Data Room Builder
The data room is where momentum goes to die or to accelerate. A messy,
slow-to-assemble room signals an undisciplined company and gives a wavering
investor a reason to drift. A clean, staged room signals "this founder runs a
tight ship" and shortens the path to wired funds.
When to use this skill
Build it during [[fundraise-readiness-audit]] (you should be able to produce it
in days - 3 to 5 working days is the standard for a seed-stage company with
clean books), and stage it for sharing once a term sheet is near. Confirmatory
diligence runs against it; see [[fundraise-closing-mechanics]].
Structure the room in tiers
Share progressively - not everything goes out on the first call.
Tier 1 - shared early (builds confidence)
- Pitch deck and the one-page narrative memo.
- Key metrics dashboard with definitions (so numbers are not disputed later).
- Market sizing with assumptions ([[market-sizing]]).
Tier 2 - shared at serious interest / pre-term-sheet
- Financials: historical P&L covering at least the trailing 24 months
(monthly granularity), the model/projections ([[financial-planner]]),
monthly burn and runway.
- Metrics detail: cohort/retention curves, CAC by channel, pipeline.
- Cap table: fully-diluted, plus prior SAFEs/notes ([[cap-table-manager]]).
- Product: roadmap, architecture overview, security posture.
Tier 3 - confirmatory diligence (post-term-sheet)
- Corporate: incorporation docs, board consents, prior financing docs.
- IP: assignment agreements for every founder and contractor.
- Customers: top contracts (any customer over ~10% of revenue gets extra
scrutiny - have those contracts and their renewal terms ready), churn
detail, references.
- People: org chart, key employee agreements, option grants.
- Legal: any litigation, regulatory exposure, material contracts.
Operating rules
- One source of truth per number. The metric in the deck, the data room, and
your mouth must match to the decimal.
- Label and date every file. A folder named "Final_v3_real" loses you trust.
- Track who has access and what tier they are in; close access within a week
of a deal dying - a stale open room is a leak waiting to happen.
- Keep an index document at the root so a partner can navigate without asking.
- Respond to any diligence document request within 24-48 hours. Slower than
that reads as "they don't have it" and stalls the deal clock; confirmatory
diligence should run 2-4 weeks, and slow responses are the usual reason it
doesn't.
Anti-patterns
- Dumping everything on day one - it overwhelms and surfaces issues out of
context.
- A number in diligence that contradicts the deck. This is the single fastest
way to lose a deal; reconcile before you share.
- A room you cannot assemble until week three of diligence. Build it before you
raise, not during.
Quality bar
- Every metric in the room reconciles to the deck and the model to the decimal,
with one named source of truth per number.
- The full Tier 1-3 structure exists before outreach starts, with a have /
need / drafting status on every item.
- Every file is labeled and dated; the root index lets a partner find any
document without asking.
- Access is logged per person per tier, and there is a plan to revoke it when
a deal dies.
Deliverable
A tiered, indexed data room (folder structure plus a contents checklist marking
have / need / drafting), with every metric reconciled to a single source and an
access-tracking plan for the raise.
1---2name: data-room-builder3description: Use when a founder needs to prepare materials for investor due diligence. Triggers on "set up a data room", "what goes in a data room", "diligence checklist", "prepare for due diligence", "investors asked for our data room". Builds the organized, staged room that makes diligence fast and confidence-building.4---56# Data Room Builder78The data room is where momentum goes to die or to accelerate. A messy,9slow-to-assemble room signals an undisciplined company and gives a wavering10investor a reason to drift. A clean, staged room signals "this founder runs a11tight ship" and shortens the path to wired funds.1213## When to use this skill1415Build it during [[fundraise-readiness-audit]] (you should be able to produce it16in days - 3 to 5 working days is the standard for a seed-stage company with17clean books), and stage it for sharing once a term sheet is near. Confirmatory18diligence runs against it; see [[fundraise-closing-mechanics]].1920## Structure the room in tiers2122Share progressively - not everything goes out on the first call.2324### Tier 1 - shared early (builds confidence)25- Pitch deck and the one-page narrative memo.26- Key metrics dashboard with definitions (so numbers are not disputed later).27- Market sizing with assumptions ([[market-sizing]]).2829### Tier 2 - shared at serious interest / pre-term-sheet30- **Financials**: historical P&L covering at least the trailing 24 months31 (monthly granularity), the model/projections ([[financial-planner]]),32 monthly burn and runway.33- **Metrics detail**: cohort/retention curves, CAC by channel, pipeline.34- **Cap table**: fully-diluted, plus prior SAFEs/notes ([[cap-table-manager]]).35- **Product**: roadmap, architecture overview, security posture.3637### Tier 3 - confirmatory diligence (post-term-sheet)38- **Corporate**: incorporation docs, board consents, prior financing docs.39- **IP**: assignment agreements for every founder and contractor.40- **Customers**: top contracts (any customer over ~10% of revenue gets extra41 scrutiny - have those contracts and their renewal terms ready), churn42 detail, references.43- **People**: org chart, key employee agreements, option grants.44- **Legal**: any litigation, regulatory exposure, material contracts.4546## Operating rules4748- One source of truth per number. The metric in the deck, the data room, and49 your mouth must match to the decimal.50- Label and date every file. A folder named "Final_v3_real" loses you trust.51- Track who has access and what tier they are in; close access within a week52 of a deal dying - a stale open room is a leak waiting to happen.53- Keep an index document at the root so a partner can navigate without asking.54- Respond to any diligence document request within 24-48 hours. Slower than55 that reads as "they don't have it" and stalls the deal clock; confirmatory56 diligence should run 2-4 weeks, and slow responses are the usual reason it57 doesn't.5859## Anti-patterns6061- Dumping everything on day one - it overwhelms and surfaces issues out of62 context.63- A number in diligence that contradicts the deck. This is the single fastest64 way to lose a deal; reconcile before you share.65- A room you cannot assemble until week three of diligence. Build it before you66 raise, not during.6768## Quality bar6970- Every metric in the room reconciles to the deck and the model to the decimal,71 with one named source of truth per number.72- The full Tier 1-3 structure exists before outreach starts, with a have /73 need / drafting status on every item.74- Every file is labeled and dated; the root index lets a partner find any75 document without asking.76- Access is logged per person per tier, and there is a plan to revoke it when77 a deal dies.7879## Deliverable8081A tiered, indexed data room (folder structure plus a contents checklist marking82have / need / drafting), with every metric reconciled to a single source and an83access-tracking plan for the raise.
SkillMedev