# 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.**