PRE-PITCH & INVESTOR MEETING CHECKLIST

Company & strategy (must-have)

  • One‑line pitch: clear problem + solution + target market.

  • Investor pitch deck (10–15 slides): cover problem, solution, market size (TAM/SAM/SOM), traction, business model, go‑to‑market, competition, team, financials, ask and use of funds.

  • Executive summary (1 page): condensed highlights and funding ask.

Financials & unit economics

  • 3–5 year financial model: revenue, COGS, gross margin, OpEx, EBITDA, monthly/quarterly P&L, assumptions.

  • Cash flow and runway statement.

  • Cap table: current ownership, option pool, convertible notes, SAFEs, and post‑money scenarios.

  • Unit economics & KPIs: CAC, LTV, churn, ARPU, payback period, gross margin.

Traction & market evidence

  • Customer metrics: MRR/ARR, growth rates, retention, active users, cohorts.

  • Sales pipeline & contracts: signed LOIs, key customers, renewal/expansion details.

  • Market research: TAM/SAM/SOM sources and competitor landscape.

Product & tech

  • Product demo / access: working demo, staging link, screenshots, roadmap.

  • Architecture overview & technology stack.

  • IP & code ownership: patents, trademarks, copyrights, open‑source components and licences.

Legal & corporate

  • Company formation docs: articles, bylaws/operating agreement, jurisdiction.

  • Cap table & shareholder agreements.

  • Material contracts: major customer contracts, vendor agreements, reseller/partner agreements, leases.

  • Employee agreements & offer letters.

  • Stock option plan and grant history.

  • Past financing documents: SAFEs, convertible notes, term sheets, investor rights.

Compliance, risk & HR

  • Compliance filings & licenses relevant to your industry.

  • Insurance policies (D&O, general liability) summary.

  • Key employee bios and org chart.

  • Background checks or references for founders (if requested).

Data room organization (recommended structure)

  1. Company & team

  2. Financials & modeL

  3. Market & product

  4. Customers & sales

  5. Legal & corporate

  6. IP & tech

  7. HR & operations
    (Use clear file names, versioning, and an index spreadsheet.)

Due diligence practicalities

  • Prepare a clean, permissioned virtual dataroom (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, Datasite); grant access on request.

  • Redact sensitive personal info not needed for diligence.

  • Assign a point person to handle investor questions and update items quickly.

  • Prepare an answers FAQ for common diligence questions and a timeline for requested items.

  • Be ready for reference calls with customers, partners, or previous investors.

Pitch logistics & ask

  • Tailor deck to investor type (VC, angel, corporate, strategic).

  • Clear funding ask and use of funds with milestones and expected runway.

  • Anticipate 10–15 key investor questions (team, TRACTION, defensibility, unit economics (if available), exit path, and prepare short answers.

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