Selecting a CRM early helps founders track pipeline, standardize outreach, and keep investors and customers in one system. Below are ten CRMs that balance cost, usability, and automation for different GTM motions.

The best CRM is the one your team actually uses. Prioritize fast logging, automated follow-ups, and clear views by stage. Start simple, then layer advanced automation as motion matures.

1) Invesho

A fundraising-focused workflow to track investor pipeline, auto‑personalize outreach, and centralize raise materials. Designed for founders who need a lightweight system purpose-built for capital raising.

Strength: Investor matching; AI outreach; raise pipeline in one place.

2) HubSpot CRM

A generous free tier, strong email integration, sequences, and reporting make HubSpot a default for many startups. Scales with paid hubs when you’re ready.

Set up lifecycle stages, auto-create contacts from forms, and use snippets/templates to standardize replies.

Strength: Ease-of-use; all-in-one growth suite; robust ecosystem.

3) Pipedrive

Highly visual pipeline with excellent deal automation and activity tracking. Great for founder-led sales and SMB outbound teams.

Use automations to move deals, set tasks, and trigger emails when fields change.

Strength: Pipeline-first UX; affordable automation.

4) Salesforce

The enterprise standard with almost limitless customization and AppExchange. Best when you have admin support and multi-team processes.

Start with a lean data model. Add custom objects and flows only as processes stabilize.

Strength: Extensibility; enterprise reporting; partner ecosystem.

5) Zoho CRM

Cost-effective suite for startups needing CRM plus adjacent tools (email, helpdesk, finance). Solid API and automation for the price.

Strength: Value; breadth of bundled apps.

6) Close

Built for inside sales teams with calling, SMS, and email tightly integrated. Strong sequences and power dialer for outbound-heavy motions.

Instrument call outcomes and create next-step tasks automatically to prevent drop-offs.

Strength: Outbound communications; fast workflows.

7) Copper

Designed for Google Workspace users; minimal setup and excellent Gmail/Calendar integration. Good for services and small SaaS teams.

Strength: Native Google integration; simplicity.

8) Streak

A CRM that lives inside Gmail. Ideal for solo founders managing lightweight pipelines, investor outreach, or recruiting directly from the inbox.

Strength: Gmail-native; quick adoption; templates.

9) Freshsales (Freshworks)

Affordable CRM with built-in telephony, chat, and marketing tools. A good alternative to HubSpot for budget-conscious teams.

Strength: Price-to-feature; multi-channel support.

10) Notion + Tally/Make Stack

For very early teams, a Notion database with forms and automation can function as a CRM while keeping process flexible.

Strength: Flexibility; low cost; rapid iteration.

11) Airtable CRM Templates

Airtable’s templates and interfaces make it easy to prototype a CRM with automations, then graduate to a full CRM later.

Strength: Custom views; automation; API-first mindset.