How Founders Can Prepare for Investor Due Diligence

Raising capital is a significant milestone for any startup. But once you’ve wowed investors with your pitch, one major hurdle stands between you and a term sheet: due diligence.

This process can make or break your round. Being unprepared introduces delays, erodes investor confidence, and sometimes kills the deal outright. On the flip side, a founder who’s buttoned-up and ready for diligence stands out immediately.

This guide walks you through the key areas investors review and how to prepare proactively.

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🔍 What Is Investor Due Diligence?

Investor due diligence is the process of verifying your startup’s claims, evaluating risk, and validating the company’s potential for growth and return.

While different investors may vary in focus and depth, typical diligence covers:

• Corporate legal structure

• Financial statements and forecasts

• Cap table and ownership

• Product roadmap and IP

• Customer traction

• Team and employment records

• Compliance and risk exposure

Investors want to ensure they’re backing a legitimate, scalable company—and that there are no hidden liabilities.

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🧾 The Ultimate Due Diligence Checklist

Use this list to get ahead before the first data request lands in your inbox:

1. Corporate & Legal Documents

• Articles of incorporation & bylaws

• Board meeting minutes

• Shareholder agreements

• Business licenses and permits

• Contracts (customer, vendor, NDAs, etc.)

• Current & historical cap table

📌 Tip: Tools like Carta can help maintain clean equity records and streamline investor access.

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2. Financial Records

• Last 2–3 years of financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow)

• Year-to-date actuals vs. forecast

• Tax filings

• Accounts payable/receivable reports

• Burn rate and runway analysis

🔎 Investors are especially concerned about cash management and forecasting discipline.

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3. Cap Table & Equity

• Updated and fully diluted cap table

• SAFEs, convertible notes, option grants

• 409A valuation (if applicable)

🎯 GCN Insight: Founders often forget to model dilution scenarios clearly—investors want to understand post-money ownership instantly.

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4. Customer and Market Validation

• Key customer contracts or letters of intent

• Usage and retention data

• Customer testimonials or case studies

• Product-market fit evidence (e.g., NPS, churn)

🔥 Bonus: Include CRM reports from tools like HubSpot or Salesforce to show consistent traction tracking.

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5. Product & Technology

• Product roadmap and development timeline

• IP ownership documents (code, patents, trademarks)

• Tech stack overview and scalability plan

• Security and data privacy policies

💡 Tip: Use GitHub, Jira, or Notion to give investors read-only access to parts of your development workflow.

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6. Team & HR Records

• Organizational chart

• Founder and exec bios

• Employment contracts and advisor agreements

• Option pool allocations

• Hiring plan for next 12–24 months

📂 Ensure employment and contractor agreements assign IP to the company—this is a major red flag if missing.

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7. Regulatory & Risk

• Compliance with data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA)

• Any pending or past litigation

• Insurance policies (general liability, D&O)

• Industry-specific certifications (e.g., SOC 2)

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🧰 Tools to Help Organize Diligence

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🛑 Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Incomplete or outdated cap table

• ❌ Missing signed contracts or NDAs

• ❌ Inconsistent financials or forecasting

• ❌ Overpromising traction without data

• ❌ IP not assigned to the company

• ❌ Employment or legal docs in personal accounts

Even strong startups can lose funding if diligence uncovers chaos. Be proactive.

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💬 What Investors Are Really Looking For

Ultimately, due diligence is not just about “checking boxes.” It’s about:

• Your ability to execute in an organized way

• The maturity of your operations

• How much risk you’ve eliminated

Professionalism here shows investors that you’re not just a visionary—but a builder with discipline.

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🚀 Final Advice from Global Capital Network

At Global Capital Network, we advise dozens of founders every month preparing for investor presentations. Our biggest tip? Prepare your diligence binder before you pitch.

That way, when the conversation progresses, you’re not scrambling—you’re handing over a clean, organized data room that inspires trust.