White papers
Research you can check.
Rubicon's long-form research on diligence, for both sides of the table. Read online or download the PDF.
New · For founders
The Readiness Ladder
What investors actually look for at every round, from the first angel check to Series B, why the bar changes with whose money it is, and how founders can be diligence ready before the first meeting.
- Team is the first filter: 95% of VC firms rank it important, 47% rank it most important.
- Diligence depth follows whose money it is: about 20 hours for angel groups, 118 hours for VC firms.
- Most rounds slow down on fixable paperwork: cap tables, 83(b) elections, unassigned IP.
For investors
The Diligence Gap
Why the deal-killing risks were never in the data room, and what the external record actually contains.
- What the data room leaves out, and why.
- Where the external record fills the gap.
- How sourced evidence changes the diligence process.