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What investors actually check before they wire.

Fundraising diligence isn't a mystery — it's a fixed set of things a partner verifies, in a predictable order, at each stage. These guides lay out that set with worked examples and the real benchmark numbers, so you can find your gaps before an investor finds them for you.

Every number below is computed by the same engine that scores the paid report and the free on-page check — so the guides and your report can't disagree. Ranges are institutional consensus for 2024–2026 (Carta, PitchBook, Bessemer, ICONIQ); verify against the source before quoting to an investor.

What VCs check first in diligence

The five deal-breakers that stall a round outright — cap table, IP assignment, deck-vs-model consistency — and why a partner opens them before your traction slide.

"what do investors check first / VC due diligence checklist"

Data room checklist by stage

The nine-folder room generalized from an IPO-grade data room, trimmed to exactly what pre-seed, seed, Series A and Series B each need — with the file names to use.

"startup data room checklist / what goes in a data room"

SAFE vs priced round: which docs, when

Why 92% of pre-seed rounds use post-money SAFEs and when a priced round takes over — with the cap, discount and dilution math worked through a real example.

"SAFE vs priced round / post-money SAFE dilution"

Red flags that stall rounds

The inconsistencies and gaps that quietly kill momentum — deck ≠ model, hand-assembled metrics, the missing SAFE — and the fix for each, ordered by how much they cost you.

"why do fundraising rounds fall apart / red flags investors"

Startup metric benchmarks by stage

The exact bars an IC memo cites — ARR, growth, NDR, burn multiple, CAC payback, Rule of 40 — for seed through Series B, with the AI-native bar called out separately.

"Series A metrics benchmarks / what ARR for Series A"

Burn multiple & runway, worked

How to compute your burn multiple and post-raise runway the way an investor does — the exact formulas, the tiers, and a mini-calculator you can use on this page.

"how to calculate burn multiple / runway before raising"
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