If you are making pitches to investors, contacting venture capitalists or reviewing terms sheets, or releasing SAFEs, due diligence and fundraising procedures are essential to the journey of a startup. It is crucial that you can present a clean and well-organized view of your business. To make it through the due diligence and fundraising process smoothly, it is vital to have your financials in order. You should also make sure you have a current cap table and are able to respond promptly to any other solicitations from investors.
When investors decide to invest in your business, they are sold on your product’s potential and the potential https://dataroompro.blog/virtual-data-room-sharefile-pros-and-cons/ market opportunity it could bring. However they are also considering the possibility that your venture could fail to meet its potential. Therefore, they’ll want to verify the information you give them in due diligence by scrutinizing evidence and performing a financial analysis. This will give them the confidence that they have made an informed investment decision.
For instance, investors will want copies of contracts confirming commitments from customers and test results that support your claims to performance and market research, and much more. Therefore, it is essential that startups are prepared to share and create all of these documents during due diligence. A data room such as DocSend is a powerful tool to help you organize, control access to any sensitive documents an investor might need during due diligence. Smart permissions management lets you give access only to those who need it.
Investors may also be interested in your intellectual property portfolio which is a component of your due diligence checklist. Therefore, you should be prepared to prove that you are the owner of all of your IP assets, and to disclose any agreements that could impact your revenue.
The amount of documentation required by startups to prepare for due diligence differs based on the stage of fundraising that it is in. Seed investors and pre-seed investors, for instance, may only require cursory documentation, such as a proforma cap table and incorporation papers. Investors will be more thorough once you reach the stage of a priced round of fundraising. They will need a full set of financial and legal documents.
While the due diligence process can be lengthy, with careful preparation and a clear understanding of your business, it should not be difficult or stressful to navigate. It is also crucial to keep in mind that fundraising is a lengthy and fluid process, therefore it is advisable to begin engaging with investors, establishing relationships, and sharing data with them in the future, even if you are not yet raising funds. As the process progresses it is crucial to keep the momentum going and remain attentive to investor inquiries so you can successfully close a Series A round of funding.