# Get Started

## What is Avocado?

Avocado is a deal sourcing and management system for VCs. This system currently has the following features:

* **Startup Sourcing**
  * **Latest startups** from popular databases such as Crunchbase, CBInsights, Pitchbook, etc.
  * **Startup database** collected from internet.
* **People Sourcing**
  * **Founders** - tracking promising founders who are building new companies.
  * **Influencers** - monitoring leading VCs to see what is trending.
* **Portfolio**
  * **Portfolio list** - managing all your portfolio companies in one place.
  * **Tickets** - tracking all your portfolio tickets.
  * **Updates** - collecting all your portfolio updates in one place.
* **Deals**
  * **Due diligence** - writing and managing your DDs.
  * **Deal flow** - tracking all your deals in a Kanban system
* **Startup News Feed**
* **Tools**

## Is it free? How does it work?

Yes, at least it is free at this point to our design partners. Feel free to see a demo here.

{% embed url="<https://avocado.vc>" %}

## What do I need to self-host?

You will need **a domain**, a server with **PHP 7.X and MySQL 5.X**. That's all! To get the latest version of the software and the startup & founder data, you will need to apply for an API Key/Secret first.

To get your API Key/Secret, please send your domain for this project to `hello@avocado.vc`&#x20;

## Is it safe to use?

There is nothing that is 100% safe. You should always be responsible for your data security. However, the software is open-sourced, and you can feel free to examine the code and enhance it if you wish.

**All the data will stay on your own server.**


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.avocado.vc/master.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.