I will not promote | What does a perfect structured data room look like?

Hey everyone,

So I’m working on a free, standardized data room template for early-stage founders and people doing their first raise to help them feel more prepared and confident when they start fundraising or going through due diligence.

The idea is simple - Most founders scramble to build a data room only after investors ask for it - they use AI to create their initial folder structure and it often ends up being inconsistent, incomplete, or overcomplicated. I want to create something that’s clean, structured, and actually aligned with what investors expect to see.

Before I build it, I’d love to hear directly from both founders and investors:

1. From investors

• What are the must-have sections you expect in a good data room?
• What instantly signals “this founder is organized/serious”?
• What are the most common things missing or poorly structured?
• Do you prefer everything upfront, or staged access as diligence progresses?

2. From founders

• What was confusing or stressful when building your first data room?
• What did you over-include or under-include?
• What would have saved you the most time during fundraising?

I’ll turn this into a free downloadable template (Google Drive / Notion format) that early-stage founders can just plug into. Also could expand this for later series rounds, but I haven't had any talks with more experienced founders about them looking for any help with their initial data room setup.

“This is what I wish founders would just send me immediately” type answers are always appreciated.