Fundraising
Build a Data Room
A data room is a place where important documents are saved and easily accessible for the due diligence process. In practice, it's usually a well-organised Google Drive folder. Having a tight data room raises credibility with investors.
Required documents
- Financials: P&L and balance sheet
- Founders' legal names and email addresses
- Board minutes
- Bank statements
- Incorporation documents
- Documents from any previous raises (Convertible Notes / SAFEs)
- Cap table
Helpful additions (not required)
- App reviews
- App store sales data
- Cohort data (retention / churn)
- Number of full-time and part-time employees
- Total capital raised to date, and from whom
- Whether any investors have side letters
- Your lawyer's name and firm
Why it matters
Investors run many deals in parallel. A founder who can send a complete, organised data room at a moment's notice signals that they are on top of their business. A disorganised or incomplete data room signals the opposite — and gives investors a reason to deprioritise your deal.
Build the data room before you start fundraising, not after you get a request for it.