Due Diligence Prep · India

DDLab — Get due-diligence ready
before you raise.

Investors will ask for dozens of documents the moment you get a term sheet. DDLab tells you exactly what they need, helps you track what's ready, and lets you build your data room at your own pace — before the clock starts ticking.

7
document folders
14
pre-seed essentials
60+
seed-round documents
4–8
weeks of DD pressure
Pre-seed — the lean essentials investors expect at first / second cheque
What is due diligence?

The investor's homework on your startup

Before any cheque is written, investors verify the claims in your pitch. Here's how to survive it.

Due diligence in plain English

Due diligence (DD) is the structured verification process investors run after issuing a term sheet — typically over 4 to 8 weeks. They're checking that the company is legally clean, the financials match what you pitched, the IP belongs to the company, and there are no hidden skeletons.

The founders who sail through DD have one thing in common: they were already organised before the process started. DDLab helps you get there, one document at a time.

DD runs in 6 parallel tracks simultaneously

⚖️
Legal
Company constitution, board resolutions, shareholder registers, past investment agreements.
📊
Financial
Audited statements, management accounts, unit economics, projections and burn analysis.
🧾
Tax
ITR filings, GST compliance, TDS returns, DPIIT recognition and Angel Tax exemptions.
🏛️
Regulatory
MCA filings, sector-specific licences (RBI, SEBI, FSSAI), DPDP data privacy compliance.
💡
IP
IP assignment agreements from founders, employees and contractors; trademarks; patents; open-source licences.
👥
HR & Commercial
Employment agreements, ESOP plans, PF / ESI compliance, top customer contracts and market evidence.
Typical seed DD timeline after term sheet
1
Term sheet signed
Day 0
2
DD questionnaire sent
Day 2–5
3
Document requests
Week 1–3
4
Clarifications & calls
Week 2–5
5
Final report & close
Week 4–8
~
Founders with a pre-organised data room typically close in half the time. Every delay in providing documents extends the exclusivity window, gives the investor more time to re-negotiate terms, and increases the chance of a deal dying. Being organised isn't just tidy — it signals execution quality.

Your data room in 7 folders

Ready to start building your data room?
Track each document, add notes, and see your readiness score go up.
Open the checklist →
Prep Tracker

Track your data room readiness

Click the status pill on any item to cycle it: Not started → In progress → Ready → N/A. Add notes and watch your readiness score climb.

0%
0
Ready
0
In progress
0
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Data Room Template

Download your folder structure

A ready-to-use ZIP with all 7 folders and a guidance README in each one. Drop your documents in, share via secure link.

📁 Stage-aware ZIP

Data room template — Pre-seed

Downloads a ZIP structured exactly as investors expect to receive your data room. Each folder contains a README.txt listing every document, the one-line reason investors ask for it, and where to get it in India. Mark off items as you add them, then share via a secure link when ready.

📁 1. Corporate & GovernanceREADME.txt
📁 2. Cap Table & ESOPsREADME.txt
📁 3. FinancialsREADME.txt
📁 4. Tax & RegulatoryREADME.txt
📁 5. Intellectual PropertyREADME.txt
📁 6. People - HRREADME.txt
📁 7. Commercial & MarketREADME.txt
📄 00 - Master Checklist.txtall folders

Guidance only — READMEs list what to gather and where to get it. No legal templates are generated. Consult a CA or CS for document preparation.

📋 Best practice when sharing your data room
  • Share via a secure, view-only link (Google Drive, Notion, or a dedicated VDR) — never send documents directly by email.
  • Get an NDA signed before sharing financials, customer data, or anything IP-sensitive.
  • Stage your disclosures: share corporate and cap table docs early; hold financials and customer contracts until the investor is clearly serious.
  • Create a separate shared folder per investor so you can revoke access individually without disrupting others.