Deckwise vs Optimy

Optimy is social impact management software: a modular platform for running CSR, sponsorship, grant and community-investment programs. Deckwise is the evaluation pipeline for selecting startups: it sources candidates, scores and ranks them on one basis, runs deep due diligence on the finalists, and verifies every material claim against public sources. Optimy administers a philanthropy or sponsorship program; Deckwise takes a startup selection from first signal to a defensible committee decision.

Optimy is a strong European alternative to Submittable in the grant and CSR world. If your program is philanthropy, sponsorship or corporate social investment, that is its home. If your program is finding, evaluating and vetting startups, that is Deckwise's.

Side by side

Where Optimy is strong

Optimy is a configurable, modular platform for managing sponsorship, CSR, grants and community programs: application collection and selection, approval workflows, budget tracking and impact reporting. You buy the modules you need. It has a strong footprint in Europe and France, and for multi-country CSR or grant programs it is a capable, well-established choice. If your job is administering a philanthropy or sponsorship pipeline, Optimy is designed for exactly that, and Deckwise does not replace it.

What Deckwise does that Optimy does not

Optimy manages the program container: collection, workflow, budget, reporting. Deckwise does the evaluation across three pillars, purpose-built for startups:

• Sourcing. Deckwise finds candidates matching your thesis from public data, before they apply.
• Selection. It scores every candidate on the same basis, with versioned weights, into a ranked shortlist, rather than just recording selection decisions.
• Due diligence. It goes deep on the finalists, into a sourced memo and a verdict for the committee.
• Verification, throughout. Every material claim (traction, market size, patents, funding) is checked against public registers and sourced web search. Nothing public indicates Optimy verifies applicant claims against external sources; its strength is collection, workflow and reporting, which for philanthropy is the right focus.

For evaluating startups, the unverified claim is the risk, and covering source-to-decision in one place is the value. That is the ground Deckwise is built for and Optimy is not.

Using them together

If a program both administers submissions and needs evidence-based selection of startups, Optimy (or another intake tool) and Deckwise are complementary. (See How to Choose a Startup Screening Tool.)

Frequently asked questions

Is Optimy a startup evaluation tool? No. Optimy manages CSR, sponsorship and grant programs. It collects and administers applications; it does not source, score on a common basis, run due diligence or verify startup claims.

Does Deckwise only verify claims? No. Verification is one of four things it does. Deckwise sources candidates on your thesis, scores and ranks them, runs due diligence into a committee memo, and verifies claims throughout, end to end.

Is Optimy's pricing public? No. It is quote-based. Third-party estimates exist but disagree, so they are not reliable; the official pricing is by quote.

We run a startup program in Europe. Optimy or Deckwise? If the job is administering a grant or CSR pipeline, Optimy fits. If the job is sourcing, vetting and deciding on startups with evidence, that is Deckwise. Teams that do both use an intake tool alongside Deckwise.

The bottom line

Optimy is a solid European platform for CSR, sponsorship and grant management. It is not designed to source startups, score them on a common basis, run due diligence, or verify their claims, which is the end-to-end evaluation Deckwise is built for. Choose by the job: program administration points to Optimy; startup sourcing, evidence-based selection, due diligence and a defensible shortlist point to Deckwise.

Related: Deckwise vs Submittable · The Complete Guide to Startup Screening