Guides

The dealOS blog

Practical guides to fundraising and M&A: raising rounds, finding investors and buyers, and running deal processes that close.

Fundraising

How to build an investor list

Define your criteria, source names, qualify on recent activity not logos, and size the list so a seed process has enough reachable investors.

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Fundraising

How to write an investment teaser

The one-page pre-NDA summary investors actually read: the eight sections that matter, what to leave out, and the mistakes that kill a first impression.

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Fundraising

Seed round data room checklist

What belongs in a seed data room, what does not, how to gate it behind an NDA, and when to have it ready.

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Fundraising

How to follow up with investors

Silence is normal. A concrete follow-up cadence, why every nudge must carry new information, and when to move on.

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Fundraising

The investor update email template

Monthly updates compound: the structure that works, a copy-paste template, and the mistakes that make investors stop reading.

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Fundraising

Pre-seed vs seed: which are you raising?

Honest definitions, what investors expect at each stage, and why stage-fit matters more than the label you use.

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Research

One in six investor emails is dead

We ran mailbox-level verification on 16,311 published investor email addresses. Only 71.4% verified deliverable. The data, and what it means for outreach.

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Fundraising

Running a fundraise like a structured transaction

Most raises stall on process, not pitch: the 13-step operating checklist across preparation, pipeline, diligence and close.

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Fundraising

How to raise a seed round

How much to raise, what materials investors expect, how to build the list, run the process and get to a close, without losing six months.

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Fundraising

How to find investors for your startup

The investor universe is large but your real market is small: how to find the funds and angels who actually match your round, and reach them properly.

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Fundraising

How to run a fundraising process

Fundraising rewards structure: the wave system, momentum mechanics, and the operating cadence that separates a six-week process from a six-month slog.

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M&A

How to find companies to acquire

The best acquisitions are rarely for sale when you first call: how to define a thesis, build the target universe and run origination like a pipeline.

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M&A

How to sell your company

From "maybe it is time" to money in the bank: preparation, the teaser, building the buyer list, running a competitive process and surviving diligence.

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Put the guides to work

Upload your pitch deck and dealOS drafts the teaser, matches investors to your raise and sets up the pipeline.