A data room is a powerful tool to showcase the value of your company and its potential to investors. It is often used as due diligence in M&A deals however, it can be beneficial in fundraising, IPOs, and other investor gatherings. However, the process of preparing a data room can be a lengthy and sometimes overwhelming job. What are the best documents to include, how should they be organized and grouped, and how do you set permissions?

As a startup, you need to concentrate on sharing data that supports your overall narrative. This will vary based on the stage at which you are. For instance companies at the seed stage might be more interested in data on market trends, regulatory changes, and compelling “why now?” forces. Growth-stage companies on the other hand, should focus on trends related to key metrics, customer acquisition, revenue, and similar.

Avoid including too much information. Too much data can overwhelm investors, and may indicate that your team does not understand how to move the needle for the business. Also, make sure that any metrics you share are representative of the entire data instead of being selectively presented (like just displaying “bright spots”).

An annotation tool allows users add their own questions and comments to any document that is in a data room. This helps keep discussions focused and facilitates managing the Q&A process. Finally, granular access permissions that can be customized on an individual level for a folder or document are crucial to minimize the risk of sensitive information being shared with a third party. Look for a service provider that provides a variety reporting tools to track the user’s activity. For example, what documents are seen when.

http://virtualdataroomsoftware.net/set-up-your-data-room-for-safe-file-sharing-and-transferring/