The best family office database for emerging fund managers depends on how you raise. If you run one Fund I or Fund II raise with a small team, we believe a verified one-time file you own is the strongest buy. If your firm raises continuously, an LP platform such as Preqin, PitchBook, Dakota, or Altss is worth its subscription.
Full disclosure: we sell a family office database, and fund managers raising LP capital are a core group of our buyers. This guide is for a GP raising a first or second fund who wants to spend wisely on data.
Do family offices invest in emerging managers?
Many do. Institutions mostly wait for a track record. Family offices can back a thesis and a team.
For many first funds, family offices and the people around them are most of the LP base. The data job is to find offices that commit to outside managers in your strategy, at your check size, and to reach the person who decides.
LP database or one-time file: which fits Fund I and II?
An LP platform is the right purchase when the fundraising function is continuous: a multi-fund firm, an IR team, or a placement agent.
- Preqin and PitchBook are priced for institutions (third-party guides estimate $15,000 to $81,000 per year; confirm with the vendors).
- Dakota publishes $16,500 per year plus $1,000 per additional user.
- Altss publishes $5,000 to $25,000 per year by plan.
- Dakota and Altss prices are as of October 2026 per their own pages.
These platforms add daily updates, CRM sync, and signals. For a continuous raiser, they are worth it.
A one-time file is the right purchase when you are running one raise with a small team and want to own the list. You buy it, load it into your CRM, work it for the 12 to 18 months of the raise, and keep it for Fund II. Our Excel family office lists comparison shows the one-time options and their published prices.
- Choose an LP platform if you raise continuously, with an IR team or a placement agent.
- Choose a one-time file if you have one raise, a small team, and want a list you keep for the next fund.
- Start with free sources if you want a first look before you buy; see our free family office databases guide.
What to look for in a family office LP list
- Investment domains that include funds in your strategy (venture capital, private equity, private credit, real estate, hedge funds).
- Named decision-makers with LinkedIn profiles, so you can see who sits on investment committees and who has allocated to emerging managers before.
- Verified work emails, so a careful first email reaches a person.
- Enough description to tell "invests in VC funds" from "runs its own venture arm".
What is in our file
Every office in our file is verified as active (it runs a live website). Each row has:
- website, LinkedIn page, and location;
- investment domains (venture capital, private equity, hedge funds and others are tagged separately from direct startup investing);
- named top decision-makers, with mail-server-verified work emails for most USA-region offices.
Our posts on how family offices invest in VC funds and USA family offices investing in venture capital show the profile.
Working the list as a GP
- Segment by strategy fit.
- Then segment by relationship distance: mutual LPs, portfolio founders, and service providers who know the office.
- Ask for introductions where you can. Our guide on how to get warm introductions to family offices explains how.
- Email directly where you cannot. Put the strategy, fund size, and first-close date in the first three lines.
Family offices move on their own calendar. Plan for a long tail, and keep a quarterly update going to everyone who said "not now".
FAQ
Do family offices invest in emerging managers?
Many do. Institutions mostly wait for a track record, while family offices can back a thesis and a team. For many first funds, family offices and the people around them make up most of the LP base. The work is finding offices that commit to outside managers in your strategy and reaching the person who decides.
What is the best LP database for emerging managers?
It depends on how you raise. A firm with a continuous fundraising function, such as a multi-fund firm, an IR team, or a placement agent, gets daily updates, CRM sync, and signals from an LP platform. For one raise with a small team, we believe a verified one-time file you own is the strongest buy.
How much does an LP database cost?
Third-party guides estimate $15,000 to $81,000 per year for Preqin and PitchBook; confirm with the vendors. As of October 2026, per their own pages, Dakota publishes $16,500 per year plus $1,000 per additional user, and Altss publishes $5,000 to $25,000 per year by plan. One-time files are paid once.
How long should a GP plan to work a family office list?
Plan for the 12 to 18 months of the raise, and keep the list for Fund II. Family offices move on their own calendar, so expect a long tail. Keep a quarterly update going to everyone who said "not now", and work the list again when you raise the next fund.
The bottom line for a GP raising now
For a first or second fund with a small team, we believe the strongest buy is a verified file you own: the Full USA Database or the Full Worldwide Database. Start with the free sample and read the method on the FAQ page.
Sources
dakota.com/dakota-marketplace; altss.com/pricing (read 18 October 2026); Praxis Rock LP database guide and Pipeline Road buyer's guide for the Preqin and PitchBook estimates (third-party). Re-verified on the live pages and archived 19 October 2026.
This article reflects publicly available information as of October 2026 and our own understanding of the market. It is not a review of data we have not tested. Offerings change; see each provider's site for current details. If you represent a company mentioned here and something is out of date, contact us and we will correct it promptly. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. Active Family Offices is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any company mentioned.