Due diligence is rarely about producing dramatic new information. In most reviews, the examiner is checking that the business can locate, explain and reconcile evidence it already has. Companies that prepare in advance shorten the review, reduce repeated requests, and present themselves as easier to transact with.
The checklist below is intentionally generic. Every transaction — investor, lender, buyer, large customer — asks for a different slice. Preparing a single, well-organised evidence room means each request becomes a copy, not a search.
01Legal and constitutional evidence
- Certificate of Incorporation, MOA and AOA.
- PAN, TAN and GSTIN registration certificates.
- Shop & Establishment, professional tax and any industry licences in force.
- Current register of members, register of directors and DIN/DSC records.
- Shareholders’ agreement, founders’ agreements and any side letters.
- Latest MCA filings (annual return, financial statements, beneficial ownership).
02Financial evidence
- Audited financial statements for the last three financial years.
- Most recent management accounts (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow).
- Bank statements for all operating accounts (typically 12 months).
- GST returns (GSTR-1, GSTR-3B) and income tax returns for the same period.
- Working capital schedule: debtors, creditors, inventory and ageing.
- Capital structure: shareholding pattern, ESOP pool, convertible instruments.
03Governance and policy evidence
- Board minutes for the last 24 months, with circular resolutions filed.
- Statutory registers maintained and up to date.
- Internal policies: anti-bribery, data protection, HR, IT and conflict of interest.
- Related-party transactions register and pricing rationale.
- Authorised signatory matrix and bank operating mandates.
04Operational evidence
- Top-10 customer and supplier list with contract status.
- Standard commercial templates (MSA, NDA, statement of work).
- Employee headcount, organisation chart and key-person agreements.
- Insurance: general liability, D&O, cyber and asset cover.
- Premises: lease deeds, ownership documents, utility connections.
05Digital and IP evidence
- Domain ownership records (WHOIS, DNS administrator).
- Trademark and copyright registrations, with renewal dates.
- Software licence inventory, including open-source obligations.
- Data processing register and consent records, where personal data is handled.
- Security posture: backup policy, access reviews, incident log.
Group documents by the five categories above, name files consistently (for example 2024-FY-Audited-Financials.pdf) and keep a one-page index at the top of each folder. Wherever a number is summarised on the index, link straight to the underlying document. Reviewers consistently report that a clean index reduces follow-up questions more than any single document.
Where SOFTRE fits in: the ShieldScore assessment is a structured readiness indicator, not a substitute for due diligence. It surfaces the gaps a reviewer is most likely to flag — missing filings, unverifiable domain ownership, incomplete governance evidence — so they can be closed before the review begins.
Advisory note. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, investment, credit or regulatory advice. SOFTRE is not a credit rating agency, financial institution, lender, or broker.