more, and applying with your Gust Company Profile. We did not find a way to email investors directly in the pages we reviewed. Round Funded covers 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators, filtered to a check in the last 6 months, with AI-drafted outreach from your own Gmail.
Is Round Funded affiliated with Gust?
No. Round Funded is not affiliated with Gust. This page is an independent comparison built from Gust's public pages and published third-party sources, which we reviewed in October 2026.
Final Word
Gust fits the legal side of a startup: incorporation, cap table, SAFEs and options, plus an investor group network you reach by applying. Once the company is set up, the job is getting meetings, and that needs a list of active investors and a way to reach them.
