Raising in Six Months? Fix Your Numbers Now, Not During Due Diligence

The most common mistake I see founders make isn't in the pitch. It's in the numbers behind it.

Investors don't just read your deck. They test it. In due diligence, the questions that slow rounds down, or quietly cut the valuation, are almost always the same:

Key Due Diligence Questions

Can you produce clean monthly accounts, fast? Investors expect reconciled management accounts for at least the last 12 months. If that takes your bookkeeper three weeks, start now.
Is your forecast built bottom-up? "We'll grow 15% a month" isn't a forecast. Build it from drivers an investor can test: customers, pricing, conversion and churn.
Do you know your runway to the month? A rolling 13-week cash flow shows exactly how long the money lasts, and whether you're raising from strength or under pressure. Investors can tell the difference.
Is your revenue quality visible? Separate recurring from one-off revenue, and know your customer concentration and churn. Investors will work it out anyway. Better that you show them first.
Is your cap table clean? Every option, note, SAFE and side agreement should be documented and signed. Messy cap tables kill more term sheets than founders realise.

Prepare Early for Diligence

None of this is glamorous, but all of it takes longer than you expect. Start three to six months before you plan to raise, and the diligence process becomes a formality instead of a negotiation.