Download your free due diligence checklist now
The due diligence checklist that gives you a head start on success.
You will get:
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An industry-standard checklist
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Customizable and ready-to-use checklist in Word format
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Recommended order for organizing your documents
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Save time and hassle in your due diligence process
Get the checklist for free!
Why use this due diligence checklist?
Deals move quickly. Missing files slow them down. This free due diligence checklist gives your team a comprehensive, practical list of requests, so you can prepare once and share confidently.
Industry-standard structure
Built around what reviewers expect to see, so your materials match common legal, financial, and operational requests from day one.
Customizable and ready to use (Word)
Download the editable Word version. Add or remove sections. Tailor prompts to your company, stage, and sector. No redesign required.
Clear, recommended order
Follow a logical sequence for organizing documents (corporate → financial → legal → HR → tech/IP, etc.) so stakeholders can navigate and verify faster.
Save time and hassle
Use one vetted, step-by-step due diligence checklist, so preparation is faster and more consistent with fewer revisions.
How to use it
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Duplicate the template in your preferred format.
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Assign owners across workstreams (finance, legal, tech, HR, etc.).
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Tag status (Not Started / In Progress / Ready) and add links to source documents.
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Upload & share in a virtual data room to control access, watermark files, and keep documents protected even after download.
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Track reviewer progress and close gaps before the Q&A phase.
Built for both sides of the table
Sell-side & management teams
Use the due diligence checklist to replace ad-hoc request lists with a single source of truth. Map each item to an owner, link evidence where it lives, and mark status (Not Started / In Progress / Ready). By front-loading the materials most reviewers ask for, you reduce last-minute scrambles, keep advisors aligned, and present a clean narrative that speeds up analysis and approvals.
Buy-side, corporate development, and diligence providers
Standardize reviews across opportunities with a consistent baseline. The checklist helps you quickly spot gaps (e.g., equity exceptions, IP assignment coverage, compliance exposures), compare targets like-for-like, and drive focused follow-ups. It also improves collaboration with legal, finance, and technical workstreams by pointing everyone to the same organized evidence.
Advisors & counsel
Adopt the template as your engagement framework. With predefined categories and example artifacts, you can brief clients faster, reduce back-and-forth, and maintain an auditable trail of what was requested, received, and relied upon. Over time, you can tune the due diligence checklist to your sector norms while keeping a familiar backbone for your teams.
Why pair it with a secure data room
A secure virtual data room turns your free due diligence checklist into a living workspace: upload documents directly against each item, control who sees what, and monitor reviewer progress without email sprawl.
Granular access & expiry
Share on a need-to-know basis by folder or file, set time-bound access, and revoke instantly if scope changes.
Activity trails & Q&A
See who viewed what and when, track engagement, and centralize questions by checklist category to avoid duplicate threads.
Watermarking & view-only modes
Discourage leaks with dynamic watermarks and optional download restrictions while keeping reviews smooth.
Repeatable structure
Mirror the checklist sections in your folder tree to keep uploads consistent, accelerate reviewer navigation, and simplify sign-off.
FAQ: Due diligence checklist
A structured request list used during transactions to gather and verify information across corporate, financial, legal, and operational areas.
Start with a standard template, map items to workstreams, assign owners, set statuses, and link documents in a secure data room.
Corporate records, financial statements, tax filings, material contracts, HR files, tech & IP documentation, and compliance evidence.
It covers core categories common to most transactions and includes placeholders for sector-specific add-ons.
Mirror the checklist with a clear folder structure (Corporate, Financial, Legal, etc.) and use consistent naming conventions and version control.
Use a virtual data room with watermarking, granular access, expiry, download controls, and after-download protection for sensitive files.
Word (.docx). You can open and edit it in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or any compatible editor.
Get the free due diligence checklist
Be deal-ready in hours, not weeks. Download the editable free due diligence checklist and organize requests, owners, and evidence in one place.